Advertising and Sales

Advertising Layout

WHAT IS A LAYOUT
a. What Is a Lay out?
i. A layout is the​ arrangement of types and visuals​ on a printed or digital page or
on two-dimensional surfaces to create an effective visual communication
ii. Layout is the arrangement, overall structure, blueprint of advertising copy. It
arranges all the elements of layout in a systematic manner.

iii. Its main purpose is to ​secure higher attention ​by presenting all the layout
elements in the most effective manner.
iv. A good advertisement is a combination of both ​copy and art​.
v. The layout is ​a plan of an advertisement ​ and makes the work of the printer
easier
vi. Layout means two things
1. The ​Total appearance of the advertisement ​- its design and total
composition of its elements
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2. The ​Physical Rendering ​of the design for the ad - its blueprint for
production purposes.
vii. An Advertisement layout is the systematic design of:
1. Size
2. Color scheme
3. Graphics
4. Copy placement
… And many more layout elements to send the intended message to the
target audience
viii. Layout is an aesthetic arrangement of all elements in a given space

PRINCIPLES OF A GOOD LAYOUT

Principles of a good layout
1. Principle of ​UNITY
a. Ad elements should be a united whole; i.e there are ​oneness​ and ​coherence ​ to
bring a visual cohesiveness and completeness to the ad.
2. Principle of ​VARIETY
a. Ad elements should show contrast and variety to avoid it from being monotonous;
i.e -
i. Blue - effective
ii. Orange - not as effective

HIGH VISIBILITY LOW VISIBILITY

CONTRAST VIBRATION

3. Principle of ​BALANCE
a. AD should be well-balanced visually.
b. The AD can be designed as a ​symmetrical and asymmetrical balanced
layout.
4. Principle of ​RHYTHM​*
a. AD should follow the established principle of eye movement of the reader.
*A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
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b. People see ads generally in this manner

i. Illustration → Headline → 1st copy → logo
5. Principle of ​PROPORTION
a. AD layout should have proportion in terms of division of graphic elements and
copy
b. Elements are placed according to their importance.
6. Principle of ​SIMPLICITY
a. Layout should be simple to provide clarity to avoid confusing the reader.

LAYOUT FORMAT
1. PICTURE WINDOW
a. A large picture dominates the layout much like a picture window
2. MULTI-PANEL
a. This layout consists of same-shape sections such as rectangle, square, cube,
etc. is useful for showing several items at the same time.
3. SPLIT
a. This layout looks as if the page is divided into sections that can be split vertically,
horizontally or diagonally.
4. FRAME
a. When a layout has a border, it is called a framed ad. The border can be thick,
thin, a visual or type that runs around the layout.
5. CIRCUS
a. A layout that can look disorganized . Although designers detest circus ads, they
are used for supermarkets electronics retailers, automotive dealership and they
can be very effective.
6. REBUS
a. When a layout includes pictures that substitute for words, it is called a rebus ad.
7. MONDRIAN
a. Layout is similar to the paintings of Piet Mondrian (sections divided by thick black
lines into squares and rectangles, with some sections colored in black, red,
yellow, and blue).
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8. PICTURE CAPTION
a. Images are accompanied by a little bit of copy. This format makes it easy for the
reader to quickly grasp the image and product information as one unit.
9. CARTOON
a. Any layout that uses cartoon illustration as a visual.
10. COMIC STRIP
a. Just like the comic strips in newspapers, this format has several boxes of
cartoons that continue the message from one box to the next.
11. LETTER INSPIRED
a. In this form of layout, letter is an important part of the design. The copy blocks
can be set in the shape of a letter or one large letter can dominate the page

