Steps to Creating a Graphic Design II - Ads

       Now you have direction and approval for your project. There are a few important steps left before you dive into the software.

            
        While there are many types of design, each one has its own set of strategies to stand out in the crowd.

         This post will consider advertising design. Advertising Design must be compelling and competitive. Your audience is the average consumer that has less time to read your design and therefore, their attention must be grabbed and compelled to read your design further.

            
         That being said, simple is better. You will take the most significant feature of the product or service, and make the reader think he or she cannot do without it. Presenting the product or service that promises a benefit to the consumer is essential, and should be presented clearly.

            

The structure of the typical advertising design includes, but is not limited to the following.

The Promise – This is also the headline of the ad design. This should arouse the consumer’s interest to keep reading to get to know the product or service. Headlines should be only one line long, longer than that can cause a loss of interest. Some basic grammar rules include not separating the adjectives from the nouns they modify. Do not split prepositional phrases. Do not hyphenate words in a headline.


Telling the Story –This is an optional step, however; if it is used it should say something important to the reader. If you find that your headline is going to be longer than one line, reduce the headline to only one line and add a sub head.
IMPORTANT – The headline must say something and add value, otherwise do not use it!

Amplification – This is also known as body copy. If you have ‘grabbed’ your reader, this section will allow you to expound on the important parts of the product or service and will give you the opportunity to explain how the promise of the product or service will be fulfilled. The length will depend on how much is required to emphasize the most important features of the product or service.

Proof of the Claim – The amplification section told you reader why the product or service is so important. Now, give them the proof they need to purchase them. This should be brief to avoid bragging but concise enough that there will be no doubt in their mind to act.


Action to Take – Don’t feel bad if your ad has not already made it obvious why the customer should act immediately. Occasionally is may not be clear what the consumer should do to purchase your product or engage your service. The questions that could be answered include phone numbers, web site address, and other companies that sell your product or others that have the franchise to provide the service.

           
         If you follow these simple steps, the advertisement will provide the impetus for the customer to act and you client will hire you in the future for another successful campaign.

         A simple site to begin learning more about the philosophy of ad design can be found at http://www.slideshare.net/TheClassicCarol/beginners-guide-to-advertising.

           

            This is always the question to consider: