4 Ways to Identify Good Advertising

Look through any publication and you’ll see a slew of advertising. Some of it is well-designed, and some of it… well… yes, even bad design makes it to print. Even if you’re not a marketer or a designer, there are ways to separate the good from the bad. With efforts to identify a good design studio or to make the most of your own marketing investment, here are 4 general ways to identify - or create - a good marketing piece.

 Good advertising…

 …has a clear hook.

There is some element that draws you in and encourages you to read more. This element is not the logo! The hook could be a graphic or a message. It understands its audience and its message conveys a solution to a problem.

 …is legible.

The text is sized and spaced appropriately. Thin text strokes aren’t washed out by dot gain, and there are no more than two different typefaces (with only ONE being display type). The images are crisp and not “pixely,” and no edges are chopped.

 …has a clear foundation.

The graphics are aligned to a grid such as the Golden Mean or the Rule of Thirds. The white space has been thoughtfully arranged (yes—the space void of graphics gets designed) and it isn’t cluttered with extra ideas or pointless filler.

 …feels effortless.

That simple graphic with the punny headline that seems really obvious, was likely birthed from 100 hours of expert curation. It wasn’t actually effortless, that’s called good strategy.

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There you have it, four basic ways to identify good advertising. Curious how your past campaigns stack up? We’d be glad to schedule an honest review. Or maybe you’d like to discuss possibilities for a new one? Please drop us a line. We invite you to apply our design-centered approach to solving your small business challenges.