Hey, wondering if anyone is familiar with designing those brand patterns for the backdrop for interviewees on news stations? Wondering if there are tv safe colors or any guidelines to follow for something like this?
Are you talking about the step and repeat things?
You have to follow the branding guidelines regarding spot color matching and more importantly you have to consider (but not necessarily implement) the Clear Spacing required for each brand.
Then you have to get approval from the brand police (marketing dept) for each of the companies on the banner.
Those are generally pipe-and-drape hanging banners or pop-up pillowcase stands or sometimes just stapled to a wall. They require more bleed than you think they might and be aware of where your stitching for the pockets and hems will fall. Beware of safeties. You don’t want to be cutting logos in half on the left and right. Large format is not an exact science. If your banner has to fit within 120", make sure your logos fit into maybe 110" of that.
You may have to be aware of the camera shots to be taken. Are they close up shots, medium shots or long shots? If close ups, you may want to use smaller logos so you get all the sponsors in the shot (if there are more than 2 or 3 sponsors, the S&R format may be inappropriate.) If medium shots, a little larger, and for long shots, you want them large enough to read, but do not overpower the interviewee in front of the backdrop.
Believe it or not, your camera phone does a fairly decent job of approximating an HD broadcast camera. Don’t be afraid to use it and some paper printouts (or printed camera tests) to test framing.
TV safe colors?
Do not use 100% white. It “booms” when lit on camera. ie it blows out like an overexposed photo and takes some of the surrounding scenery and people with it. Somewhere in 5% gray is safer, though sometimes hard to print neutrally. Discuss keeping any gray neutral with your print vendor.
Another thing to consider is the lighting. Vinyl prints can be too glossy if you have the wrong combination of vinyl and inks and you’ll get reflected light, especially if camera flashes are going off during the interview. Dye sub on fabric is a much better option but often more expensive.
Most often these are just cheap throw aways. Don’t angst over them too much. Remember on the spot colors that everyone’s viewing device is different. It may matter to someone in the room with the thing, but not always.