Creative Visuals Role in Advertising

 Visual recall is becoming increasingly important and corporate symbols and advertising will need to be stronger and eye-catching to capture consumer attention. Nonverbal communication will not only become a means for drawing attention to a verbal message, but it will also become the message itself in many instances. The use of imagery, visual associations, drawings and paintings, models, visual memory devices, product and corporate symbols, are pervasive in advertising.

Advertising visual and its graphical components has long been the target of studies since marketers began to adopt full -scale marketing activities in the late nineteenth century. The important theme was how the visual appeal could be translated into an effective selling message.

The role of advertising visuals includes obtaining attention, creating impact, and stimulating interest from an indifferent audience through conveying a main selling point of products or brands.

Advertising visuals perform two main functions – literal and symbolic. Literal visuals provide factual information on products or services, and symbolic visuals perform an indirect role to connect the images of products or services with the meanings that are appropriately assigned to them.

Advertising is part of the changing social, economic, and cultural environment, and its visuals might have been created in a way that could reflect those changes that people would want to adjust themselves to.

Another way of linking advertising and its visuals to society and culture is the cultural approach to advertising. Cultural historians argue that advertising is an important window through which different aspects of society and culture can be explained.

But also, the advertising itself can be explained to determine how it might have been shaped by society. This approach recognizes advertising not only as a window to culture but also a mirror that reflects the culture, or the cultures.

Your ad becomes an extended image of your business. It conveys your style and hence attracts customers who appreciate that style. It should reflect the product you have to offer – sophisticated, whimsical, classic, etc. Everything you do should reflect the feel of the product. Develop an ad that’s a stopper! One that gets a reader’s attention, and causes a reaction.

Some guidelines for ad design:

• Make sure the ad reflects your product and image.
• Don’t let the design overshadow the message.
• Have a logo professionally designed and use it. A logo design is the visual equivalent of your name. Your name gives form to your identity, and a recognizable identity is the name of the game in advertising.
• Make sure the ad contains clear information on where you are, when you are open, and how to     reach you.
• Photographs, graphics, illustrations, or typography alone can be equally effective at grabbing the reader’s eye. Use what best gets your well thought-out, clear message out there.
• Establish a look and maintain it. Repetition is important in advertising; it would defeat your purpose to change the look of every ad. Once you’ve established a basic design, you can use creative ways, such as varying the illustration, to change it.Do you often see, as much as you see when you surf through the Web? Its pretty sure that you have entirely different views and reactions upon seeing and actually taking notice to these two different kinds of advertising. The differences may vary in print advertisements outdoors and Web advertisements in the use of color, typefaces, and space. Whatever else the difference is between Print Ads and Web Ads, many would still prefer the traditional print advertisements in order to promote their business, products, or services. Not all people have access to the Web, such that Print Ads are still widely used and appreciated. It is also practical for a short-term marketing plan or strategy.

Here are several useful things to remember if you are launching a Print Ad: 

Take advantage of a small space by not crowding too much information into it. Leave a white space, which can actually lead your reader to the important information. Ads with large photos or illustrations of merchandise get higher readership and appreciation than those with small illustrations or no art. People do not actually read your copy, but take a look at your visuals. Thus, make your photographs or illustrations occupy at least half of your entire Ad You must know how your readers read, so that you could strategically place your content and not be left unread. Typography is an important key to effective communication. In your print ads headlines, avoid all capital letters. Our eyes and brains are conditioned to identify lower case letters and words. Letters and words in lower cases may just be glanced over, but with full comprehension since people are familiar with them. People also tend to read words by the shape of the word and not by reading individual   letters thus; your print ads words must be of a distinctive shape your print ads must be consistent with important information placed where readers would expect to see it. Consistency is an important aspect of your print ad since most readers must be exposed to it seven times before they notice it or take action on it. Your ad must have consistency in:

• Logo.
• Color.
• Typography.
• Margins and Borders.
• Layout.
• Spacing.
• Photographs and Captions.

You must also be consistent in your page layout and other design elements like contrast, balance, etc.

On top of everything else, you have to make sure that your print ad communicates the main point of your advertisement the main attraction and the necessary information for your prospective clients. For your print ads to turn out successfully, you must have at least a single great idea, on top of several good ideas. Remember, there is a world of difference between a great idea and a good idea.

