Too many visual elements

Often designers assume a logo should visually convey what the brand is all about. They often think if it’s a fine dining restaurant brand, its logo should visually depict that by including visual elements like a fork and knife or chef’s hat. But it’s not necessary. Don’t force yourself to include such visual elements within a logo. Include visual elements only when they fulfill the purpose, match with typography and don’t look too much stuffed forcibly. A logo may still look very appealing and eye grabbing without any visual element. Visual element need not be an object or literally what your brand is all about. It can be abstract too, but with reasoning behind it, conveying the brand promise.

Don’t fall for italic fonts

Quite often designers fall in love with calligraphic italic form of fonts. But, such fonts come with their own limitations. They are hardly legible from a distance and specially keeping in mind when print outputs are not of great quality. Such fonts also do not go with every category of product, may be doing justice for perfume brands, lifestyle brands but hardly match with an educational institution’s logo. Don’t fall for such fonts unless you are confident about them and it matches with the product category in hand.

Don’t make it look fine only when big

Designers often get tempted to put too many elements in a logo, make them multi-colored and as a result clutter the entire logo. They forget it may look fine only when they are projected big, but when compressed the logo may look very confusing and not readable. There will be occasions when you will have to print your logo in really small size, in a corner of the documents like envelope, writing pad, letter head, calendar. If your logo is not clear enough in such a case it may get totally unnoticed. So make sure your logo is clear and distinct even when small. Key to such clarity is simplicity. Keep your logo distinctive yet simple.

Print advertisements typically involve several parts.

Headline

Headline is the most important element of a print advertisement. If it fails to grab attention of the reader rest of the things just go unnoticed. Headlines may appear on the topic or mid or side of the advertisement. Most of the times it is used above the picture, as it’s believed that pictures grab attention faster than the text. The headline may be the strongest part of the advertisement or may be secondary to a strong visual. A perfectly crafted headline could entice lot of interest and excitement about the ad. Headlines can be of many forms – statement, question, issuing warning, testimonial, news sort etc. It should relate to its target audience. It may use emotional or rational or moral appeal to convince the target audience.

Subhead

Generally, subhead comes just below the headline. It is an answer or support to the question or curiosity that the headline evokes. The subhead ideally talks about the product benefit, carries the mood set by the headline and expands upon the headline idea.

Bodycopy

Bodycopy follows the subhead. This part generates the detail information about the product, highlights product features and key benefits, rationally provides supporting facts or quotations, convincingly establishes superiority of the product and stimulates the desire to purchase.

Artwork

There are various types of visual elements of an advertisement. It can be in any form – photograph, hand-drawn illustration, graphics. An ad may have a single strong self explicit visual or many pictures instead of one. Some advertisements may have no visual in it, but carry few visual elements like decorative border or bullets or a shape. Often visuals carry captions below them like ‘Before’, ‘After’, ’20 years ago’. Such captions help the illustrations to put the message across.

Closure

End of the advertisement is not to be ignored either. This is the part which provokes action that is purchase decision. Closing idea should be striking. It should put the motivation to buy. Several closing ideas can be used like – ‘act now’, ‘visit our dealer’, ‘send enquiries, ‘buy now’, ‘hurry before the stock ends’, ‘limited stock, rush now’ and the like.

Contact information

An effective ad should always carry contact information like – logo, brand name, address, phone numbers, road direction, website url etc. Such details are generally furnished towards the bottom of the ad.

Extras

Certain promotional advertisements may also carry extras like – tear-out coupon, free sample attached, business enquiry form.

Print advertisements have always remained a major tool of communication. Print ads have great impact on the target audience as it brings along credibility, long life and detail information.