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What Not to Do When Designing Marketing Pieces Yourself
Avoid these 10 design disasters when you're creating your
own materials. March 07, 2005
By John Williams
Have you ever noticed how
many articles there are on creating your own marketing
materials? These articles concentrate on things you "should
do," offering such sage advice as "Know your
audience," "Say it with pictures" or "Write
clearly and distinctly." Now I'm not saying any of
that is bad advice. But you should also know what not
to do. That's what this article is about. Or more specifically,
it's about what most do-it-yourselfers are tempted to
do--but shouldn't. Nothing screams
"Design Novice" like the following 10 mistakes:
1. Don't enlarge your logo so it's the main focus of the
page. Yes, your logo features the name of your company.
But it's not the main point. People are interested in
what you're selling, not who you are. In fact, the smaller
your logo, the more established your company will appear.
If you don't believe me, check out ads by pros like Nike
or Hewlett-Packard. 2. Don't place your logo in the
text of your piece. Of course it's fine to use the name
of your company in the text of any of your marketing materials,
but inserting your actual logo into a headline or body
copy is design suicide. 3. Don't use every font at
your disposal. Choose one or two fonts for all your materials
to build brand equity. Your font choices should be consistent
with your image and your industry. For example, a conservative
industry = a conservative font. 4. Don't use color
indiscriminately. More color doesn't necessarily make
something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud
and off-putting. When someone screams at you, do you want
to listen or run away? Most, if not all, your text should
be the same color, preferably black for readability. For
a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two
colors. 5. Don't be redundant. Don't repeat the name
of your industry or product in your company name and your
tagline and your headline. I once had a client request
that the word "pharmaceutical" appear in his
logo, his tagline and in the headline of his marketing
brochure. This was totally unnecessary and even harmful.
Potential customers know your industry. Restating it implies
you don't. 6. Don't choose low-quality or low-resolution
photography. A photo may look great in an album, but unless
it features balanced lighting and good composition, it's
not print-worthy. Photos need to be at least 300 dpi.
And yes, people can tell the difference. 7. Don't
fill up every inch of white space on the page. White space,
or negative space, brings focus to what's important and
gives the eye a rest. You may have a lot to say, but cramming
it all in creates chaos and minimizes impact. Your piece
will end up visually overwhelming. Think less, not more.
8. Don't focus on the details of your product or service;
instead, focus on how it benefits your audience. Unless
your product is extremely technical, make your offering
relevant to your audience by emphasizing its benefits,
not its features. Otherwise it's like going to a party
and talking about yourself all night. That's not exactly
the best way to win friends or gain customers. 9.
Don't do exactly what your competitors are doing. When
you're positioning your product, it's good to know your
competition. But don't copy them. Find out what your customers
want and are attracted to. Stand out without sticking
out. 10. Don't change design styles with every marketing
piece you create. Strive for a consistent look and feel,
keeping the same fonts and logo placement. If you use
photos in one ad, don't use illustrations in another.
If you place your logo in the middle of one brochure,
don't place in at the top-right corner in another. You
get the gist. Finally, do be clear, clean, compelling
and consistent. You'll end up looking--and selling--like
a pro. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Williams is Entrepreneur.com's "Image &
Branding" columnist and the founder and president
of LogoYes.com, the world's first do-it-yourself logo
design website. During John's 25 years in advertising,
he's created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies
like Mitsubishi and won numerous awards for his design
work.
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