5 Quick Tips for Marketing Masterpieces

Own a small business? Then you know what it� �s like to be in a crunch. You� �ve got phone calls to answer, reports to analyze, bills to pay� � it seems like the last thing you have time for is spending weeks masterminding a gigantic marketing campaign. Relax! Here are five simple, but essential tricks of the designer� �s trade that you can use right now, with little cost and big results.

1) Don� �t reinvent the wheel � � use quality clip art and stock photos! Unless you� �re a professional illustrator or photographer, you� �ll find it much easier� � and less expensive� � to find a design you like from a photo stock library. And with the incredible variety of quality and prices to choose from, you� �re bound to find something perfect for your project. The Internet is the best place to start. Once you find the right look, you can use the same style of graphics to create a consistent look for your marketing piece.

2) Nothing creates dramatic effect like contrast. It� �s Art 101. A color is best set off by its opposite on the color wheel. But besides contrasting colors, you can use contrasting fonts, shapes, and graphics. Different sizes in your text and graphics will add contrast too, and will draw the viewer� �s eye to the differences. And, of course, use white space to add punch to your biggest selling points.

3) Repeat as necessary. Good design calls for repeating certain elements throughout to make the whole piece come together visually. If you are using bullets, make them all the same color and shape. Do the same for all your headlines. If you� �ve used boxes, borders or banners, make sure those are all matching as well. And when you� �re through designing, go back and review your work � � is everything consistent?

4) Am I in your space? Help readers know which caption goes with which picture with a little thing called � �proximity� �. Proximity is the space between two elements, i.e. the picture and caption. Too far, and they won� �t make the connection you want them to. Too close, and it loses its dramatic impact. This goes for headlines and subheads, as well.

5) Serif or Sans Serif� � that is the question. It really depends on whether it� �s for the body of your ad or a headline. If you have a large amount of text, go with a serif font. Serif fonts have those tiny horizontal strokes attached to the letters that help the reader� �s eyes flow from letter to letter. But for headlines and subheads, you� �ll want to go with a sans serif font. Why? Because it will slow the reader down, bringing attention to each word or concept. Here are a few good serif fonts to use for body copy: Times, New Century Schoolbook, Garamond and Goudy. Now for the sans serif fonts, some good headline makers are: Arial Bold, Helvetica Black, Univers Bold and Trade Gothic.


With these quick and easy techniques, you can easily design your own marketing materials in no time. Good luck on your next marketing campaign!