Ad Creation Guide

How to Create
Your Ad with Canva

Before your ad goes live on our mobile LED billboards, you'll need to submit a finished artwork file. This guide walks you through everything — the right dimensions, design principles, building in Canva, and how to send it to us.

Step 1: Know Your Size
Ad Dimensions
By Platform

Before you open Canva, know which platform you're designing for. Using the wrong size means your ad won't display correctly — get this right first.

Car Top Billboard · Ad Size
384 × 128 px
384 × 128 px
Landscape / Wide Format: displayed on the LED billboard mounted above our vehicle roofline. Wide and narrow — fill every pixel.
Backpack Billboard · Ad Size
1080
×
1920
1080 × 1920 px
Portrait / Full Vertical Display: displayed on the backpack LED billboard carried through stores, malls, and events.
📋

Quick Specs Reference

Car Top Billboard: 384 × 128 px · JPG · Landscape format
Backpack Billboard: 1080 × 1920 px · JPG · Portrait format
File format: JPG at full resolution
Color mode: RGB
Text: Must be legible at a quick glance: no tiny text

🏆 PLATINUM ONLY — VIDEO ADS
Format: MP4 · Max length: 10 seconds · Submit the same way as image files

Step 2: Prepare
What You'll
Need Ready

Getting a few things together before you open Canva will save you time and result in a stronger ad.

🖼️

Your Logo

Use a high-quality logo file. A version with a transparent background (PNG) works best — it layers cleanly over any background color without a white box around it.

✏️

Your Message

Decide what you want to say before you start designing. The most effective mobile ads have one clear message — a product, a service, a phone number, or a deal. Not all four.

📲

Your Contact Point

Pick one: your website, phone number, or address. There isn't room for all three — your website is usually the best choice since people will look you up later.

🏆

Platinum Members: Video Ads Supported!

Platinum advertisers can submit video ads in addition to static images. Videos must be in MP4 format with a maximum length of 10 seconds. Keep your video punchy — the same design rules apply. Bold visuals, minimal text, one clear message. Submit your MP4 the same way you'd submit an image.

Step 3: Design Principles
What Makes an Ad
Actually Work

Mobile LED advertising is fast. People see your ad from a moving car, a parking lot, or while shopping. These principles help you make an impression in under 3 seconds.

01

Keep It Simple

Aim for 1 image, 1 logo, 7 words or fewer. More content isn't better, a cluttered ad is an ignored ad. One clear focal point wins every time.

02

Use Bold, Legible Fonts

Your ad needs to be read quickly, from a moving car, across a parking lot, or at a glance in a store aisle. Choose large, bold fonts with strong contrast. Thin or decorative fonts get lost.

03

Fill the Canvas

Unlike print, you don't need heavy white space. Scale your logo and text up to fill the billboard, especially on the Car Top which is wide and narrow. Bigger is better.

04

Stay on Brand

Use your actual brand colors, logo, and fonts. People may see your ad in the morning and look you up that evening, make sure what they find online matches what they saw on the billboard.

05

One Contact Point Only

Pick one: your website, your phone number, or your address. Trying to fit all three dilutes the message. Your website is usually the best choice.

06

Match Colors to Time of Day

For daytime display, use a light background with dark text — holds up better against outdoor brightness. For nighttime, use a dark background with light text — the illuminated billboard pops.

☀️ Daytime — Light bg, Dark text
YOUR BRAND HERE
🌙 Nighttime — Dark bg, Light text
YOUR BRAND HERE
Step 4: Build It
Building Your Ad
in Canva

Canva is free, beginner-friendly, and works great for creating mobile LED ad artwork. Follow these steps to build your ad.

💡

New to Canva?

Canva has a built-in getting-started guide that's easy to follow. Once you're comfortable with the basics, building a simple ad only takes 15–20 minutes. You can also search "LED sign ad" in Canva's template library for inspiration — just make sure to resize your chosen template to the correct dimensions before submitting.

1

Create a Free Canva Account

Go to canva.com and sign up for a free account. You don't need a paid plan to create and export your ad.

2

Set Your Canvas Size

From your Canva dashboard, click "Create a design""Custom size" and enter your ad dimensions.

Car Top Billboard → 384 × 128 px
Backpack Billboard → 1080 × 1920 px
Advertising on both? Build each as a separate file.
3

Upload Your Logo & Images

Click "Uploads" in the left sidebar to add your logo and any brand images. A PNG with a transparent background layers cleanly over any background color.

4

Design Your Ad

Apply the principles from Step 3: keep it simple, use bold fonts, fill the canvas, and include one contact point. Use your brand colors and make sure text is large enough to read at a glance.

Font tip: Bebas Neue, Montserrat Bold, and Oswald are all excellent choices for LED billboard ads.
Step 5: Export & Submit
Send Us
Your File

Once your ad is designed, export it from Canva and send it to us. We'll review it and get it scheduled into your campaign rotation.

1

Export from Canva

Click "Share""Download" and choose JPG at full resolution. Name the file clearly — like YourBusinessName_CarTop.jpg.

Car Top Billboard → 384 × 128 px JPG
Backpack Billboard → 1080 × 1920 px JPG
2

Submit via the Advertiser Portal

Log in to the Advertiser Portal and upload your file directly. Or head to the Contact section on our main site and attach your file there.

Include a note specifying Car Top, Backpack Billboard, or both.
3

We Review & Schedule

Our team reviews your artwork to make sure it meets display requirements. We'll reach out if any adjustments are needed. Once approved, your ad is scheduled into your campaign rotation.

Ready to Run?

Let's Get Your
Brand Moving!

Open Canva, build your ad, and submit it through the portal. We'll handle the rest.

Open Canva → Advertiser Portal →