Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Anticlimactic

Anticlimactic

"Cranky pants wants it this way! That's why we are going to pick blue for our fire hydrant instead of red!"

When designing promotional items for your business STEP BACK and really put some thought into it.

About.com has a great definition of one way to use COLOR to help your advertising mood.

"Do you feel anxious in a yellow room? Does the color blue make you feel calm and relaxed? Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can dramatically affect moods, feelings and emotions. It is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood and cause physiological reactions. Certain colors can raise blood pressure, increase metabolism or cause eyestrain."


 Have you ever felt like your ad campaign was anticlimactic?

Try researching color's and what mood they create. Implement them into your designs strategicly and you will see results that are better in sync with your goals.


  • Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
  • Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
  • Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.
  • Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.
  • Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.

Put your foot down on the cranky pants designer and choose appropriate goal-oriented colors for your designs.


Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Bob Effect

Marketing Tip: Don't underestimate white-space in your advertising. It brings a critical focus to your marketing. When you surround your offer with space it will most assuredly get more attention than your competitors.

Problem Conversation:
Client:"Can you please fit sixty-seven pages of text to my 5"x7" mailer?"
Graphic Designer:"Is that all?"
Client:"...and add our sponsors logos."
Graphic Designer: "...anything else."
Client: "Don't forget the BBB logo..."

Watch and Learn:
Look below at my visual quiz and answer one question. Where's Bob?


A. Box #1
B. Box #2
C. Box #3
D. Who's Bob and why am I taking a quiz?

ANSWER: "B"
(Actually Bob is in every box. The point is that you notice Bob sitting all by himself in the center box.)
  • Sometimes marketing plans are executed very different from one another and yet none of them rise above there competitors just like the "Bob" in box #1. He is hard to find and hardly worth the effort of looking. Don't let your company fall in this category.
  • Some marketing plans are too similar to one another like the "Bob" in box #3. This also doesn't set any particular offer apart. He is easy to find but one Bob (or marketing effort) isn't better than the next...also, hardly worth it.
  • But... Box #2 is the answer. Bob stands alone. He does something that is rarely done. He elimitated the competition by cleaning up his act and eliminating everything that doesn't matter in his campaign.

Solution Conversation:
Client:"Can you please focus this mailer on the personality of my company? Since I am a new company with few clients can you please begin to brand my logo ?"
Graphic Designer:"Sure, may I suggest using a lot of white space?"
Client:"ABSOLUTELY!"
Graphic Designer: "You wouldn't believe how many people come in here and want their life story on a wallet sized mailer, it is refreshing to know that there are still companies out there with vision!"