ELEMENTS
1. BORDER
a. A border separates the ad from the surrounding type and…
i. Should complement​ ​the look and you are developing with your ad.
ii. And​ ​should never​ be the most prominent part of your ad.
b. Straightforward and simple is best.
2. HEADING
a. AD legend Devid Ogilvy once stated that:
“The headline is the key part of the sales message, no matter how well the ad is
presented, it can't succeed if it is not read.”
2a. SUBHEADING
b. Following the headline, you’ll have subheads that either clarify or amplify the
thought in the headline.
c. Subheads should be handled in much the same way as headlines, but are
visually weighted somewhere between the body copy and the heading, border
3. ILLUSTRATION
a. A highly effective way to draw the reader’s attention to an ad is with the
illustration or graphic.
b. Studies have shown that an ad with an illustration that takes up 50% or more of
the ad space increases reashsip by as much 37%
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4. PRICE
a. Price is an important (and often dominant) element in a layout. Many local
advertisers build their ads around the price. You can accent price in several
ways:
i. As part of the heading
ii. The core the ad is built around
iii. Preceding the copy, and
iv. In the text/copy space
5. WHITE SPACE
a. Use as much white space as you can afford to use. It minimizes distraction and
draws attention to what matters most.
b. Basically, white space is all the space between the words and pictures and it
doesn’t have to be white.
c. Can be blue, pink, yellow, etc
d. Professional designers actively employ white space. It’s not just the space left
over after everything has been placed on the page; it’s a seperate design
element. There are many reasons why they do this.
i. It separates elements on a page
1. This is the fundamental reason to use white space. Without it, your
page would look cluttered and messy, readers wouldn’t be able to
tell what words relate to the images, and it would be hard to read.
2. No white space = messy like everything is coming to you at once
and it’s like getting punched in the eye (i.e. magazine ad with
multiple pics of cars and prices, no white space at all)
ii. It creates focus and makes things stand out. White space, generally,
rather blank. There is nothing to look at. If it surrounds something, that
something really stands out. If your brand has a minimalist look all of your
advertising might take this approach. (i:e BATMAN AND PENGUIN
ADVERT)
iii. It helps to create balance. There are many things to think about when
trying to create a balance image: size, shape, colour, contrast, etc.
iv. Adding white space is a great way to balance difference-sized objects on
your page.
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v. A balanced design doesn’t mean symmetrical. A large design element

can be balanced by a few smaller ones, which is where white space can
come in handy
vi. In contrast, an unbalanced image can look wrong (i.e. no symmetry,
words are all over the page, images are messy)
vii. “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when
there is nothing left to take away”
6. BODY COPY
a. An ad copy is a written or spoken image to be transmitted to a target audience
through print, visual, and voice media.
b. Body copy expands benefits offered in the headline.
c. Copywriting is the art and science of wirtin copy (​words​ used on web pages, ads,
promotional materials, etc.) that sells your product or service and convinces
prospective customers to take action.
d. In many ways it’s like hiring one sales man to reach all your customers.
7. SIGNATURE
a. The signature is often a logotype
b. Though often used synonymously with logo, signature means the name of the
advertiser in any form, and unlike the logo, may change form from one ad to the
next
c. Remember not to let the signature overpower other important aspects
8. 1-SECOND TEST
a. The one second test is a way of determining whether a reader can tell at a glance
what the advertiser is selling.
b. You should be able to look at a layout for a second, then close your eyes and
recall its sales message.
c. If you didn’t get the message, you need to improve the layout.
d. Another factor that affects eye appeal is concentration, grouping your selling
points into display headings and text messages.
9. COLOR
a. Try to achieve contrast in layout by effective use of different size type bold type
colour.
b. If you can, try to fit colour into your advertising budget.
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c. Introducing colour increases impact.

10. CREATIVITY
a. The use of the imagination or original idea, especially in the production of an
artistic work.
b. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
c. With simplicity, focal points, and sequence in mind, will be appealing to the eye.
d. “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple,
awesomely simple, that’s creativity”
e. However, some ads are more visually appealing than others
f. CREATIVITY IS THE SOUL OF ADVERTISING AND BRANDING
g. It is what gives life to messages about products and services that may otherwise
be boring or insignificant in the hearts and minds of the target customers.
h. An ad campaign without creativity is like an e-commerce website without
payment gateway.