Start with the one-sentence test
Look at the board for two seconds, then write down, in one sentence, what it's selling and what it wants you to do. If that sentence comes easily and matches what the advertiser actually intended, the message layer is working. If it takes longer than two seconds or the sentence is vague, the message layer needs work regardless of how polished the visuals are.
Trace the hierarchy
Note what your eye landed on first, second and third. In a high-converting board, that order is almost always: dominant visual or headline, then brand, then a supporting detail — deliberately, not by accident. If your eye bounced between elements without a clear order, the hierarchy is flat and needs a stronger size or contrast difference to fix it.
Check contrast and distance legibility separately
Contrast and legibility are related but distinct checks: contrast asks whether the elements are visually distinguishable at all; distance legibility asks whether they're distinguishable at the specific size and viewing distance this exact board will be seen at. A board can pass one and fail the other.
Confirm the brand and the next step
Finally: is the brand unmistakable in under a second, and is there a clear, singular next action implied or stated? A board that passes the first three checks but leaves the viewer with no next step has built strong awareness and stopped one step short of using it.
Key takeaways
- Run the one-sentence test first: can you say what it sells and wants you to do, from a two-second look?
- Trace your own eye's path across the board to check whether the hierarchy is deliberate or accidental.
- Check contrast and true-distance legibility as two separate questions — a board can pass one and fail the other.
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