McClatchy Ad Design Tips
Simple design tips to help you better reach your audience
Creatives are the fun part of every ad campaign! This is your chance to visually show your consumers what your brand or product is all about. Ensure the success of your campaigns’ creatives by following our best practices for creatives. Read more below:
Artwork:
Print Image Specs
200 DPI
For Color - CMYK
For Black and White - GreyScale (Do not use 4 color or rich black)
Web
72 DPI
All images RGB
Type:
For Black - 100% black only
If Color it is best to use no more than 2 colors
Type should be no smaller than 8Pt
When placing white text on a color background, it is best that the color background is not more than 2 colors.
Web
Type should be no smaller than 8pt
Other Principles to Consider:
Use high quality images and videos
The image or video you select is the first impression your consumers will have of your brand. Ensure that the creative you use is clear and high quality to add credibility and interest to your campaign.
Add a clear CTA (call to action)
Add a short, succinct and clear call to action for every creative. The CTA should prompt the consumer on what to do next- should they click, read more, get excited? Your CTA will tell them the answer. Your CTA should also be short as the average span is only 8 seconds! If your message cannot be clearly conveyed in 8 seconds, take a second look and revise. Finally, be sure your CTA conveys a clear value proposition about your product or brand to let your audience know why they should be interested.
Simple Design and clear font.
Add a creative with a simpler design and easy to read font so that your product and CTA are the main focus of your ad. It is best to entice the audience to read your ad and have them visit in person or call. Try to keep it simple. Less is more.
Consistency with design, style, and voice
Make sure both your ad and landing page have a consistent design, voice and color scheme to demonstrate that it’s clear the two are related. Inconsistency here can cause your ad to look untrustworthy.
Think across screens
Choose a creative that can work on multiple devices and formats. You want to be sure your ad reaches as many people as possible, so having a creative that can work across devices ensures it will reach the maximum number of consumers.
Highlight Key Contact Information
When using the web address only put www.webaddress.com. There is no need to put the https:// in the beginning of the web address. Phone numbers and hours should be easy to find. Normally these will be at the bottom of your ad. Company Name and Logo should be at the top of your ad
A/B test your creatives
A/B test and modify your creatives based on the results of your campaign, and on the users you want to target. Keep your user personas in mind when designing your creative, and test which creative is resonating with each persona. You can also test whether or not static or video campaigns are more effective with your audiences and customize your creatives and campaigns accordingly.
Have fun
This is your chance to showcase your brand’s creativity and voice- add unique and fun copy and images to engage your target audience
For some ideas on good designs please click the link below for some inspiration.