Here is a lousy ad:
I’m sure Brian paid good money to publish this horrible ad.
Make my logo big! Use a larger font! Make the background white so it’s readable! My website has to be big! Make everything big…It’s all so it’s important! Maybe it’s an advantage to have that ambulance chaser look, but it’s unprofessional looking in my book.
This ad illustrates some important points. If everything stands out, nothing stands out. Also, stuffing every inch of space make your ad look cheap and hard to read.
Good layout is about hierarchy. If the headline interests you, you’ll read the body copy. The body copy doesn’t have to be read from across the room. I have clients tell me every day how type needs to be big for all the old folks out there. If they see this ad in a newspaper, doesn’t that mean that they can read the newspaper with it’s small type? The headline or main image should grab the viewer.
Also, the phone number and web address doesn’t have to take up a third of the page! Is your phone number going to grab my attention? If I’m looking to contact you, I’ll look for it. Unless this ad is a billboard or about to burst into flames in three seconds, I think I can read the phone number at 9 point.
I adjusted the ad myself in a couple of minutes. Doesn’t this look like a professional firm and not some fly by night outfit? Yes, you can’t read the text in this thumbnail, but at full page size, it’s perfectly readable. The logo is half the size, but not lost in text. There’s breathing room not wasted space. The headline is at the top…Larger than the other copy. Does the old ad have a headline? The message is clear, not lost.
