When Taller Billboards Reduces Readability, Why Boost Billboard Heights to 60 feet?

The Heights OOH Goes to in Building Billboards

The state of Texas and the billboards industry have been wrestling over height limits for over 30 years.
In an effort to find compromise, the Texas legislature is near agreement to put a new limit into the books which raise the height limit from 42.5 feet to 60 feet.  The regulations would only apply to billboards and signs along state-maintained roads, outside municipalities that have their own rules.

Margaret Lloyd, president of Scenic Texas said, If there is a silver lining to a taller limit, it is that highway beautification advocates and sign companies came to agreement and TxDOT has the manpower and the legislature’s support. Good point by Lloyd, but it is her next comment which resonates with me,  “From a visual standpoint, I do not think travelers are going to notice a difference.”

“From a visual standpoint, I do not think travelers are going to notice a difference.”

And that is something to think about.

When billboards exceed 60 feet or greater above the roadway, assuming standard face of 672 square feet, or even a 1200 square foot size, just how good of read is possible?  Are travelers really going to notice?

The taller billboard reduces the readability of the advertiser’s message for two simple reasons:

•      An over the top height reduces the apparent size of the message— the farther away, the smaller it appears.
•      The taller the billboard, the faster it leaves the field of vision of the vehicle windshield— it makes for a shorter time period to read.

Short read time. Size deficiencies. Unreadable copy. Poor ad value.

See this article from the Houston Chronicle⇒Boost Height Limit on Billboards