How2Day: Advertising Design Techniques

An example of a single visual layout ad Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
American advertising pioneer Leo Burnett once said, "Advertising says to people, 'Here's what we've got. Here's what it will do for you. Here's how to get it." Print advertising shows these things through pictures and illustrations. Graphic designers and layout artists make use of design principles to create effective ads which will best sell the product. A well-designed ad will attract the consumer's attention, make him want to learn more about the product, and moreover, make him want to buy it.

David Ogilvy, an American advertising expert, discovered a formula for successful advertising campaigns. He found that readers tend to look at an illustration or photo, then its caption, followed by the text and then company information. Ogilvy's famed Rolls Royce ad typifies this layout perfectly. At the top, there is a picture of the Rolls Royce. Below the picture, a headline appears. The message of the ad, known as the copy, comes next. Underneath the copy, the company's contact information tells customers where to obtain a Rolls Royce. In the lower, right-hand corner, Ogilvy placed Rolls Royce's logo.

The "Z" layout uses the letter's shape to draw the reader's eye to the ad's important sections. A "Z" layout ad features a strong graphic or headline in the upper, left-hand corner. The graphic or headline continues from left to right, which follows the top line of the letter "Z." From the top line, the graphic designer uses text in the middle of the page to pull the readers' eyes diagonally downward, to the lower, left-hand corner of the page. This diagonal line resembles the middle line of a "Z." A "call to action," which prompts consumers to do something specific, appears in the lower bottom line. In addition, the company's information also needs to be on this line.

The saying "less is more" applies quite well to advertising. Instead of featuring many illustrations or photos, sometimes advertisers choose a single visual element to grab the consumer's attention. This ad format resembles the Ogilvy layout, except in this case, the single visual design relies on its illustration or photo to get most of its message across, and the ad contains much less text. For example, a single visual ad for a car might make use of a picture of a Ford Model T. The headline would read, "Time for a new car?" The picture of the Tin Lizzie immediately draws the reader's eye to the ad. Short, to-the-point copy will do the rest of the job.

Color plays an important role in advertising design. The wrong color choice can make or break an ad. If a layout artist uses two colors next to each other which are very similar, such as dark red and burgundy, the colors will simply blend into each other. Contrast, not similarity, attracts the human eye. Therefore, graphic artists use complementary colors alongside each other when designing advertisements. Complementary colors, such as red and green, appear opposite each other on the color wheel.

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