From the 
HQ
Well Fred my fine and loyal friend the thing that has been bugging me is that although some people want and are happy to pay to have something printed, they can forget that…
Good Design Matters
Here at Print and Mail Runner we believe in great design, but sadly sometimes design is not given the attention it deserves.
What me and my companion Fred the Wonder Dog would like you to do is make you think more about design when planning your next marketing campaign or print collateral.
When considering any marketing activity, it is vitally important that you start off with considering the 3 pillars:
- Message
- Market
- Medium
This is basically finding the right message for the right audience delivered via the right medium. But even when you have this sorted it is vitally important that you consider carefully how it is presented i.e. the design. We truly believe the following statements to be true:
Good design will attract more clients!
Good design will get more from your marketing collateral.
Good design is an investment NOT a cost.
When it comes to marketing your business, finding the right message for the right audience can be difficult. But figuring out what you want to say and to who is only the beginning.
You should be asking how to make design work, how to keep it working and most importantly how it can help you attract more business.
It’s about asking – What is good design? What does it look like and what makes it work? Equally you should also think about what bad design looks like and how can it be avoided.
Here are a few thinks to consider:
Keep it Simple
- Use the old adage – KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
- You don’t have much time to grab someone’s attention.
- Avoid jargon.
- Be economical – don’t use your headline to describe an image and vice versa.
- Don’t overwhelm – when there is too much going on it is likely to confuse.
- Albert Einstein – “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
Keep it Clear
- People don’t read – they scan first, so make sure your copy is scan friendly.
- The average attention span is 8 seconds.
- Focus on the relevant message and repeat it throughout.
- Use headlines and sub-headings.
- Put important stuff in bold or italics
Keep it Relevant
- Your Call to Action – your tool for provoking a response.
- Consider the buying cycle.
- Make it crystal clear what you want them to do.
- Good words: Join, Learn, Free, Now, Save.
Keep it Useful
- People are sceptical – build trust.
- WIIFM – what’s in it for me?
- Use benefits, not features – “See the world like never before in crystal clear HD” instead of “Displays images at a resolution of 1080 x 720”.
- Provide good content – for free.
Keep it clean
- This isn’t the dirty language sort of clean, it’s more literally about the aesthetic and editorial quality of your marketing.
- Speeling.
- Grammar.
- Proof read, proof read, proof read.
- Bad quality = scam.
Good design is an integral part of any successful business, and it really can be the difference between a potential client choosing to work with you or moving on to your nearest competitor.
At Print and Mail Runner we can provide a full design service from advising on and fixing artwork issues to make your artwork print ready to a full ‘from concept’ creative and design service. Our studio is charged out in 15-minute slots, so you only pay for the time you use.
The best way to keep design costs to a minimum is to provide as detailed and complete specification of what you require. This includes the copy or text, logos, images and pictures along with any particular fonts or colours you want to use.
We will always provide you with an estimate of studio time we reckon a job or project will take prior to starting any work so you are aware of the approximate costs upfront which helps with budgeting and avoids any nasty surprises.
I hope this proves to be of interest. We’ve only covered some of the basics and there’s still lots more to consider. If you want to learn more about how good design can change the face of your business and attract more clients, then please do not hesitate to contact us via tel: 0191 580 2031, e-mail: hello@pm-runner.co.uk or web: https://pm-runner.co.uk/design/. We are always happy to help in any way we can.
Until next time… 😊
by