A belt has two faces and most people buy one design for both, which wastes half the surface they paid for.

The two audiences

The face pointing at the queue is read by the public: your brand, a welcome, a wayfinding instruction, or simply a colour that matches the space.

The face pointing into the closed area is read by staff and by anybody about to walk into it from the wrong side. That is where the actual information belongs — what is closed, why, and who may pass.

Design for a long, narrow, moving canvas

A belt is read at walking pace, at an angle, and often partly retracted. Repeat the message along the length rather than centring it once, and keep it short.

Small type disappears. So do fine outlines and drop shadows, which is where most logos supplied for belts fail.

Colour and contrast

Dark webbing with light text reads better in most indoor lighting than the reverse. High-visibility yellow with black is the standard for hazard use for good reason.

We send a printed webbing swatch before large runs, because woven polyester takes colour differently from a screen and a slightly-off brand colour is very visible along several metres.

Say the same thing everywhere

If you are running belts across several sites, keep one artwork and vary only the wording. Belts get moved between entrances and between buildings, and a set that only makes sense in one foyer will eventually end up in another.