Tips for Successful Print Ad Designing:

• Do not place a period at the end of a headline. Periods tend to indicate to readers that there is no need to read on.
• Begin headlines at top left. Studies have shown that the reader’s eye naturally falls to the upper left corner.
• “Serif” typefaces are regarded as the most legible font; nearly every newspaper in the world uses them due to their high readability. Readers are comfortable with them.
• Avoid color headlines; researchers have noted that readers find colored headlines distracting. Studies have also shown that the darker the color, the greater the comprehension. Keep the text black if possible.
• Black text on a tinted background also increases comprehension. It is easier on the readers’ eyes than the black and white contrast.
• Avoid reverse print (e.g., white text on black background).Keep your layouts clean, including using consistent type styles?

A traditional ad layout is: photo/illustration over headline over body copy.

• This is not etched in stone, but it has been proven effective.

Remember that for every advertising rule, there is an exception that is just as effective.

Visual personality of ads

Identity marks have been around for as many years as civilization the signature marks on primitive handcraft, the guild marks, and heraldry of medieval era, the trademarks of our commercial time.

Some trademarks identify only one product. But now with the increase diversification of corporation, many are meant to identify the whole corporate entity. These emblems, or ‘service marks’ (legal terms), serve as visual reinforcements of the advertiser’s name.

A trademark does not in itself constitute a corporate personality -that is the ‘total impression a company may make on the public through its ‘public relations and advertising efforts. The trademark will grow or suffer in relation to the other factors.

Corporate emblems have become important-as certification identities in the commercial arena. Visual identification has become so important that many companies have extended their programme to include exclusive lettering alphabets, distinctive color scheme, matching architectural considerations, coordinated product design, and consistent formatting for printed material.

These attentions have created strong personalities for big firm with their designed products, controlled trademark use, special lettering style, and carefully planned color mixes.

While our verbal language is the most technical of our message systems, visual language operates as a simple and more easily absorbed form of communication on this recognition language, the better identity programme will reflect the character of company’s product or service. It will provide ‘content clues’ for easier recognition.

Use of Emblems

The best emblems are simple in form, readable in large size on a poster. Recognizable in 1-inch size in an ad, emblem and name style must be individual and suitable for all the places a company identified itself. They are many: letter- heads, envelopes, business cards, utility stationery, company literature, ads, television, products, delivery trucks, packages, wrapping papers, announcements, Diwali or Christmas cards, catalogues, building signs etc.

The graphic designer, artist, and human being, tries to put a story into the emblem- a story of common symbolism or a story with recognition clues will relate the identifying mark to a dignified human value.

Basics of Ad Designs

Ad design is an art unto itself. Creating effective banners ads can be an elusive task.

Colors and Designs - When color is used correctly, it can add impact and clarity to your ad message. Color can emphasize, highlight, and lead your end users to a call-to-action. Color can also be used to trigger emotion.

1.    Be professional: People are going to get their first impressions of your ad, so you need to be certain that it presents you in the best possible manner. This means you should be extra careful that all your spelling and grammar are correct. Also, select font sizes, styles, and colors that maximize your ad’s readability. If your banner ad is of poor quality, people will assume your product is too.

2.    Ask for an action: What do you want people who see your ad to do? Most likely, first and foremost, you want them to simply read further on it, so be sure your ad makes them do so.

3.   Keep it simple: Your ad may only have a few seconds to make its impact on the viewer. As a result, it must be able to convey your message in a small amount of time. By keeping your ad’s concept and wording clear and concise, you increase the likelihood that the viewer will actually get your message. Use the fewest (and most simple) words you can. Just because you can fit more words in your ad doesn’t mean you should.

4.      Use words that raise attention or emotion: Words like “free”“, special offer”, “secrets”, etc. help grab the viewer’s attention and increase his/her curiosity in your offer. Try this technique: pretend you are reading your ad’s text for the first time: would YOU be interested in or excited about what it offers? If not, then most people probably wouldn’t be either.

5.      Emphasize benefits, not features: What is the difference between a “benefit” and a “feature”? In simple terms, a “feature” is a service or an aspect of a service that you offer. A “benefit” is the actual impact it has on your customer.

