WEEK 1
A Brief History of Graphic Design
As we go through our day, we encounter a load of messages. Some social. Some political. Others just try to sell us something. The average person is exposed to thousands of messages each day. Many studies cite we are bombarded with 2000 – 3000+ per day in the form of signage, advertisements, articles, web pages, marketing materials, packaging, even the money we use to buy all the stuff that’s designed to sell. It’s a lot of information and information that someone designed. Some do a better job than others, but they were designed, nonetheless.
As we go through our day, we encounter a load of messages. Some social. Some political. Others just try to sell us something. The average person is exposed to thousands of messages each day. Many studies cite we are bombarded with 2000 – 3000+ per day in the form of signage, advertisements, articles, web pages, marketing materials, packaging, even the money we use to buy all the stuff that’s designed to sell. It’s a lot of information and information that someone designed. Some do a better job than others, but they were designed, nonetheless.
Advertising design refers to the creation and organization of visual artwork used in advertisements (ads) for products and services. The designs used in advertising are created by graphic designers, and advertising agencies as well as the advertising departments of corporations employ these professionals to create and execute brochures, direct mail, web ads, and print ads. The design elements used include fancy lettering, borders, cartoons, illustrations, and photographs. The main difference between ad design and regular mainstream artwork is that advertising art must be designed to reach and compel the target audience to purchase products and services.
People who design advertising are not only talented in the art of creative design, they understand marketing and how to promote products and services through visual communication. Whereas a freelance fine artist may work on one creative piece of artwork for months, a graphic designer must constantly keep generating original pieces to meet campaign deadlines. Examples are all around, and include the banner ads on websites as well as newspaper ads for products such as shoes and watches. Graphic designers also create logos and symbols used in advertising to help inspire consumers to develop brand recognition, such as McDonald’s® golden arches.
People who design advertising are not only talented in the art of creative design, they understand marketing and how to promote products and services through visual communication. Whereas a freelance fine artist may work on one creative piece of artwork for months, a graphic designer must constantly keep generating original pieces to meet campaign deadlines. Examples are all around, and include the banner ads on websites as well as newspaper ads for products such as shoes and watches. Graphic designers also create logos and symbols used in advertising to help inspire consumers to develop brand recognition, such as McDonald’s® golden arches.
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THE 7 ELEMENTS OF GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN
The Elements of Good Graphic Design are the components or parts of a work of art or design. More simply put, they are the ingredients of art. Take one part color, a pinch of texture, and a whole lot of shape and the result will be some well designed graphic design.
Recipes may vary, but all works of art and design contain a combination of the following seven elements shown in this infographic:
The Elements of Good Graphic Design are the components or parts of a work of art or design. More simply put, they are the ingredients of art. Take one part color, a pinch of texture, and a whole lot of shape and the result will be some well designed graphic design.
Recipes may vary, but all works of art and design contain a combination of the following seven elements shown in this infographic:
LINE:Lines, in graphic design, can be used for a wide range of purposes: stressing a word orphrase, connecting content, creating patterns and more.
COLOUR:Colour is used to generate emotions, define importance, create visual interest and unify branding. See our post on Colour Psychology for more detail.
TEXTURE:Texture relates to the surface of an object. Using texture in graphic design adds depth and visual interest. This can be applied graphically in the form of pattern or through the choice of printable surface.
SIZE:In graphic design, size is used to convey importance, attract attention and create contrast.
SHAPE:The three basic shape types are Geometric (Circles, Squares, Triangles etc.), Natural (leaves, trees, people etc.) and abstract (icons, stylisations and graphic representations). Use carefully to create a visually pleasing design and eye-catching design.SPACE:A vital part of any good graphic design, Space is the area around the elements in a design. It can be used to separate or group information. Use it effectively to give the eye a rest, define importance and lead the eye to where you want it to travel.
