D_A
12-06-2007, 05:45 PM
Hi Oz
I must emphasise right from the start my comments / tips are about the composition of Oz’s images as promotional/ advertising tools.
I have 20 or so years experience mucking around in the music / promotions / event management industry so heres a few things I have learnt along the way that hopefully will help you out.
I was asked to present a workshop for a social worker friend of mine about how to prepare ads for emerging bands for one of her music courses she runs dealing with juvenile offenders.
I couldn’t find the finished workshop notes for you, I have included the first draft of my notes
for her course, so if seem to ramble on, or if things seem to jump around, also there will be some notes to myself to in brackets for me to expand on in future drafts ( )
I have done a pic by pic critique that I hope you find usefull.
The primary purpose of posters or print ads is to promote sales for your product. You are not producing great art, nor are you trying something that looks really cool.
Your sole focus is to design your ad so that it grabs the attention of your target audience in such a way that they WANT to read what your ad has to say, thus generating sales fo your product.
Your band may say only this certain photo can be used for this ad and/or special text font. If these don’t fit into the strategies outlined below, pack your bags and leave because your just wasting your time.
The most important thing to know is that people do not read newspapers nor do they look at posters stuck up on a wall, they will only skim/glance at a newspaper/magazine page and as for posters on wall most people will not even know that it was there.
You will have about 100th of a second for something in your ad to jump out, grab them by their balls to make them want to read what it is you have produced.
This can be done by several ways. How the text is placed, what colours are used in your ad, the colour of the paper for the poster, what photos are used and the list goes on. There is no one right way for this to be done but thousands of wrong ways.
Important tip 1: this really is important
Focus points
In English speaking countries we write from the top left hand side of the page across to the right, finishing at the bottom of the page on the right.
When people glance a page/poster their first focus point is on the top left corner, their gaze then travels diagonally down the page finishing at the bottom right. If there is nothing in this diagonal line that grabs them in that very very very brief glance they turn the page.
Also if the majority of your ads information is outside of this left>right zone, and you have used the points I have raised below – people wont look ( re-word last sentence to include symmetry)
Try looking at how newspapers are set out, where are the ads positioned on the first couple of pages, how are the actual stories placed.
Once you have finished your add, print off a copy and stick it on your wall, look at it for a while and you will find that your eyes are drawn to a particular place within the add. Is your core information in this focus point? If not you will have to either change this focus point or change your core information placement to this focus point.
Punch factor 1 – 2 – 3:
Punch 1: BIG BOLD grabs your attention. You probably have seen on pin boards a plain white paper A4 piece of paper that says something like FREE SEX / FREE BEER in giant size plain black text, that takes up to 1/3 of the page, under that in a small font is generally reads Now that I have your attention,> have you seen my lost dog > loose weight fast call me on……... Now that I have your attention is the key, you stoped what you were doing to start to read what the paper had to say. Woman’s magazine headlines are great examples of this, MY NIGHT OF FORCED DRUG HELL or SARAH TELLS OF ADOPTION AGONY
This is punch 1, something that makes a person stop skimming and start to read your ad. Has to be big has to stand out. How many of you started to read this document from the start then automatically skipped down to “You will have about 100th of a second”……. Your vision is automatically drawn to big and bold. ((lots more )
Punch 2: not as big nor as bold but still dominates the ad space sets the tone for you ad . 1 to 2 sentences-A sub-headline of no more than 2 using power words (see section on language) that briefly describe what you are selling or entice the reader to continue to read further on. (expand n examples)
Punch 3: Your bands photo or some sort of symbol that is appropriate to that reinforces punch 2, or could be another sub-headline further down the page.
Symmetry
People like order, they like things to have a natural progression or flow.
People are also lazy if your ad / poster is set out with clumps of text all over the place that don’t flow on from each other, or if your ad / poster looks to cluttered with text people will subconsciously skip your ad.
Clutter & KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid. Blank space is your friend, use it do not feel that you have every square inch covered with text or an image.
TEXT
With your text use a maximum of up to 3 different fonts only.
1 font for your headline / punch 1
1 font for your punch 1
Use a standard boring font like Ariel for the remainder of your ad / poster information. Remember your goal is to convey information in a short time span, this information has to jump out at the reader in one hit, your reader should not have to spend time trying to work out what you are saying because you have used a fancy hard to read font.
