Good Design Choices Draw People In

Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 23 September 2009 16:06

A good visual piece, whether it's a business card, flier, display ad, or even email ad, should grab the reader and be easy to look at.  Don't make it too busy and jumpy, unless you're selling heavy metal music!  Let the style of the visuals reinforce your message. Follow these tips, and your design piece will draw people in.

1. Lead with your most important point, in a large headline.
2. Restate the point early in the body copy.
3. Consider using a secondary headline, either immediately next to the main headline or in a different part of the piece.
4. Use white space as a graphic element.
5. Choose graphics and pictures (if the piece uses them) that your readers will want to look at, but that are also closely related to your message.
6. Break up large areas of text with subheads or graphic elements.
7. Experiment with using the text itself as a graphic element - italics, bold, various sizes and weights of type can create a graphic effect.
8. Color is better - period. Black and white and sepia tone may their place in art, but in selling it just doesn't measure up to color.  There have been numerous studies done that support the fact that a color ad will not only draw more eyes, but people also retain the message longer.
9. Consider the paper (if it's a printed piece) as one more element that contributes to the overall style and "feel" of a piece.  There are literally thousands of choices available in paper.  Ask your designer or printing company to show you samples.