9 TIPS FOR GREAT DESIGN
1) Don’t just hire a good designer. Hire someone who
has had plenty of experience designing business
collateral. Your designer needs to ask you the
right questions about the project. And he/ she
needs to be able to turn the design round
reasonably fast too.
2) Write the copy first. I believe the copy drives the
project. (Unless this is a print ad, in which case
the visual and headline will often dominate).
3) Read your copy word for word to your designer.
You’d be amazed how often designers don’t
understand the project because they haven’t been
properly briefed. Your designer is going to be
expressing in design the same persuasive arguments
that you / your writer will be articulating in words.
4) Ensure that your designer communicates your branding
i.e. the values you are trying to communicate.
5) Check that the copy is easy to read once it has
been laid out by your designer. If the design takes
too much attention to itself, then your readers won’t
be following your arguments.
6) A professional designer will give you a creative brief:
he sets out on paper the brief as he understands
it. This includes the brand and the benefits of the
offer in question. The creative brief means
misunderstandings get cleared up before it they are
too expensive to change.
7) He’ll then present you with 2-3 design options for
your review, about 3 weeks later.
8) Remember, you aren’t choosing the color for your
sports car, you are choosing the piece that best
reflects the brand and personality of your company or
offering.
9) Finally your designer brings you the finished product.
He instructs printers and oversees production.
WOULD YOU LIKE A WORLD-CLASS JOURNALIST TO GHOSTWRITE
AN ARTICLE FOR PUBLICATION FOR YOU? Contact Neroli Lacey NOW!
How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy
or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW
to win more business TODAY.
CALL ++ 612. 215. 3826
or email: neroli@beyondcommunications.com
About the Author
I’ve been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and more.
Please visit my website: beyondcommunications.com