8 design top tips and 8 mistakes to avoid
Do you have something to sell?
As with any product, be it a book, a bagel or a bungalow, you need people to know about it before you can sell it.
You need to promote it.
There are three goals for any piece of promotion or advertising.
Goal 1: get attention
Goal 2: share information
Goal 3: elicit a response
And bad graphic design can get in the way of all three.
You could take a few years out to study graphic design and advertising. It’s rewarding. But you don’t have the time? I hear you.
So let me walk you through some of the basics instead.
Before you design your advert, you need to know where it will go.
Location. Location. Location.
The location of the advert will impact what you want to include - and what you want to leave out.
A print-based advert in a magazine can have more copy (words) because the reader is spending more time with the material. But a billboard advert should have less copy as they’re higher up with the audience walking or driving past.
Getting a simple message across quickly is key.
Books on socials
For this example, we’re using an advert on Twitter to promote a self-published book.
I’ve created an advert with all eight design mistakes.
On purpose. So I can show you a before and after.
I’m putting my design cred on the line, just for you. Prepare yourself.
I’ll also let you in on a secret.
Even professional graphic designers make mistakes.
We’ve all seen those graphic design fails, online or in person. Ouch!
So don’t feel bad if you’ve made any of the following mistakes. We all have.
Now let’s get your advert the attention it deserves - for all the right reasons.
8 design mistakes to avoid with 8 top tips to help you succeed
Mistake 1. Unclear message
Before: A book advert breaking the rules. What a rebel. What a mess.
Look at this advert. I know, it’s ghastly, but take a look anyway.
What is the advert trying to get you to do?
It’s got something to do with a book.
But are we meant to buy the book? Learn about the book? Or something else?
This advert is trying to do too much at once.
Top Tip 1. Keep on message
What is the main intention for the advert you’re working on? Once you’ve decided, stick to it. One clear primary message with one clear action.
It can be as simple as “Look, a book - buy it.”
If you need to add a second message, make sure it compliments the first and adds value.
“Look, a book - buy it and learn more about it at my website”
Mistake 2. Too many words
The main reason the message was lost is because of all the words.
There are way too many words.
If I’m scrolling on Twitter and I see a wall of text on a picture, I’m not thinking it’s an advert. Maybe a typographical art piece? I might check it out. Or just scroll on by.
There’s just too much information here for such a small advert.
Top Tip 2. Clear and brief
Keep the copy focused.
Make sure that your book title is clear and informs the reader who the author is. Maybe you want to add a link to your author or book website too.
Further information that you could include is your quotes, reviews, and descriptions. But these need to be short.
If your book has already had a great review, edit it down to the best parts.
From: “This book is amazing! I had a great time, and really learned a lot about the world and characters. The world-building is out of this world!” - Jo on Goodreads
To: “Out of this world” - Goodreads
Mistake 3. Everything all at once
There is just too much going on.
Every part of this advert is begging for attention.
A reader might try to puzzle out the message. Or just worry about their eyesight.
Most will scroll past it.
Top Tip 3. Balance and Flow
Let’s get psychological for a moment. Trust me, it’s important.
According to Gestalt psychology, visual hierarchy is a pattern where some elements stand out or attract attention, more than others.
This suggests to the reader that there’s a hierarchy of importance, where a message starts and ends. What is most important, and what is less so.
You need to balance the different elements and consider ‘weight distribution’ for visual stability.
Text and images need to work together.
In the English language, we read from the top, down and from left to right. It’s best to keep to those rules, especially in such a small space.
And you don’t need to fill up all the space.
In fact ‘white space’ or space unused actually makes it easier for the eyes to focus on the message.
Mistake 4. Overusing capitalisation
HELLO. I’M NOT SHOUTING. I JUST WANT YOU TO READ THIS. IS IT WORKING?
Or did you feel like I was actually shouting at you?
Other than looking like I’m shouting, using all capital letters for full blocks of text also takes longer to read.
That’s time you don’t have.