Never use text affects on any text except for your punch 1 and even then I would recommend against that as well. I personally only use 2 fonts. Something easily readable in punch 1 and then Ariel for the remainder. You can achieve a remarkable variation using 1 base font and playing around with font size, bold, character space and character rotation.
Always and I repeat always either have your text on align left or justified. Never use centre alignment, centre align lacks symmetry and looks to hard read, if it looks to hard to read people wont read it. Italics look awful. ( more )
Text colour apart from your headline either use black text on a very light background or white text on a very dark background. Once you have had a lot of experience designing ads you will know how far you can change these variations.
A way I have found to see how effective my text colour choices for a colour add is to print it in black & white. Your add may look fantastic in colour on your screen but once printed in B&W you will be surprised how different it looks and how much sharpness and clarity is lost.
Language
To me the English language is divided into three categories:
Power words, neutral words & self-defeating or wishy washy words.
Power words are exciting strong words that create or reinforce your message, they create or stir a reaction from your reader. Self-defeating words detract or take away from the punch you have created. Neutral words do not enhance or detract from your add pitch.
Example
BLOODLUSTER 84
One of Adelaide’s best blood metal bands
Come and see us perform new songs from our about to be new release
Sat 18 Feb
As you would agree the above is pretty boring with no real oomph. “Come and see us” is very wishy washy almost to the point where you are pleading for an audience.
BLOODLUSTER 84
Unique High Energy Blood Metal from Adelaide’s outstanding leading metal Act
Special once off debut performance of new material
(work on example heaps more)
Placement
Where is your add going to be placed and what size is it?
You design for use as a poster will not be suitable for a 1/8 page street press ad. If using street press look at what type of adds will surround yours, try and make your ad stand out From the others some how.
(work on example heaps more)
Be very prepared
Know your deadlines
With any add you create well before your deadline , I found that by creating 3 other versions of the same add on separate days, stick these adds on a wall together and after just looking at them for a while, couple of days you will most likely incorporate bits from each add into your final product.
I must emphasise right from the start my comments / tips are about the composition of Oz’s images as promotional/ advertising tools.
I have 20 or so years experience mucking around in the music / promotions / event management industry so heres a few things I have learnt along the way that hopefully will help you out.
I was asked to present a workshop for a social worker friend of mine about how to prepare ads for emerging bands for one of her music courses she runs dealing with juvenile offenders.
I couldn’t find the finished workshop notes for you, I have included the first draft of my notes
for her course, so if seem to ramble on, or if things seem to jump around, also there will be some notes to myself to in brackets for me to expand on in future drafts ( )
I have done a pic by pic critique that I hope you find usefull.
The primary purpose of posters or print ads is to promote sales for your product. You are not producing great art, nor are you trying something that looks really cool.
Your sole focus is to design your ad so that it grabs the attention of your target audience in such a way that they WANT to read what your ad has to say, thus generating sales fo your product.
Your band may say only this certain photo can be used for this ad and/or special text font. If these don’t fit into the strategies outlined below, pack your bags and leave because your just wasting your time.
The most important thing to know is that people do not read newspapers nor do they look at posters stuck up on a wall, they will only skim/glance at a newspaper/magazine page and as for posters on wall most people will not even know that it was there.
You will have about 100th of a second for something in your ad to jump out, grab them by their balls to make them want to read what it is you have produced.
This can be done by several ways. How the text is placed, what colours are used in your ad, the colour of the paper for the poster, what photos are used and the list goes on. There is no one right way for this to be done but thousands of wrong ways.
Important tip 1: this really is important
Focus points
In English speaking countries we write from the top left hand side of the page across to the right, finishing at the bottom of the page on the right.
When people glance a page/poster their first focus point is on the top left corner, their gaze then travels diagonally down the page finishing at the bottom right. If there is nothing in this diagonal line that grabs them in that very very very brief glance they turn the page.
Also if the majority of your ads information is outside of this left>right zone, and you have used the points I have raised below – people wont look ( re-word last sentence to include symmetry)
Try looking at how newspapers are set out, where are the ads positioned on the first couple of pages, how are the actual stories placed.
