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Community engagement is essential to build trust, respect, and understanding about a project. From the beginning till the end of the project, keeping the community around with the project is being built.

Construction projects are often accompanied by loud noise, dust, and disruption for the people, especially the ones in the proximity. By using hoardings, the site managers and developers can better understand the community that is to be directly affected by the same and prevent hiccups along the way.

Coming to the hoardings, they are essential for maintaining communication. You can use hoardings to improve relations with the public, engage the residents and advertise.

How is this possible via hoardings? 

You will find the answer to this question in the following sections. We will discuss the importance of site hoardings to build respect and initiate a dialogue amongst the community.

Why are Site Hoardings Important?

Site hoardings help in multiple ways;

• They share inf
• Initiate a dialogue between the project and community members.
• Reduce the friction and resistance against the project (if the need arises).
• Attract more customers and leads.

Let’s go through the details of community engagement via site hoardings.

Help Local Residents Echo their Voice

When a construction project comes up in the residential area, the people around the space are most affected. They may feel that their right to peace is being stripped off, and the right to breathe fresh may be taken away.

Most of the time, the residents feel helpless in these situations and take their concerns to the local board, municipal, mayor, etc., which is often time consuming.

Printed hoarding panels can address these same concerns.  They reinforce your commitment to ensuring the resident’s security and peace. This in turn reduces the overall resistance towards your project.

You can combine the site hoardings with your efforts to loop in the community via other methods. For instance, you can run online forums, conduct polls, take their views via social media, etc. Sharing the public opinion via site hoardings can reassure the community that they are being heard and their concerns are addressed.

So site hoardings become a way of responding to residents’ concerns. You can use them to share the steps being taken for resolving their issues.

Fast Track the Construction Process

Yes, it is possible; hear us out. Erecting site hoardings around the city for your construction project or any other purpose is done for various reasons. It can be for;

• Raising awareness
• Promotion
• Inviting leads
• Sharing news or information

And there may be other reasons. Not everyone will be happier to see a new project being developed in the city. Complaints can arise, and if you take a proactive approach and erect site hoardings sharing contact information with the viewers, it can be helpful.

These hoardings will ask the people to share their concerns directly with site managers, developers, etc. The contact information for them can be shared via the same hoarding.

As you understand and address the concerns (if any) of the people, you will be on the safe side. Plus, when you are taking a step forward to listen to the complaints, you can resolve them discreetly.

Brand Reputation and Introduction

Site hoardings can give a massive push to your brand reputation and stimulate a response from the community. For this to work, your hoarding board printing need to take a creative approach.

Better graphics and representation can give a big boost to your brand’s awareness. This is even more crucial for site hoardings catering to projects in urban areas, busy roads, and commercially developed areas.

Well crafted site hoardings help are no less than an opportunity. They can easily impress the viewers and help you gain more audience, awareness, and benefit from free word of mouth advertising. All these aspects help in further improving community engagement.

Sharing Project Progress and Insights

A better way to enhance community engagement with site hoardings involves sharing the project progress. For a construction project, people can be shown the project phases, development progress, and additional information. This is a way to assure them that the work is ongoing.

Advertising and Sales

Site hoardings are one of the best ways to attract leads. These are called directional graphics that can bring more sales opportunities for the projects. For this to work, you need to make attractive hoarding graphics that shine a light on the benefits of associating with the project.

Wayfinding Boards and Signs

The area around the construction site may obstruct the way of the bypassers. This can create friction between the community and the project. But you can ease it down by putting up site hoardings in the appropriate places and helping people navigate their way.

Avoid Conflicts

Another way where site hoardings can improve communication and community engagement is by avoiding conflicts. Building a project in the city can invite some unwanted, ill feelings and disputes.

With site hoardings, you can share the benefits of the project under question and help generate positivity. There may be several concerns with a project, including;

• Environmental issues
• Pollution
• Project’s purpose

By sharing the benefits associated with your project, you can build a positive response from the community.

How to Approach Community Engagement?

You can use four methods to build and implement community engagement through site hoardings.

