5 Tips for Strategic Design

By / Design


We were fascinated this morning by an article all about one designer’s [Eddie Jabbour] development process in creating a much more easily understood
NY Subway Map, and it had us thinking…
Many of the factors that were important to Jabbour in developing that map are applicable to advertising design as well.
Of course we then had to put together a list for you, we love lists!
So read on and find out why good design comes in 5s,
 
1.  Size Matters

When developing a variety of projects, keeping in mind who will be receiving (and through what platform) the message is important.
Are you developing an outdoor campaign?  Then consider bold, loud graphics and typography that will draw attention but also quickly convey your point without confusion.
What about a digital campaign?  Have you checked your design on multiple platforms?  Some elements may seem drastically disproportionate when viewed on different devices or even different browsers.
2. Looking into the past is helpful
Seriously lacking in the inspiration department?  Then draw from other projects that are similar to yours that are interesting or relevant to you.
Obviously you don’t want to ever blatantly copy anything, but draw inspiration from a color scheme, a pattern or tone of a design that will guide your creativity.
3. What’s logical and what’s right are often the same
Sometimes what’s right in front of you is the answer.
Are you feeling like your message is truncated?  Will the reader/viewer immediately be able to follow the “bread crumbs” to your logical conclusion?
If the message is a little confusing to you and your team, then it will definitely be lost in translation for someone who wasn’t in on the development.
4. Always include pertinent information
Remember when your advertising professors would constantly remind you to be sure you’ve included a call to action and response mechanism….
And then somewhere in between all the hours of crafting “the perfect design” you failed to include these necessary elements,
And you failed your project??
Okay, maybe that was just me…
But seriously, always be sure to include information that not only encourages but also allows the consumer to further engage with the product beyond the advert.
5. Each project is unique
Every project has its own challenges and may require different tactics.
Basically, don’t treat all projects the same from the get-go.  While drawing from prior experience is useful it’s not the only factor to be considered.  Make sure you are truly exploring a problem and approaching it with solutions as creative as possible.


Written by / Design

SHARE THIS POST

/ /

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.