Why do some advertisements in a newspaper or magazine capture your attention, and others don’t?

The answer to that question is fairly simple – they adhere to a few best practices. 

• Effective ads have a clear purpose that matches the immediate needs of your business. Is your need for branding, to announce an event or sale, or create a call to action?
• Strong ads don’t try to do too much. This goes back to the first point about having a clear purpose for each ad and the elements you include in it. Trying to plug in a logo, website, phone number, tons of words and image can overwhelm the eyes to the point that a reader just skips your ad entirely.
• Keep text limited. Sometimes one strong sentence is all that’s needed. Read the words in your ad out loud to identify those that may be unnecessary.
• Don’t mix it up. Consider sticking to a single font for text and no more than two or three colors in your ad (not including photos. When possible, one of those colors should match a color in your logo.
• Choose a strong image. For your ad to look its best, you need to use high resolution versions of your logo and any images you want to include. Do not try to do a screen capture of a logo or picture, and make sure that any “free” stock imagery can really, truly be used without paying a royalty fee.
  
  Here is a visual example of the difference in quality between a high resolution and low resolution image:
  
  
• Follow the specs. Every publication has its own standards. For our print ads, we have the following specifications:
    - Primary ad image – 4” wide by 6” high (dimensions of image) at 300 dpi (resolution)
  
    - Secondary ad image – 2” wide by 3” high at 300 dpi

So how do you check a file size for an image? If you are using a PC, right click on the file before opening it. A menu will open; select Properties. A second menu will open; select Details. You’ll see a list that includes both the image size and its resolution. If the information doesn’t match the specs listed here, the image quality and size are likely not good enough for our needs.

You may also see the image’s dimensions listed as pixels. Here’s a pixel to image converter, but a rule of thumb is 1 inch = just under 100 pixels.

And if you follow the print specs, you’re digital ad will turn out fine, too.

Those are just a few tips for creating great print and digital ads, regardless of where you spend your advertising dollars and especially if you don’t have an in-house graphic designer. Of course, your account rep can help you focus in on the purpose of your ad and answer any of your questions.