Every marketing campaign benefits from good images. No matter how hard we try there are always ways in which we can improve the way something looks, but sometimes that something can be hard to identify. When reviewing your business’ visuals, here are 7 things to consider to help boost their appeal (and hopefully get potential customers to take a second look).
1. Catch Their Eyes
Whether it is a business card, a storefront, a web page, or a food menu, good design
tells the eyes where to go. There should be a focal point where the eyes first land, and then after finishing, the beholder should know where to look next. There are a variety of elements to utilize, everything from font size, color contrast, spacing, and lines; they all play a part in guiding the eyes to where they need to go. The composition helps the mind be at peace when looking at a visual, and thus is an essential ingredient to consider when making something look visually appetizing.
2. Stick to a Theme
Another important component of visual appeal is unity. The last thing you want is a hodgepodge of elements fighting against each other on a canvas. You want each piece to work together to add to your theme. This means a luxurious logo should be complimented by a regal font in elegant colors. Not dreary colors slapped onto bubbly letters, or sophisticated calligraphy forced upon a tough and menacing background. This does not mean that contrasts never work, but if you want to ensure you are not creating an eyesore, be sure all the pieces of your visual puzzle work together. This could go without saying, but the theme should reflect the image of the company. It would be a bit unfitting to see wacky, neon cartoon animals on a billboard for a funeral home.
3. Compliment Your Logo
Your logo is your #1 advertising tool. It is how people recognize your company. It sets the tone for how people see your business. This means that you need to know how to make it work with the visuals you want to display, or better yet, design those images around your logo. Because the logo should be a reflection of your company, it makes sense that this be the cornerstone that you base most of your company designs around. You want to make sure that your logo is seen everywhere: webpages, flyers, advertisements, receipts, commercials, etc, thus you want to make sure the images you use compliments the shapes, colors, styles, fonts, and aura that your logo gives off.
4. Clean, Clear, and No Clutter
Another way to promote visual appeal is to keep things tidy. Too much clutter causes the eyes to get claustrophobic and can make it harder to stay focused. The same way a messy desk can be distracting and make it harder for you to get work done, too much design in one spot can detract from what your visuals are trying to promote. Keep things clean by getting rid of any unnecessary designs that are only getting in the way. Spacing things out will also aid in giving your image more visual appeal, as it assists the eyes by giving them room to focus.
5. Structure & Patterns
While you want a clean look, you don’t want your design to come off as empty or lacking. This is why patterns and lines play an important role as they give an image structure to help your eyes feel comfortable when viewing an image, such as a movie poster, document, or webpage. Patterns are great because the repetition provides structure for the eye, while the colors and lines can satisfy the mind's hunger for some eye candy.
6. Colors
Colors in the marketing world are a lot trickier than we were ever warned about when first learning them in preschool. Choosing a good color palette is much more complicated than just throwing all your favorite colors on a canvas. The list of factors to consider when picking colors is more than we can cover here, but if you want to make sure your business has visual appeal, a strategic color scheme is a must.
7. Creative & Memorable
Like any good recipe, it needs spice. If it is too boring, it lacks the visual appeal to make it memorable. Even good designs can be boring if they’ve become too commonplace. This is why creativity is essential for helping a visual to stick in people’s minds. However, creative has to be wacky or wild just to stand out. It can be elegant or calm as well. Maybe it’s the way the company’s bird logo flutters across the web page as the viewer scrolls or a visual palindrome on a business card.