How do I annotate a banner ad for a client?

Export the banner as a PNG or PDF, then either annotate it yourself in Preview (Mac) or Edge (Windows) before sending, or share it as a review link so the client pins notes on the exact spot without downloading anything. Link-based review cuts the back-and-forth because feedback is anchored to the element, not described in an email.

Can I annotate a banner without Photoshop or Illustrator?

Yes. Preview on Mac and Edge on Windows both annotate PNGs and PDFs for free. For online-only options, Smallpdf and PDF24 let you add sticky notes and shapes to a PDF in any browser. If you want your client to annotate without installing anything, a link-based review tool is the simplest path — they click the element and type, no software needed.

How do I get specific feedback on a banner instead of vague comments like 'make it pop'?

Vague feedback almost always means the client couldn't point at what they meant. When the channel is email, they describe instead of showing. Give them a way to click the specific element — the headline, the CTA button, the logo area — and leave a note tied to that spot. Pinned, element-anchored comments produce actionable instructions; 'the CTA button text feels too small at this size' is more useful than 'it needs more impact'.

How do I annotate a banner for a trade show or print event?

Export as a PDF (press-quality preset in Illustrator or InDesign). Open in Adobe Acrobat or Preview on Mac and pin comments to the specific area — note the zoom level in your comment since large-format banners are difficult to navigate. For final sign-off, confirm the client has approved bleed, safe zone, and any text that appears near the edges, since those are the areas most likely to be cut or folded.

How do I collect feedback on multiple banner sizes at once?

Keep each size in a separate review canvas or file. Mixing a 728×90 leaderboard with a 300×250 MREC in the same document means feedback from one format bleeds into the other. If you're using a link-based review tool, create one canvas per size and share all links in the same message — the client's notes stay sorted by format.

Can multiple people annotate the same banner at the same time?

Not with emailed files — each person marks up their own copy and you end up reconciling several annotated PNGs. A shared review link solves this: everyone sees the same artifact, their notes appear in one thread, and you can see who said what without merging anything.

drafty

How to annotate a banner

Quick answer

To annotate a banner, export it as a PNG or PDF and open it in Preview on Mac (Shift ⌘ A for the markup toolbar) or Edge on Windows. Use text callouts to label the exact element — the headline copy, the CTA button, the logo position. To collect feedback from a client on a digital or print banner, share a link they can pin notes on without downloading anything.

Step 1

Mark up an exported banner image in Preview or Snipping Tool

Export the banner at full resolution — in Canva, Download → PNG; in Illustrator, File → Export → Export As → PNG at 150 dpi or higher. On Mac, open the PNG in Preview and press Shift ⌘ A for the Markup Toolbar. Point arrows at the specific element you mean: 'this CTA text', 'the logo — too small at this size', 'the image bleeds into the border here'. On Windows, open in Snipping Tool → Edit, or paste into Paint for pen and text tools. One practical gotcha for banner ads: if you export at the intended display size (say 728×90 for a leaderboard), the image is tiny on a retina screen and annotations get hard to read. Export at 2x or 3x so there's room to write without crowding the callout against the element you're flagging.

Step 2

Annotate a banner PDF for print review

For trade show banners, event banners, or any format going to a print vendor, PDF is the better format: it preserves dimensions and the comment layer travels with the file. In Illustrator or InDesign, use File → Save As → PDF (press-quality preset keeps the colours accurate). In Preview on Mac, the Markup Toolbar adds sticky notes, highlights, and shapes on top. In Adobe Acrobat, the Comment panel (View → Comment) lets you pin notes anywhere and add threaded replies — useful for multi-round sign-off with a print manager who needs to confirm bleed and safe zone. One thing designers get wrong here: annotating at the wrong zoom level. At 100% print scale, a 2m pull-up banner looks enormous on screen. Reviewers can't find the comment because they don't know where the 'actual size' anchor is. Zoom to the section you're flagging before pinning the note, and include a description in the comment text itself.

