What two things did you know about the chapter’s subject before reading the text?
Before reading the text, I knew about print advertising and design and layout. Design is the plan behind the aesthetic and stylish features of print advertisements. It ensures that beauty is achieved in an interactive ad. It is the design that governs how a print advertisement should be prepared. The design should be in balance, and the proportion within the ad should please the viewer. Besides, the components within the ad should entail an ordered and directional pattern. Furthermore, a design should have a unifying element, with one force being emphasized above the others.
The layout emphasizes the structural concepts behind a printed advertisement. It highlights the various alternatives and a visual presentation and the eventual development of a print ad in its final stage. The art directors usually use thumbnails, rough layout, and comprehensive. Thumbnails are the initial draft for an ad layout. The director produces various sketches to help bring out the creative concept. It represents the placement of elements like images, headlines, taglines, and body copy. The next step is the rough layout, which is done in the proposed programs’ actual size. It enables the director to experiment with various headlines fonts and manipulate the placement. Lastly, the comprehensive layout is polished but not the final version. At this phase, the last headline is put. Also, the images and illustrations to be used are digitalized and placed in the ad. The client has to approve before its send to the printer.
Two new things learned from this chapter?
The new things learned from this chapter is copywriting and Typography in print production.
Copywriting
Copywriting refers to the process of crafting a brand’s meaning through words. It calls for more than the ability to coin a product description and combining it with other ideas to create something appealing. Effective copywriters have to be creative, talented, and well informed. A copywriter will blend consumers’ behavior with advertising strategies to develop assertive communication to convey the message. Some advertisers go to larger extends of providing copywriters with information and the objectives of the project. Sometimes, copywriters are left without any guidance or direction; hence, they rely on their intuition to create a meaningful ad. Therefore, the creative brief acts as the guideline that helps copywriters specify the message elements, brand claims, special creative needs, and the media.
When designing a copy for a print ad, the primary step is deciding how to use or not to use the three separate components of a body copy. First of all, the headline, which appears at the top or bottom of the ad, is the leading sentence that draws attention and communicates the idea. Lifeless headlines cannot motivate the reader to move on to the rest of the advert. For instance, some ads are solely carried by the headline. The second element is the subhead that few words that appear above or below the headline. It serves a similar purpose as the headline since it communicates the key selling points about a brand.
In most cases, a subhead is lengthier than the headline, and it gives further selling points. Lastly, the body copy, which is the textual component of an ad, provides a complete story about the brand. A compelling body copy has to include a subhead that that blends with the visuals to make it more attractive to the reader. Body copies that rely on dialogue that delivers the selling message in the ad. The narrative technique displays a series of statements about a product.
Relative to the print media, the television and video present different challenges for copywriters. Television copies have to be highly sensitive to the visual aspects. For a compelling television copy, the copywriter should allow the ad’s video part to improve and embellish the audio portion. Also, there is a need to support the video and coordinate it with the audio. Also, the ad should sell the brand and entertain the audience. The copywriter should also consider how the advert will play in the small format on social media spots and mobile devices.
Furthermore, the copy should be used judiciously. This is because of too wordy television ads lea to information overload that interferes with a visual impact. Lastly, the ad should reflect the brand image and personality.
Copywriting for radio and podcast advertising requires creativity. Since radio is restricted to the audio-only presentation, the copywriter has to create images in the listener’s mind. A compelling radio copy should capture the listener’s attention and get to the point early. This is because the first five seconds of the ad can capture or lose the listeners’ attention. Besides, it should use standard and familiar language easily understood and recognized by the receiver. They should also use short words and sentences to make it easier for them to follow the copy. Besides, the copy should stimulate imagination by creating stimulating images in the mind of the receiver. Lastly, the copy should stress the key selling points that greatly hold the listeners’ atteincrediblyCopywriting for digital and interactive media are hybrids between print and broadcastings ads. Receivers encounter these ads on social media platforms. Besides, the message can be delivered electronically. There are various approaches to copywriting. First, there is a long-copy landing page that is designed to sell products directly. There is a short-copy landing page where consumers can access what the brand offers through key search words. A long-copy email is also tailored to provide the receivers with all types of incentives to purchase products. Besides, a teaser mail that drives reads to the long-copy landing page where they can place orders directly. Lastly, there is a pop-up ad that involuntarily shows up when someone is browsing.
Typography in print production
The issues linked to typography have to do with the typeface for the chosen headlines, subheads, and body copy. Most designers agonize over the type of print avert decision to make because their choices affect the readability and the mood of the ad. typefaces are grouped into script, roman, blackletter, sans serf miscellaneous. The blackletter is characterized by ornate designs of the letters, while Roman is the most used font. The presence of these designs helps the readers to move their eyes across the ad. Besides, In an ad, readability is essential because it facilitates the communication process. Some recommendations to effective readability in an ad include using capitals in a lower case, using even spaces between letters and words, and running the type lines horizontally.
Two questions you still have on the subject of the chapter?
How does Emphasis stimulate and enhance the creative effort in design layout?
What is the purpose of Unity in an advert, and how it t achieved?
Two other resources you have read on this topic
Illustration
The primary role of illustration is to attract the customers to the ad. The illustration is meant to communicate to and support other aver components to achieve the intended objective. An effective illustration displays the brand features and benefits. The brand image is projected through illustration, and it interacts with the brand imagery and colour tones. Just like a headline, illustration stimulates the reading of the body copy. For an effective, the illustration has to fully coordinate and play each other to create a stimulative copy reading.
Slogans/Taglines
Copywriters have to come up with appealing slogans for their products and services. In the print and television ads, slogans often make the headlines or subheads. Mostly, they appear below the company name. Effective slogans play a significant role in the firm. They become an integral part of the campaign. Besides, if a tagline is keenly and carefully developed, it becomes a useful tool for bringing out the ad’s theme.