A poster on a busy road lives a harsh life. People pass at speed, the sun bleaches the colours and a dozen other messages compete for attention. We design every outdoor piece against one question: what can someone understand in two seconds?

Our pre-print checklist

• One message. If you need a comma, you probably have two.
• Headline readable from five metres — print it and walk away to check.
• One image that carries the idea on its own.
• One action: a short number, a handle or a QR code — not all three at the same size.
• Contrast that survives the sun: test in greyscale.

The feed is a street too

The same rules apply to social media, where thumbs move faster than moto-taxis. A poster that passes the two-second test usually becomes a strong post with very little adaptation.

“If you need a comma, you probably have two messages.”

Next time you brief a designer, start with the two-second takeaway. Everything else is detail.

Bugufi Studio

Notes from our strategists, designers and developers in Kigali. We write about what we learn on real client projects.

Keep Reading

Your logo is not your brand (and why that is good news)

Branding · 18 Sept 2026

Consistency beats virality: a realistic social media plan

Social Media · 04 Sept 2026