Site hoardings become the face of the project in front of the community. With people having no idea about what is going on behind the scenes, these hoardings can help people visualise the outcome.

They present an opportunity to build associations with the people and the stakeholders. For successful community engagement, you need a team of people to work on the same and ensure effective results. Conduct regular meetings about the designing and implementation of the site hoardings.

The points above show the importance of hoarding boards in community engagement. Make sure to implement the right measures and achieve success.

Construction and development are an integral part of any country’s progress. And when redevelopment of an existing premises or new construction of a commercial/residential building takes place, the building contractor has to follow certain rules and regulations.

Covering and securing the construction site perimeter with hoardings is a requirement that the building contractor should follow. However, many contractors do not know that there are specified rules & regulations that need to be followed for the health and safety of the workers as well as the people visiting around the site.

What is the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974?

In the United Kingdom, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that the employers should take necessary steps for the health and safety of their workforce. The Act also covers the construction sites, which are recommended to take care of its workers, visitors and the passers-by, who may be visiting the area or living around the site.

Although the Act does not openly state this, the need for fencing the perimeter of the construction site is necessary. For this, building contractors are using hoardings nowadays to mask the site and give it a cleaner look.

The need for securing the construction sites was earlier stated in the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007. It defined the legal obligations for construction sites in the UK, ensuring they operate safely.

What does the 2015 Construction Regulations state?

The rules were upgraded in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, introduced by the Health & Safety Executive’s Construction Division. As per the updated rules, the contractors, designers, and clients plan and ensure proper health & safety guidelines throughout the duration of their project – right from demolition to excavation to building and handover.

What is the advisory from the Health & Safety Executive?

In their book ‘Protecting the Public’, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has summarised how the building contractors should plan and maintain the site perimeters.

Proper planning should be done to:

• Identify the hazards and assess the risks
• Determine the site perimeter to be masked
• Decide the type of fencing or hoarding to be installed

Based on the planning, the building contractor should cover the site with hoarding made of recommended material. The hoardings should feature warnings and caution for the safety of all.

Post-installation, the hoarding should be maintained, and regular inspection must be carried out to check for any dirt or vandalism.

Generally, the hoarding boards at construction sites serve dual purposes. Firstly, they act as a protective shield that protects the public from getting exposed to noise, dust and debris. Secondly, they prevent theft and access of unauthorised persons in the premises.

What are the mandatory requirements for site hoardings?

Display: The hoardings should cover the construction site adequately to prevent any kind of theft, besides acting as a premises boundary between the workers and the public. This also ensures the safety and privacy of workers.

Access: The access to the construction site should be designated as per its location. It should be planned appropriately. For enhanced security and safety, hoardings should mention entry and exit points with signs and symbols. This also helps track the moment labour, material suppliers and anyone entering the site, and maintain a proper record.

Strength: The material of the site hoardings should be strong enough to bear the vibration of excavation machines, strong winds and storms, and should not be easily torn if someone tries to enter the premises forcefully.

When should site hoardings be installed?

The site hoardings should be installed before the actual construction work begins. Ideally, the construction work should not start before adhering to proper safety guidelines and getting the necessary approvals from the authorities. The ultimate aim is to keep public safety in mind.

What should be the size of the construction site hoarding?

According to the rule, the construction site hoarding should be approx 8 feet in height. However, there is no set limit as such. As per the location and need, the size can vary and could be larger than 8 feet. Sometimes, the hoarding height may depend on the surrounding or adjacent wall height.

How to make the hoarding boundary more secure?

The construction site hoarding should not be easy to climb. It should neither have any gaps beneath it nor should have any hand or foothold on it. Ideally, flat hoardings are more challenging to scale than mesh fencing.

Hoardings being opaque also block the vision, making the site secure. The top of the hoarding can also be equipped with angled extensions, better known as Fans, to prevent climbing. This also reduces the chances of garbage throwing incidents, which are common at construction sites

How to get the site hoardings approved?

First of all, draw a comprehensive evaluation plan and obtain a design check certificate. Fortunately, the certificate is not issued by any external body. It can be obtained by getting it stamped from a qualified worker who is not a part of the construction project in any way.

