DESIGN

How to Design a Wine Label That Sells … more

16 Direct Mail Secrets to Success … more

10 Tips for Creating Print Ads that Sell … more

Layout and Design Dos and Don’ts … more

Audience Dos and Don’ts … more

Typography and Copy Dos and Don’ts … more

How to Design a Wine Label That Sells
You’ve spent years perfecting your wine. The perfect combination of grapes, sunlight and soil. It’s finally ready to introduce to the world. Now it’s time to shine with the perfect packaging.

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16 Direct Mail Secrets to Success
What is so great about direct mail? The numbers tell the story. Direct mail is, with little doubt, one of the more effective ways to elicit an active response from your Target Audience.

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10 Tips for Creating Print Ads that Sell
How to Target Today’s Audience

Amidst the clutter of advertising that the average consumer is subject to in a single day, it should come as no surprise that even the most appealing print ads are, at best, only scanned by most readers.

And although advertisers, through the years, have discovered some basic principles of sound advertising strategy, copywriting, and design, when print ads are shown within magazine clutter, the average ad receives only about 15 seconds of viewing time.

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Layout and Design

Do… Keep in mind: the “look and feel” of design represents your company and your brand. Pick colors, fonts and design elements carefully. These elements will be used in all of your collateral materials for at least two to three years.

Don’t… Overwhelm your support materials with graphics. Graphics should enhance the content and help draw people to your message.

Do… Pick your fonts wisely. Use only one or two fonts for easier reading and better comprehension. Highly decorative fonts or the overuse of font styles can confuse readers.

Don’t… Place small type over busy photos. The reader’s eye will try to view the image and read the type at the same time – and become confused.

Do… Make room for white space! White space is essentially empty space. While it may seem to be a waste, white space will balance the overall design and make your collateral more easily understood.

Don’t… Lay out a solid block of text. Although you want to squeeze in as much information as possible, a solid block of text will not be read.

Do… Make sure there is good visual separation between the words and the background. Also the font color should be in high contrast to the background for easier reading. (ie: black type on a bright yellow background is easier to read than light blue type on a pastel yellow background.)

Don’t… Use small type or tight leading (letters are very close to each other) and avoid complicated backgrounds. Anything that interferes with ease of readability will cause the reader to move on to something else.

Do… Know your limits! The point of your collateral is to generate interest in your products and services. Unless you have design experience, hire a professional! The reason is simple: be an expert at what you do best.

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Audience

Do… Know the audience you are addressing. Some materials may need to take a formal tone, while others can be playful and fun.

Don’t… Reject the meaning of color. Lasting impressions are made within 90 seconds and color accounts for 60 percent of the acceptance or rejection. Don’t select the colors you love. Instead consider their meaning to your audience.   

Do… Consider the cultural differences of your audience. Western cultures read from the upper left across to the right and then down. Asian cultures read from the upper right down and then across. Knowing habits and orientations of each culture is critical to successful communication.

Don’t… Forget you are designing collateral to communicate. Take your audience’s wants, needs, skills and abilities into account when you decide on a design “look and feel.”

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Typography and Copy

Do… Write clearly and concisely. Speak to one person, not the masses — make your collateral feel personal to your audience.

Don’t… Use buzzwords, clichés and puns. You only have a few seconds to grab the reader — choose your words wisely.

Do… Use strong headlines. With your audience in mind, write several headlines and show them to customers who you know and trust. Ask them which ones are most appealing. Use two- to eight-word headlines for the best results.

Don’t… PLACE TYPE IN ALL CAPITALS. Studies show that your brain processes text in upper and lower case letters more quickly. By using all caps, you slow down your reader, making it less likely they will actually read and comprehend your message.

Do… Break up your copy for easier reading. Bullet points, shorter sentences and shorter paragraphs increase readability.

Don’t… Underline any words. Instead, use the italics function, bold function or “quote marks.” Underlining was a form of emphasis in the ole’ typewriter days.

Do… Use one space after punctuation, not two. Again, two spaces were needed back in the ole’ typewriter days. 

Don’t… Put large blocks of copy in reverse type. (white type on a colored background). Again, this design style is okay to use for headlines and one- to two-line sentences. Anything longer than that and your brain has a harder time processing the information.

Do… Stick to one message! Select one point, one product or one offer in an ad, on a poster or for a brochure. Build the copy and design elements to support it.

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