VALUE:Value is how light or dark an area looks in a design. It is everything from the darkest of blacks through to the brightest of whites. Used correctly it will create depth, contrast and emphasis.
COLOUR:Colour is used to generate emotions, define importance, create visual interest and unify branding. See our post on Colour Psychology for more detail.
TEXTURE:Texture relates to the surface of an object. Using texture in graphic design adds depth and visual interest. This can be applied graphically in the form of pattern or through the choice of printable surface.
SIZE:In graphic design, size is used to convey importance, attract attention and create contrast.
SHAPE:The three basic shape types are Geometric (Circles, Squares, Triangles etc.), Natural (leaves, trees, people etc.) and abstract (icons, stylisations and graphic representations). Use carefully to create a visually pleasing design and eye-catching design.SPACE:A vital part of any good graphic design, Space is the area around the elements in a design. It can be used to separate or group information. Use it effectively to give the eye a rest, define importance and lead the eye to where you want it to travel.
VALUE:Value is how light or dark an area looks in a design. It is everything from the darkest of blacks through to the brightest of whites. Used correctly it will create depth, contrast and emphasis.
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Weekly Reading Material
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| what_is_graphic_design.pdf |
WEEK 2
Advertising Campaign Strategies
For many businesses, a successful advertising campaign can mean significant increases in sales and profits. As you develop an ad strategy, start by gathering a comprehensive body of knowledge about your target audience; armed with that information, you can better design a campaign that will appeal to their emotions and desires.
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Emotional Appeals
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Ideal Lifestyle
- To make a person want to buy a product, you can use people and activities that represent your target audience's ideal lifestyle. Upon watching, hearing, or reading your advertisement, potential customers must be left with the sense that people who are using your products or services have the kind of jobs, family, and income they want. This creates a desire in the minds of your customers, as part of them believes that if they purchase your company's product, they will be one step closer to their dreams.
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Celebrities
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Feel-Good
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What Is the Difference Between Advertising & Promotion
Many small businesses lump advertising and promotion under the same expense category, giving both functions to the same manager. Advertising generally refers to controlled, paid messages in the media, while promotion includes paid and free marketing activities, such as sales or sponsorships. Until your business is large enough to have both departments, consider putting advertising and promotion, along with public relations, under the direction of a marketing person.
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Advertising
In its narrowest sense, advertising refers to messages you send to the public via newspaper and magazine displays, billboards, TV and radio commercials and website banners to inform and raising awareness, remind and maintain interest and sometime to generate instant result. You control the content and graphics and pay for space to display your message. The ads are meant to work graphically with the medium to make your message stand out, competing with articles, graphics, music, shows and other ads, called “clutter.” The more ads a medium has, the more “clutter” it contains and the less attractive it is. 
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Promotion
Promotion, more commonly referred to as promotions, is a method of announcing your product or service using more dynamic means you can more easily modify or change. Examples include coupons; sales; celebrity endorsements; event, team or league sponsorships; contests; rebates; free samples; catalogs; social media; donations; discount; loyalty incentives and direct mail. Unlike public relations, which is an attempt to get the media to promote your message at no cost, promotion is often an expense. A social media campaign is an example of a promotion that has no cost, other than staff time. 
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Targeting Customers
Advertising gives you a better chance to target specific customers, based on the fact that media outlets usually have specific reader, visitor, viewer or listener demographics you can review. Business that sell advertising usually provide potential advertisers with a media kit that contains the medium’s overall circulation or audience number and a breakdown by such factors as gender, ethnicity, age, marital and parental status, education and income level. With promotions, you can’t predict who will see your message as well as when you buy advertising. For example, if you want to target women age 25 to 45, you can improve your chances of reaching them if you sponsor a women’s 5K race, but you won’t know for sure until you see the signups. You also won’t know the makeup of the spectators. If you offer a coupon, trade laws might not let you offer a special price for women age 25 to 45, so your coupons might be used by a wide variety of men and women. When you ask customers to "like you" on Facebook, for example, you don’t know who will see your message.