Top Tip 4. Avoid all CAPS
Use all capital letters sparingly and never for full blocks of copy.
If your book cover has the title all in capitals, you can repeat that for the title in the advert.
If you need to make something stand out, make it larger than other text or use bold.
Mistake 5. Too many typefaces and fonts
Speaking of bold. A typeface means the design of the lettering. A font is all the variations of that typeface.
For example, Arial is a typeface and 12pt Arial Bold is a font.
Having too many typefaces and fonts in one piece of promotion hurts my soul. It also hurts the readability of your message.
Top Tip 5. Limit typefaces and utilise fonts
A rule of thumb is to not use more than three typefaces.
I personally prefer to use just two typefaces. To make a particular message or word stand out I utilise the options of their different fonts.
For easy readability, a typeface that is sans-serif is best.
‘Sans’ means without, and ‘serifs’ are the extended features at the end of the strokes.
So use a typeface without the extra fancy bits for sentences or blocks of text.
Sans-serif typefaces like Arial, Veranda, and Tahoma are also easier for dyslexic people to read.
Whatever you choose, types and fonts need to work well together.
Mistake 6. Using the wrong colours
There are no wrong colours.
Designs exist that utilise all the colours of the rainbow - and they can work.
But using colour in the wrong way can confuse your message.
And don't just use your favourite colours, tempting though that is.
When it comes to graphic design, you need to pick what colours work best.
Top Tip 6. Use Colour Theory
Knowing a little about colour theory can really help.
Colour theory is a collection of rules and guidelines that designers use to communicate their message.
You already know some theories or meanings behind certain colours.
For example, the colour red can mean a warning, passion, or anger.
A colour wheel will help you to learn about colours that work well together. You can find them easily online along with a guide on how to use them.
If you’re struggling and need something quick, find a colour or two that compliments the main colour on the book cover.
Mistake 7. Busy with special effects
Outline. Shadow. Refection. Glow.
Each effect exists for a reason. Each can be used to good effect.
But overdesign is real. Using all of the effects or even just using one of them for every element distracts from the message.
It also looks bad. Really bad.
Top Tip 7 - Simplicity is key
Just because these effects exist, doesn’t mean you have to use them.
Keep it simple.
Use one if it adds something to the design and accentuates the message.
Mistake 8. No instructions
What is the reason for your advert?
To show a cover? To get people to buy? To just share the news about your new book?
Some book adverts only use an image of the book cover and the words ‘out now’ or ‘out 18 July’.
But these book adverts usually meet the following criteria:
the author is already a household name or has a big following, and
the book will be available in most bookshops
Unless you’re a household name with books in every bookshop, you can’t afford to be vague.
Top Tip 8. A clear CTA
A CTA is a ‘call to action’. This is the action you want to reader to take.
Make your CTA crystal clear.
If the advert is a poster, tell people where they need to go to buy your book.
If the advert has a link, make it into a button people can press with the words ‘Buy Now’ on it.
The CTA comes after the main information, just as your audience is thinking ‘I want this. What do I do to get it?’
Place your CTA close to the book title or near the bottom right of the main message.
After: A book advert using all the 8 top tips. Oh, we should buy the book and maybe visit the website. Cool.
Top Tips for good design
Overdesigning means your audience has to look past the fancy styles, fonts, colours and copy to get to the message.
The location and type of advert also have an impact on what you should include - or leave out.
Save your potential customer time and increase your chances of making sales by following these 8 design top tips:
Keep on message
Words - clear and brief
Balance and Flow
Avoid all CAPS
Limit typefaces and utilise fonts
Use colour theory
Simplicity is key
A clear Call To Action
This guide will help you avoid making some basic graphic design mistakes.
If you’re looking for more ways to promote your book, you can read 5 simple ways to promote a book using tips from Tinder.
And if you don’t have the time to create promotional material yourself, I can help.
Mary Wyrd offers virtual assistant and copywriter services for creatives and indie businesses.