Notably, it becomes the responsibility of the personnel to make sure that the designs are as per rules and all work is as per applicable guidelines.

All this helps the building contractor in getting approval for their site hoardings. To make the site hoarding approval plan more manageable, the building contractors having their construction projects in the UK can connect with professional hoarding print companies.

The rules, regulations & requirements mentioned in this blog are the basics that should be considered before getting a site hoarding branding plan approved and executed. For a smoother and faster process, one should always consult a professional and experienced company like Hoarding Print Company that has completed thousands of construction site hoarding projects in the UK with complete proficiency. The company has proven capability to design, print, and install site hoardings and convert them into advertising and attention-grabbing mediums at budget-friendly prices.

Hoarding graphics are an effective form of advertising that everyone sees, whether they like it or not. Besides, they serve the purpose of minimising dust, debris, noise and keeping the public safe and informed about the advertised products or services.

The design of the construction site hoarding plays a vital role in getting the desired results. That is why, you must design a hoarding panel that entertains and also, fulfills its intended purpose.

Let us provide you with some information on how to go about it and make your hoarding graphics eye-pleasing alongside business-driven.

Start by Knowing your Client’s Brand!

The first step to designing creative and powerful printed hoardings includes understanding your client’s brand. When you know the business and prospective clients of your brand, you can create things that can drive the attention of the target audience.

Make sure you understand these three things before you start to design:

Who is your client?

What is their business?

What is their aim and vision for hoarding graphics?

Once you have answers to these questions, you will no doubt design construction hoardings that are hard to ignore.

What are the Factors to Consider While Designing a Hoarding Signage?

Several things need to be taken care of while designing a hoarding panel so that the final product you deliver can resonate with your client and audience. Some of the essentials to consider are:

Target Audience

The utmost attention you need to pay to your design is the intended target audience for the hoarding board. However elegant and attractive your board may seem, it is important to attract people interested in buying that specific product or service.

If you have a wide audience, you can fully explore your creativity. Else you will have to stick to defined lines.

Location of the Hoarding Panel

Considering the location where your designed hoarding would be installed is important. You do not want to create a design that is already present in the neighborhood for some other brand.

Therefore, find out the exact location where your hoarding graphics are to be installed and take a walkthrough of the neighborhood. It will help you to think of many creative ideas. Moreover, you will be able to create and sell an idea that is unique to that area.

Branding of the Business

However brilliant your design may be, the final goal of hoarding is to attract business for your brand. Hence, adding a logo of the brand is immensely crucial to the success of your signage.

Acquire different images of their brand logos and other graphics that you can put into your work. Sometimes, a small logo can leave big imprints in passersby’s minds, which further entices them to try that product.

The Tone of the Signage

The tone of the signage hoarding you are designing is directly linked to your brand’s values. Therefore, you want to ensure that you do not go off-limits and create a design that compliments the image of your brand.

The tone of the design can be serious, sarcastic, humorous, etc. First, research the brand’s content and advertisements to know what they usually go with.

Accordingly, create some ideas before the final discussion of the hoarding design with the client. Your research will definitely be appreciated by the client and will build a level of trust for you.

Tips to Create Captivating Printed Hoarding Panels

Here are a few tips to create appealing designs that every passerby of your construction hoarding will notice for sure:

Keep it Minimalistic

Yes! The trend for minimalism is still on. Unlike before, when printed hoardings were filled with information from head to toe. Now, all that is required is just to let your audience know what your product is and its brand name.

If the audience is interested in it, they will find more information about it anyway using their smart devices. Just make sure to highlight the key features that can help entice the audience.

Make People Curious

As an artist, you must learn to play with the minds of people. Do not give too much information right away. Let them be curious about what is to come. And there is no better place than a construction site hoarding to make it happen.

If you are advertising real estate and the building that is being developed inside the hoarding, create such a design that can make people wonder and discuss it. The more the discussions in the market started from your design, better results for you.

Go for a Consistent Design

Hoarding graphics usually comprises a series of panels. You can take this to your advantage. Instead of making different design boards, let your design flow in one. It will not only attract people, but will make your work easier.