Brand Positioning
Brand positioning refers to “target consumer’s” reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brand’s benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer.
To be noticed and interesting, however, a brand’s positioning must accomplish three things.
It must
Be DifferentYou can’t attract a loyal following if nobody notices you. So if you are serious about developing a powerful brand, your first order of business is to make sure you stick out from your competition. Sure, there’s more to a brand than being different, but if your business blends into the background noise, it’s lost from the start.
You see, people today are faced with a dizzying array of choices. Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap and Zag, writes: “An over-abundance of look-alike products and me-too services is forcing customers to search for something, anything, to help them separate the winners from the clutter.”
It’s possible, of course, to take differentiation too far. Just because everyone in your law firm dresses up like clowns doesn’t mean people want to be represented by Bozo in court. But the line between memorable and outrageous isn’t always perfectly clear. Twenty-five years ago, who would have thought that companies with names like Google, Virgin, and Amazon would become iconic global brands?
Differentiation provides needed contrast and helps people make choices. It’s what makes a successful brand unique. So stand tall—and make it easy for prospects to choose you!
Here are just a few ways your firm might set itself apart:
Be FocusedWhen we have a problem that we can’t fix ourselves, we reach out to specialists. Specialists cost a little more than generalists, but many people are willing to pay a premium for their expertise.
A majority of service businesses today, however, take the opposite tack. Instead of narrowing their expertise, many companies expand their service offerings in hopes of broadening their reach and attracting more customers. The problem with this approach is that lack of focus means you have more competition — which leads to commoditization. Once your services are considered a commodity, your prestige and margins will suffer. To counter this tendency, find a niche and not only will qualified customers seek you out, they’ll be willing to pay more for your services.
By definition, focus requires sacrifice. You have to narrow your appeal. But the payoff is far greater engagement within your target audience and the potential to charge higher fees.
Here are a few common ways your firm could build focus:
Be RelevantIf you aren’t relevant, you aren’t in business. A company can be highly differentiated and specialized, but if few people actually want its services, the company won’t make any money.
Before you commit to a new direction, test the waters and find out if there is sufficient interest in your specialty. You may find that the niche you are considering is simply too small to support your expenses, much less your growth ambitions!
Can a company survive without positioning? Absolutely. In fact, the majority of businesses eke out a modest existence. But branding isn’t about survival, it’s about “thrive-al”—creating a lasting emotional connection with customers that fuels reputation, visibility, and growth. And brand positioning is where it all starts. Establish great positioning, and your business will have the stored energy it needs to grow and flourish.
4 Keys to a Powerful Position
Advertising gives you a better chance to target specific customers, based on the fact that media outlets usually have specific reader, visitor, viewer or listener demographics you can review. Business that sell advertising usually provide potential advertisers with a media kit that contains the medium’s overall circulation or audience number and a breakdown by such factors as gender, ethnicity, age, marital and parental status, education and income level. With promotions, you can’t predict who will see your message as well as when you buy advertising. For example, if you want to target women age 25 to 45, you can improve your chances of reaching them if you sponsor a women’s 5K race, but you won’t know for sure until you see the signups. You also won’t know the makeup of the spectators. If you offer a coupon, trade laws might not let you offer a special price for women age 25 to 45, so your coupons might be used by a wide variety of men and women. When you ask customers to "like you" on Facebook, for example, you don’t know who will see your message.
Brand Positioning
Brand positioning refers to “target consumer’s” reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brand’s benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer.
To be noticed and interesting, however, a brand’s positioning must accomplish three things.
It must
- Be different
- Be focused
- Be relevant
Be DifferentYou can’t attract a loyal following if nobody notices you. So if you are serious about developing a powerful brand, your first order of business is to make sure you stick out from your competition. Sure, there’s more to a brand than being different, but if your business blends into the background noise, it’s lost from the start.