Once you have finished your add, print off a copy and stick it on your wall, look at it for a while and you will find that your eyes are drawn to a particular place within the add. Is your core information in this focus point? If not you will have to either change this focus point or change your core information placement to this focus point.
Punch factor 1 – 2 – 3:
Punch 1: BIG BOLD grabs your attention. You probably have seen on pin boards a plain white paper A4 piece of paper that says something like FREE SEX / FREE BEER in giant size plain black text, that takes up to 1/3 of the page, under that in a small font is generally reads Now that I have your attention,> have you seen my lost dog > loose weight fast call me on……... Now that I have your attention is the key, you stoped what you were doing to start to read what the paper had to say. Woman’s magazine headlines are great examples of this, MY NIGHT OF FORCED DRUG HELL or SARAH TELLS OF ADOPTION AGONY
This is punch 1, something that makes a person stop skimming and start to read your ad. Has to be big has to stand out. How many of you started to read this document from the start then automatically skipped down to “You will have about 100th of a second”……. Your vision is automatically drawn to big and bold. ((lots more )
Punch 2: not as big nor as bold but still dominates the ad space sets the tone for you ad . 1 to 2 sentences-A sub-headline of no more than 2 using power words (see section on language) that briefly describe what you are selling or entice the reader to continue to read further on. (expand n examples)
Punch 3: Your bands photo or some sort of symbol that is appropriate to that reinforces punch 2, or could be another sub-headline further down the page.
Symmetry
People like order, they like things to have a natural progression or flow.
People are also lazy if your ad / poster is set out with clumps of text all over the place that don’t flow on from each other, or if your ad / poster looks to cluttered with text people will subconsciously skip your ad.
Clutter & KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid. Blank space is your friend, use it do not feel that you have every square inch covered with text or an image.
TEXT
With your text use a maximum of up to 3 different fonts only.
1 font for your headline / punch 1
1 font for your punch 1
Use a standard boring font like Ariel for the remainder of your ad / poster information. Remember your goal is to convey information in a short time span, this information has to jump out at the reader in one hit, your reader should not have to spend time trying to work out what you are saying because you have used a fancy hard to read font.
Never use text affects on any text except for your punch 1 and even then I would recommend against that as well. I personally only use 2 fonts. Something easily readable in punch 1 and then Ariel for the remainder. You can achieve a remarkable variation using 1 base font and playing around with font size, bold, character space and character rotation.
Always and I repeat always either have your text on align left or justified. Never use centre alignment, centre align lacks symmetry and looks to hard read, if it looks to hard to read people wont read it. Italics look awful. ( more )
Text colour apart from your headline either use black text on a very light background or white text on a very dark background. Once you have had a lot of experience designing ads you will know how far you can change these variations.
A way I have found to see how effective my text colour choices for a colour add is to print it in black & white. Your add may look fantastic in colour on your screen but once printed in B&W you will be surprised how different it looks and how much sharpness and clarity is lost.
Language
To me the English language is divided into three categories:
Power words, neutral words & self-defeating or wishy washy words.
Power words are exciting strong words that create or reinforce your message, they create or stir a reaction from your reader. Self-defeating words detract or take away from the punch you have created. Neutral words do not enhance or detract from your add pitch.
Example
BLOODLUSTER 84
One of Adelaide’s best blood metal bands
Come and see us perform new songs from our about to be new release
Sat 18 Feb
As you would agree the above is pretty boring with no real oomph. “Come and see us” is very wishy washy almost to the point where you are pleading for an audience.
BLOODLUSTER 84
Unique High Energy Blood Metal from Adelaide’s outstanding leading metal Act
Special once off debut performance of new material
(work on example heaps more)
Placement
Where is your add going to be placed and what size is it?
You design for use as a poster will not be suitable for a 1/8 page street press ad. If using street press look at what type of adds will surround yours, try and make your ad stand out From the others some how.
(work on example heaps more)
Be very prepared
Know your deadlines
With any add you create well before your deadline , I found that by creating 3 other versions of the same add on separate days, stick these adds on a wall together and after just looking at them for a while, couple of days you will most likely incorporate bits from each add into your final product.