I have designed hundreds of pieces for our clients since joining The Beytin Agency. Here’s how the process usually works. After the you (the candidate) talk with Aaron or Kimberly and agree on a plan and messaging, the creative team gets a copy memo. From there, we create a design including original photos or stock images that fit the message and theme of the piece.
The next step is the client comment and editing phase. Sometimes we just have a difference in creative visions, and that’s to be expected. But there are some common design mistakes I see regularly that may be getting in the way of voters reading and remembering your message.
1. Bolding everything. If everything is bold, then nothing stands out. Be very selective about the words you want to emphasize. Our copywriters usually do this by putting key words and phrases into headlines or subheads.
2. Saying too much. People are busy. Being too wordy will cause your audience to tune out.
3. Using low quality images. Poor quality images or bad photography can sink your piece. When looking through photos to send to us, try to find the largest file size possible. Make sure the candidate is in focus and looking approachable.
4. Using all available white space. Think of negative space in a piece as the frame around a picture. It guides the eye through the piece. Cramming content onto every inch of your piece will make it unfocused and difficult to read.
5. Make my logo huge! Name ID is important, and that’s why we try to add it into as many headlines and subheads as possible. A normally sized logo will look more professional and credible.
As always, please bring any questions or concerns to our attention. We’re proud to be partners in this process.