Step 3

Use Figma's comment tool for digital banner designs

If the banner was built in Figma — display ads, social cards, email headers — skip the export step. In a Figma file, press C to activate the comment tool, click the exact frame or element you want to flag, and type your note. The comment pins to that layer and shows up for anyone with view access. Figma comments work well when the designer and reviewer are both comfortable in Figma. The friction point: if you share a Figma link with a client, they need a free account to comment. Many clients balk at the signup, and some organisations block Google OAuth on company machines. The safety valve is to share the Figma link for internal rounds, then move to a separate review link for final client sign-off.

Step 4

Share a review link so your client pins notes without downloading anything

The most common failure mode in banner approval: the designer sends a PNG, the client opens it in their phone's default image app, types 'the blue is wrong' in an email, and you spend 20 minutes in a call trying to identify which blue. The word 'blue' appears in the logo, the background gradient, the button, and the border. A link-based annotation sidesteps this entirely. The client opens the link in their browser, clicks the specific element they mean — the CTA button, the background gradient, the headline — and pins a text note right there. No downloaded file, no account to create, no screenshot to circle. You receive a comment anchored to the exact spot, in a thread you can reply to and mark resolved. For banner campaigns with multiple sizes (leaderboard, half-page, MREC), put each size in a separate canvas so feedback for the 300×250 doesn't get mixed with notes on the 970×250.

The faster way

If you're collecting the client's notes rather than marking it up yourself, skip the PDF email loop. Drop the exported banner — PNG, PDF, or even the HTML file if it's a digital ad — into Drafty and share the link. Your client opens it in any browser, clicks the element they want changed, and pins a note there. No account, no download. Every note arrives anchored to the exact spot in one thread; you can reply, resolve, and push the corrected version back to the same link. Designers who handle regular campaign work use this to cut the 'which blue do you mean?' clarification call before the ad goes live.

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Questions

How do I annotate a banner ad for a client?: Export the banner as a PNG or PDF, then either annotate it yourself in Preview (Mac) or Edge (Windows) before sending, or share it as a review link so the client pins notes on the exact spot without downloading anything. Link-based review cuts the back-and-forth because feedback is anchored to the element, not described in an email.
Can I annotate a banner without Photoshop or Illustrator?: Yes. Preview on Mac and Edge on Windows both annotate PNGs and PDFs for free. For online-only options, Smallpdf and PDF24 let you add sticky notes and shapes to a PDF in any browser. If you want your client to annotate without installing anything, a link-based review tool is the simplest path — they click the element and type, no software needed.
How do I get specific feedback on a banner instead of vague comments like 'make it pop'?: Vague feedback almost always means the client couldn't point at what they meant. When the channel is email, they describe instead of showing. Give them a way to click the specific element — the headline, the CTA button, the logo area — and leave a note tied to that spot. Pinned, element-anchored comments produce actionable instructions; 'the CTA button text feels too small at this size' is more useful than 'it needs more impact'.
How do I annotate a banner for a trade show or print event?: Export as a PDF (press-quality preset in Illustrator or InDesign). Open in Adobe Acrobat or Preview on Mac and pin comments to the specific area — note the zoom level in your comment since large-format banners are difficult to navigate. For final sign-off, confirm the client has approved bleed, safe zone, and any text that appears near the edges, since those are the areas most likely to be cut or folded.
How do I collect feedback on multiple banner sizes at once?: Keep each size in a separate review canvas or file. Mixing a 728×90 leaderboard with a 300×250 MREC in the same document means feedback from one format bleeds into the other. If you're using a link-based review tool, create one canvas per size and share all links in the same message — the client's notes stay sorted by format.
Can multiple people annotate the same banner at the same time?: Not with emailed files — each person marks up their own copy and you end up reconciling several annotated PNGs. A shared review link solves this: everyone sees the same artifact, their notes appear in one thread, and you can see who said what without merging anything.

Keep exploring

How to annotate a design How to annotate an image How to annotate a PDF Design feedback tool

Stop emailing files back and forth.

Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.

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