6.      Test your banners: Run each one for a week or two and collect any data you can. Analyze your data to determine what the more successful ads have in common and then refine your ads and test them again.

Use of Colors

When color is used correctly, it can add impact and clarity to your ad message. Color can emphasize, highlight, and lead your end users to a call-to-action. Color can also be used to trigger emotion.

When color is used incorrectly, it can compromise your message and confuse your target audience. The interpretation of a color depends on culture, physiology of the eye, readability, your target audience’s profession or industry, and personal preference.

When designing an ad, you should be careful about the colors you select if you are targeting a specific country or a global audience. For example, though the color purple is also associated with royalty in European countries, the color orange is associated with royalty in the Netherlands. The color white is associated with death in China whereas white is associated with purity in Western cultures.

Colors and Legibility

How the human eye processes color is also a consideration for selecting ad colors. Purple is one of the hardest colors for the eye to discern, so it might not be a good overall color choice. On the other hand, yellow is the first color the eye processes. So if you were to try and call attention to some text on a dark-colored banner or poster ad, yellow can be an excellent color choice. But if you were to use yellow as a background color of a banner, you might want to alter the color so that it is less stressful on the eye.

In order to make the text on an ad legible, it is very important to use colors that provide a high contrast. Black and white are the two colors that provide the highest color contrast.

Color versus Black And White

Although the basic principles of layout designs and picture composition remain the same for both color and black and white, the decision to use color or colors affect the development of copy and art and complicates the graphic arts process required to produce the finished print advertisement.

As compared the black and white, the periodicals charge a higher rate for the color ads of the same size. Cost of art and mechanical production are much higher in color than in black and white. In this way, adding colors to advertisements increase the cost materially except for simple applications as printing one color on a different color paper for a direct advertising piece. But still, some advertisers are willing to pay ‘higher costs to color ads for a number of reasons:

• Color adds attention value. It catches the eyes of the readers, consumers, and prospects.
• It helps emphasize important elements in an ad due to contrasts in color.
• Color presents the product or situation with a sense of realism or atmosphere impossible in black and white.
• Color provides a clear identification of product, its brand name and trademark

Most of the readers expect colors in ads for food, beverages, and traveling as well as for fabrics and fashions and the advertisers will gain much more. On the other hand, messages designed to promote a particular instance policy or new banking services require no color for effective communication. The advertiser will be benefited in such cases through the use of black and white.

Basics of Ad Designs

Ad design is an art unto itself. Creating effective banners ads can be an elusive task.

Colors and Designs - When color is used correctly, it can add impact and clarity to your ad message. Color can emphasize, highlight, and lead your end users to a call-to-action. Color can also be used to trigger emotion.

1.      Be professional: People are going to get their first impressions of your ad, so you need to be certain that it presents you in the best possible manner. This means you should be extra careful that all your spelling and grammar are correct. Also, select font sizes, styles, and colors that maximize your ad’s readability. If your banner ad is of poor quality, people will assume your product is too.

2.      Ask for an action: What do you want people who see your ad to do? Most likely, first and foremost, you want them to simply read further on it, so be sure your ad makes them do so.

3.      Keep it simple: Your ad may only have a few seconds to make its impact on the viewer. As a result, it must be able to convey your message in a small amount of time. By keeping your ad’s concept and wording clear and concise, you increase the likelihood that the viewer will actually get your message. Use the fewest (and most simple) words you can. Just because you can fit more words in your ad doesn’t mean you should.

4.      Use words that raise attention or emotion: Words like “free”“, special offer”, “secrets”, etc. help grab the viewer’s attention and increase his/her curiosity in your offer. Try this technique: pretend you are reading your ad’s text for the first time: would YOU be interested in or excited about what it offers? If not, then most people probably wouldn’t be either.

Emphasize benefits, not features: What is the difference between a “benefit” and a “feature”? In simple terms, a “feature” is a service or an aspect of a service that you offer. A “benefit” is the actual impact it has on your customer.

 

Tagged with: ad design • advertising • advertising guidelines • basic ad design • creative • creative ads • creative advertising • creative visuals • print ad • print ad design • print ad tips • professional ads • Visual ads • visuals • visuals advertising
 

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 17th, 2012 at 7:58 am and is filed under Advertising. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.