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Casual Articles - Avoid These 10 Design Disasters When Creating Your Business' Marketing Materials
Higher education enrollment is changing due to distance learning via the internet. It may be difficult to ascertain just how many people are choosing to study on-line rather than attend traditional universities, but at the Eduventures conference in Boston in mid-October, an interesting figure was cited: by 2008 1 in 10 college students will be an e-learner.Aside from the experiential differences between brick-and-mortar and e-classrooms, many other issues are worth considering. For instance, in March of this year Congress passed a law that eliminated the requirement that colleges offer at least half their courses in a physical classroom in
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. Your heading and your message must hit your tar
You cannot fail when you give more than 100 percent. In whatever endeavour you are doing, always give more than one hundred percent. You will find that whenever you do this, your rewards will always be far greater than the extra effort you expended. Some people refer to this success concept as going the extra mile. What it means is that you need to give people more than they expect.If you are working in your business and want to see it grow, the surest way to achieve it is by giving more. Customers are impressed when they discover a business that is innovative and gives them more than what they expected. Look for better and more efficient
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. Besides, if they are interested in what you’re selling or promoting, they will look to the bottom to find out where to get it.
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 your brand. Your font choices should be consistent with your image and your industry. Cursive and creative fonts are often hard to read, know your audience’s ability to read such things and they must still stand out.
4. Don't use color indiscriminately. More color doesn't necessarily make something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud and annoying. 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 or red for a call to action. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colors. If you plan to use full color on a piece make sure you really utilize that color instead of just putting it in your logo for example and nowhere else – that’s just a waste of color and you’re paying extra for that. On the flip side, try not to use too many colors in the text; I’ve seen sometimes 5-7 colors in the text on just a business card and that makes nothing stand out plus it’s hard to follow.
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. 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. Besides you should have a website now that people can go to for more detailed information.
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. Your heading and your message must hit your tar
As a Career Consultant, I work with clients on all the tools and techniques that are needed to succeed in the job search – including interviewing skills. One thing I have noticed over the years is that candidates often get “trapped” in certain interview questions that are designed to make them say something negative or self-defeating (which generally leads to rejection). Indeed, job-seekers are not even aware of how negative many of their answers sound at interviews! So, I instruct all my clients to “never say anything negative, or anything that could possibly be construed as negative!” Candidates can avoid being disqualified by stating all their
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 your brand. Your font choices should be consistent with your image and your industry. Cursive and creative fonts are often hard to read, know your audience’s ability to read such things and they must still stand out.
4. Don't use color indiscriminately. More color doesn't necessarily make something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud and annoying. 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 or red for a call to action. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colors. If you plan to use full color on a piece make sure you really utilize that color instead of just putting it in your logo for example and nowhere else – that’s just a waste of color and you’re paying extra for that. On the flip side, try not to use too many colors in the text; I’ve seen sometimes 5-7 colors in the text on just a business card and that makes nothing stand out plus it’s hard to follow.
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. 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. Besides you should have a website now that people can go to for more detailed information.
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. Your heading and your message must hit your tar
Linen is made for people who prefer comfort over cost. Linen fibre is derived from the stem of the flax plant and spun into a lustrous and strong yarn which, like cotton, is both extremely washable and comfortable to wear in hot weather, as it draws moisture quickly away from the body. While woven linen wrinkles easily, knitted linen has wonderful elasticity. It is best for high humidity areas, since it absorbs moisture better than cotton. Plus, it has anti-bacterial properties that protect the skin. In fact earlier linen thread was used for stitching up wounds. The silkier property of linen fibres is also supposed to make it more difficult for d
4. Don't use color indiscriminately. More color doesn't necessarily make something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud and annoying. 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 or red for a call to action. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colors. If you plan to use full color on a piece make sure you really utilize that color instead of just putting it in your logo for example and nowhere else – that’s just a waste of color and you’re paying extra for that. On the flip side, try not to use too many colors in the text; I’ve seen sometimes 5-7 colors in the text on just a business card and that makes nothing stand out plus it’s hard to follow.
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. 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. Besides you should have a website now that people can go to for more detailed information.
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. Your heading and your message must hit your tar
You can obtain a criminal background check on almost anyone for as little as twenty dollars. Many employers do this as a routine part of the hiring process especially if the employment involves working with sensitive material or involves having someone in your home. You want to know who these people are when you hire them especially if they are in sensitive positions. You want to know who is and isn’t trustworthy. It is easy for people to lie or not to provide all of the relevant information through lies of omission. With sex offenders moving from place to place not all of them register when or where they are supposed to. Some people may have
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. 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. Besides you should have a website now that people can go to for more detailed information.
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. Your heading and your message must hit your tar
New grads are hitting the job market this month, flush with the feeling of accomplishment their new degree bestows, but often terrified as well. Here are some get-started tips for new grads searching for that first, great opportunity.1) FOCUSA fresh-out-of-school job search is exhilarating and intimidating at the same time, because for many new grads, the possibilities for a first job are almost endless. In order to be successful at finding a job you like, it helps to focus on a couple of areas you're especially interested in. So, for instance, if you have a new English degree, maybe you're most interested in not-for-profit grant-wr
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. Your heading and your message must hit your target market’s “hot buttons” and what’s in it for them?
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. If you can take your logo and place it in your competitor’s ad and it applies and vice versa then you’re not getting creative or unique enough with your message and you just look like everyone else. Besides, who knows if they’re getting good response on their ads? They might not be.
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. K. Sawa Marketing can help you design, create and print as inexpensively as possible all your marketing materials, brochures, websites and more! Just ask.
About the Author Katrina Sawa, Small Biz Marketing Expert, helps entrepreneurs and small business owners build their database of clients and prospects, determine the best ways to market their business to their target market, teach them how to network, develop follow up systems, marketing and advertising plans and find ways to get free or low cost publicity which all lead to more customers and increased sales!
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