You see, people today are faced with a dizzying array of choices. Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap and Zag, writes: “An over-abundance of look-alike products and me-too services is forcing customers to search for something, anything, to help them separate the winners from the clutter.”
It’s possible, of course, to take differentiation too far. Just because everyone in your law firm dresses up like clowns doesn’t mean people want to be represented by Bozo in court. But the line between memorable and outrageous isn’t always perfectly clear. Twenty-five years ago, who would have thought that companies with names like Google, Virgin, and Amazon would become iconic global brands?
Differentiation provides needed contrast and helps people make choices. It’s what makes a successful brand unique. So stand tall—and make it easy for prospects to choose you!
Here are just a few ways your firm might set itself apart:
- Project a sense of personality
- Offer a unique business model
- Separate yourself from competitors visually
- Use fresh language to describe your firm and services
- Offer a truly unique technology or service
- Be the first or only firm to do something
- Change your name to something bold and memorable
Be FocusedWhen we have a problem that we can’t fix ourselves, we reach out to specialists. Specialists cost a little more than generalists, but many people are willing to pay a premium for their expertise.
A majority of service businesses today, however, take the opposite tack. Instead of narrowing their expertise, many companies expand their service offerings in hopes of broadening their reach and attracting more customers. The problem with this approach is that lack of focus means you have more competition — which leads to commoditization. Once your services are considered a commodity, your prestige and margins will suffer. To counter this tendency, find a niche and not only will qualified customers seek you out, they’ll be willing to pay more for your services.
By definition, focus requires sacrifice. You have to narrow your appeal. But the payoff is far greater engagement within your target audience and the potential to charge higher fees.
Here are a few common ways your firm could build focus:
- Specialize in a specific industry
- Specialize in a service offering
- Concentrate on a specific role with your clients’ organizations
- Specialize in serving a client of a certain size
- Focus on a specific geographic area
Be RelevantIf you aren’t relevant, you aren’t in business. A company can be highly differentiated and specialized, but if few people actually want its services, the company won’t make any money.
Before you commit to a new direction, test the waters and find out if there is sufficient interest in your specialty. You may find that the niche you are considering is simply too small to support your expenses, much less your growth ambitions!
Can a company survive without positioning? Absolutely. In fact, the majority of businesses eke out a modest existence. But branding isn’t about survival, it’s about “thrive-al”—creating a lasting emotional connection with customers that fuels reputation, visibility, and growth. And brand positioning is where it all starts. Establish great positioning, and your business will have the stored energy it needs to grow and flourish.
4 Keys to a Powerful Position
- Find your niche. Are your competitors generalists or specialists? Do they stand out in any way? What opportunities exist for your company to create contrast and specialize? What does your company do better than anyone else?
- Talk to as many customers and prospects as possible to find out if your business focus is viable. Make sure there is demand for your services.
- Develop a brief, 1- or 2-sentence positioning statement that lays out what you do and what you stand for. Then ask yourself why a customer would care.
