How To Make An Eye-Catching Party Banner

by Ann Mifsud

A party banner is the most indispensable item of all party decorations because it denotes what the celebration is all about. The best party banners are those made exclusively by family members or friends since they know well the person being honored, or the milestone that is being celebrated.

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Go through our step-by-step method to create an eye-catching DIY party banner without too much effort on your part.

We are also sharing below printable banner templates to download and use for free.

Let’s go gradually through each stage.

1. How do you come up with the best party banner idea for a particular celebration
2. How to construct party banner panels in an easy way
3. How do you string the party banner

1. How do you come up with the best party banner idea for a particular celebration

Think about what and who is being celebrated. Jot down what words or phrases come to your mind. Do not complicate. A list of three to six items is enough to inspire you with a good idea for a party banner.

Consider their likes, hobbies, favorite color, sport, a milestone, or a particular wish they have expressed. If it is a family or a national observance, picture its significance, colors, and numbers that are associated with it, items that are usually displayed on the day, and so on.

Let’s see how this works with the following three examples. Just for the sake of illustrating let’s assume that we want to make a banner for a young man called Jacob, for Sophia who is a little girl and another one for the upcoming Thanksgiving.

A banner for Jacob

Jacob is 18 years old. He has just graduated from high school and loves football and adventure. He would like to travel to Europe and is inclined to become a doctor. His favorite color is light blue.

After coming up with a list, convert it into corresponding images. The latter will be the basis of how your banner is going to look like. Here’s a sample.

A banner for Sophia

Sophia is soon turning 6, loves fairies and unicorns, and would like a dwarf rabbit for a pet. She can’t wait for a Disney trip, is fond of her doll house and her favorite color is purple.

Doing the same thing here, this is a snippet of how a banner for Sophia can appear.

A banner for Thanksgiving

What comes to mind about Thanksgiving is probably Fall, tints of brown, turkeys, cornucopias, corn, and pilgrims’ hats.

Inspired by the list, this is what you can come up with.

2. How to construct party banner panels in an easy way

Next, come the panel construction steps. We found that the easiest way to create DIY party banner panels is on a word processor. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1

Download our 10 free printable pennant panel templates and choose the one that is most suitable for your upcoming celebration.

Step 2

Open a new blank document in Word, Pages, or Google Docs.

Step 3

Drag the transparent image with the banner shape you prefer on a blank page.

Step 4

Resize the chosen image to the desired dimensions. We recommend extending the image nearly to the size of the entire page.

Step 5

Change the page background to the color you have in mind for your banner. You can also insert a picture or a pattern, but be careful of too much clutter when you insert images or other designs in the background.

• If you are using Microsoft Word go to Design > Page Color > Theme Colors or Standard Colors.
• If you are working on Pages (Mac), click on Document (top right-hand corner) > Section > Background.
• If you are editing on Google Docs, select File > Page Setup > Page Color.

Step 6

Add a text box and write the wanted letter, number, or symbol. Change the text color and size as you wish. In the illustration below we used Helvetica Neue > Bold > 500pt.

Step 7

Duplicate the page and change the content in the text box. Repeat until all your banner panels are ready. You can create additional blank panels as space between words and others with an image instead of text. Use the latter for both ends of the banner.

Step 8

Print on Letter or A4 thick paper or card stock.

Step 9

Cut along the outer dashed line of the pennant shape.

3. How do you string the party banner

Finally, you are ready to assemble the printable party banner.

Step 1

Punch holes in both top corners of each banner panel ⅜” (1cm) from the top and the sides.

Step 2

Lay all the panels on a working top in order and pick them up one by one starting from the first banner panel.

Step 3

Pass a ribbon or string of your choice through the holes in the panels as shown below.

Step 4

Arrange the panels so that they are all equally apart facing down. We usually line them up approximately an inch (2.5cm) apart, but you can move the panels away from each other as much as you wish.

Step 5

Check that the panels are in the correct sequence. Then tape each panel to the ribbon or string at the back so they won’t slide when you hang the banner.

You’re done!

All you have left is to display your DIY party banner at the center of your decorations.

How to make an eye-catching party banner in a nutshell

Setting up an eye-catching party banner needs not to be complex or expensive. In this straightforward guide, we are sharing how you can create a party banner relevant to the event that is being celebrated without too much hassle.

We describe in nine simple steps how you can make your homemade party banner using a word processor. To make things super easy for you, we have prepared 10 different pennant banner templates to download and use for free.

Summing up, you can find another five steps to help you assemble your party banner.

Now you know how to make a simple, homemade party banner!

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