You will only have to create one single concept and design for the hoarding panel to entice people to the advertised product. Remember, creating only one design means you have to deliver the best of all in just one hoarding.

Be Direct

Another way that grabs the attention of passers instantly is directly addressing the audience through printed hoarding panels. Leverage bold statements, ask questions or give them a fact. It is hard to ignore when someone is talking to your face.

Psychologically, it makes people think more about the given product, and they instinctively check it out. This form of advertising is more effective, as it not only attracts passersby but also people who are traveling in a vehicle and just have a few seconds to glance at your hoarding panel.

Make Your Design Vibrant

The more striking your design, the more people will recognize it. And the more recognition, the more swiftly it will spread to the ears of people. Bright and cheerful graphics have the ability to cheer people up.

So make a combination of a few moderate colors along with one or two bright tones. It will surely captivate the attention of all. Remember, if your brand is colour-oriented, do not try with new color experiments and stick to what they always go for.

Interested in Designed Hoarding Boards?

Now that you have managed to reach the end of the blog, it means you surely have a reason behind it. Either you are a graphic designer yourself and need some guidance to your design. Or you are a client looking to get new ideas and designer information for your construction site. Whatever your case, you may reach out to us for the right advice about the best hoarding graphics.

Even though we are living in the digital age, large format printing still hasn’t lost its touch when it comes to grabbing attention. Large-sized printed hoardings communicate the message clearly and have a better scope of attracting the onlooker’s attention.

Our attention span is less than a Goldfish, it’s true! No matter how many attention-grabber sentences you are using, it won’t matter if the people don’t interact with them.

The same goes for caution signs, instructions, hoardings connected to the construction industry. Whether a construction company is renting hoardings to advertise or to hang up instructions for the workers on a site, large format printing can make a difference.

What are the Advantages of Large Format Printing?

Large format printing is a captivating way to attract your audience’s attention. It offers you a larger space to communicate with the spectators. Here are the benefits of choosing large format printing for the construction industry.

Better Brand Recognition

Any construction project will never say no to better opportunities to get their brand recognized in the city. And they can get more attention if they are using the right advertising methods. Large format hoarding boards can attract the attention a brand craves for by the way of showing them across the city with large format printing.

However, the large font size won’t grab new leads just like that. With that, you also need the right graphic designing and content. Good art attracts the audience and becomes a talking point amongst the locals.

Creating impressive large format printing materials is also great for social shareability. Installing thought-provoking artwork across the city inspires the residents to take photos and share them on their social media handles.

Having your brand name printed on these hoardings can attract more attention and better leads. Another way to improve your brand recognition via large format printing is helping the people with crucial information.

For instance, you can put your hoarding outside an under-construction mall and help people find their way to the main junction without getting lost in the construction activities. Secondly, putting up large format printing on a construction site helps in sharing crucial information with the people working on the ground.

Convert your Leads to Customers with Effective Advertising

For a construction company, gaining more leads is crucial for a project’s success. Right graphics will impress the audience, no doubt about that and doing it with large format printing is even more effective.

people are more likely to ignore the information provided on social media or any other sort of digital media. Hence, when they see a hoarding, it means a change in the way we view things. So, we can use this thing to our advantage and bring the project in limelight.

But, we cannot ignore the social media aspect of advertising with large format printing. Smart hoarding advertising has evolved over the years, and with the advancement of social media, we come across many of the creative hoardings getting viral on the web.

Large format printed hoardings can leave a positive impression on the audience and improve engagement.

Great Visibility

Large format printed hoardings are clearly visible from a distance. The large size covers the ability to get the people looking from a distance. But to ensure better ROI, you need to use effective methods for grabbing the audience’s attention.

Conclusion

Besides the advertising aspect of a construction project, there are benefits of using large-sized hoardings and wraps for ensuring ground safety. In other words, hanging up large format signs, hoardings, etc., around the construction site helps with sharing information, insights, steps, and way forward.

The large size will make sure that no person misses to read the content printed on the hoarding. Besides figuring out the content for the printing, you may also have to choose between the type of printed media.