Understanding the 5 C’s of Ad Design

Designing a bench ad for your business is the best way to get your message across while adding your own personal touch—but the question is, how do you do that effectively? While there are plenty of ways to improve upon your ad’s design—and much of that knowledge simply comes from trial and error—there are a few key tips to keep in mind to ensure that every ad you put out is a great one.

Below, we’re looking at the five “C’s” of successful ad design… and how you can implement them into your own ad campaign now.

Color

Color is easily one of the first—if not the first—things that businesses think about while designing ads… and you can be sure that it’s the first thing potential customers see, too! Color plays a huge role in our everyday lives, so it only makes sense that this visible feature is important in advertising, too. Every ad should feature a smart use of color—and if it doesn’t, i.e. it sticks to a black and white scheme, there ought to be a good reason for it.

Colors can evoke certain feelings and help customers build associations with your brand. Take some time to consider color before embarking on the design process to create ads that stick.

Contrast

Contrast refers to the color differentiation (or lack thereof) within your ad. High contrast ads are typically easier to read (such as black text on a white background), while ads with low contrast (such as yellow over a green background) may not be read or understood by potential customers. Pay special attention to the contrast within your ad—if there’s any chance of miscommunication, think about switching around the colors so that your message is more easily read. By doing so, you will be able to avoid one of the most common mistakes ad designers face every day.

Culture

A great ad doesn’t just look good visually—it pulls from elements of the company or community’s culture. This might mean including references to local parks or landmarks, or including a slogan your business is known for—anything that shows what makes you and your role in the community different from your competitors.

Copy

We know you’ve heard it before, but a good ad really does need excellent copy! The copy—or writing—of your bench ad has to typically be short and to the point, while still capturing customers’ attention and persuading them to come in and do business with you. This is certainly a tall order, but it can be done by paying special attention to the words you use and constantly reading them aloud—if your copy doesn’t sound right coming out of your mouth, it won’t sound right in your customers’ minds, either!

Call to action

Finally, every successful bench ad you put out needs a true call to action, a cue that tells commuters and pedestrians what to do after seeing your ad. Should they call you, visit your shop, come in for a bite… or something else? Include a clear, meaningful call to action to bring customers in and achieve the results you want.

As these handy reminders prove, effective ad design doesn’t have to be extremely difficult. Let us know if we can help you throughout the design process!