Ignoring Design that Ignores You
NOVEMBER 22, 2009:
Courtney Kupsch, Creative Manager
Design Guest Blogger
In a society that is constantly over stimulated with television commercials, billboard, radio and magazine advertisements, telemarketers, email and text messaging spam, how do you gain your audience’s attention without leaving them feeling exhausted, annoyed or bored? Give them something that’s worth noticing and worth remembering.
Effective design should never scream at you to, “Look at Me!” it should persuade you to, “Look at this!” Here’s five tips to draw in and engage your audience:
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Use effective white space. I’m not talking the color, but the breathing room within your marketing piece. Just because you can cram something into the space doesn’t mean you should. Allow your reader to have some visual coffee breaks.
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Color! This isn’t a contradiction to number 1. Effective use of color can draw attention just as well as an appealing graphic or headline. Colors can evoke different emotions, highlight important information and carry through your brand identity.
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Know whom you’re marketing for. Different copy sizes, typefaces and graphics all appeal to different demographics. Do your research; know your audience and design according to the meaning and purpose of the topic.
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Make a connection between the copy and the graphics. You never know what the reader is going to notice first so make sure that you don’t just have a great article or a great image. Make sure they intertwine and work together cohesively.
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Use typography appropriately. Type is a visual element in design too; pick a typeface that works with the copy topic. Whether your subject matter is humorous or humorless take that into consideration, use something that’s relevant to that theme.
It’s tough to compete with the thousands of commercial messages we see on any given day, but if you respect your audience and trust that they want a solution, you could be the one marketing message they remember.
This blog post was originally published on the Priority Blog at priorityresults.com/blog. Priority Integrated Marketing is now BlueSpire Strategic Marketing.