- Think of ways you can create cont
Weekly Reading Material
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Twenty ADS that shook the world
James Twitchell takes an in-depth look at the ads and ad campaigns—and their creators—that have most influenced our culture and marketplace in the twentieth century. P. T. Barnum’s creation of buzz, Pepsodent and the magic of the preemptive claim, Listerine introducing America to the scourge of halitosis, Nike’s “Just Do It,” Clairol’s “Does She or Doesn’t She?,” Leo Burnett’s invention of the Marlboro Man, Revlon’s Charlie Girl, Coke’s re-creation of Santa Claus, Absolut and the art world—these campaigns are the signposts of a century of consumerism, our modern canon understood, accepted, beloved, and hated the world over. |
WEEK 3
METHODS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
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Advertising is just one element of the marketing communication arsenal, which can be divided into the following areas:
ADVERTISING – A MASS MEDIA APPROACH TO PROMOTION
ADVERTISING – A MASS MEDIA APPROACH TO PROMOTION
- Outdoor
- Business directories
- Magazines / newspapers
- TV / cinema
- Radio
- Newsagent windows
- Coupons
- Discounts
- Competitions
- Loyalty incentives
- Press launches
- PR events
- Press releases
- Salesmen
- Experiential marketing
- Dealer or showroom sales activities
- Exhibitions
- Trade shows
- Mail order catalogues
- Bulk mail
- Personalised letters
- Telemarketing
- Point of sale displays
- Packaging design
- Company websites
- Social media applications such as Facebook or Twitter
- Blogging
- Mobile phone promotions using technology such as bluetooth
- YouTube
- E-commerce
WEEK 4
Brand Logo
To kick start your Advertising Campaign, you need to have a clear understanding of what developing a brand actually involves before you really get started. Your brand-development process should always follow these major steps:
To kick start your Advertising Campaign, you need to have a clear understanding of what developing a brand actually involves before you really get started. Your brand-development process should always follow these major steps:
- Decide what you’re going to brand.
Are you branding a product, a service, a company, or an individual? - Do your research.
First, find out everything there is to know about your market. Then, find out everything there is to know about your product or service. - Position your product or service.
Find and win a place for your offering in the marketplace and in consumers’ minds by providing unique solutions to problems or needs that aren’t already being addressed by competing products. - Write your brand definition.
Your brand definition describes what you offer, why you offer it, how your offering is different and better, what unique benefits your customers can count on, and what promise or set of promises you make to all who work with and buy from your business. - Develop your name, logo, and tagline.
Your name is the key that unlocks your brand image in your consumer’s mind. Your logo is the brandmark or symbol that serves as the face of your brand. Your tagline is the memorable phrase that provides consumers with a quick indication of your product, brand, and market position. - Launch your brand.
Your brand goes public when you unveil your name, logo, and slogan, and when you begin to tell your market the story of how your brand reflects what you stand for. - Manage, leverage, and protect your brand.
This is the “care and feeding” phase of the branding process; it’s the step that leads to a strong, healthy, resilient brand. Just like good parenting, good branding management can be summed up in a single word — consistency. - Realign your brand to keep it current.
Occasionally, you can (and should) change how your brand is presented. From time to time, you need to update your brand presentation (the face of your brand) to keep it relevant to the market in which it lives.
WEEK 5
DEVELOPING A LOGO & TRADEMARK
Much more than graphics, a new logo begins with your identity
Much more than graphics, a new logo begins with your identity
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Organizations, companies, products and services can and sometimes must assume a new identity. It’s called re-branding, and it’s one of several reasons groups concern themselves with developing new logos. You are require to create a new identities/logos when introducing new products or services or creating new events in your advertising & promotion campaign .
It’s the thought that counts
The steps listed below describe the creative process we use at Kleidon for logo development. These
steps can be done more or less thoroughly. For example, a logo for a one-time event might be
developed quickly, while a logo for the company itself should be done much more carefully.
One: Know thyself. Logos that are meant to last begin with in-depth conversations about
The steps listed below describe the creative process we use at Kleidon for logo development. These
steps can be done more or less thoroughly. For example, a logo for a one-time event might be
developed quickly, while a logo for the company itself should be done much more carefully.
One: Know thyself. Logos that are meant to last begin with in-depth conversations about
- Goals: What you want to achieve with the company or product
- Target: Who you sell to
- Price: The current and desired price positioning
- Personality: The company and/or product’s tone, attitude or spirit
- Meaning: History or symbols connected with the company or product category
- Equity: Customer or client recognition of the logo and the reputation it suggests
Two: Try these criteria. Logos are used wherever the company or product name appears, and
successful ones are very important. The Five Essential Elements of Effective Logo Design:
A good logo tells the corporate story in micro-form every day, creates a reputation, supports a price position, gives you the opportunity for powerful shorthand messaging and improves all other corporate communications.
successful ones are very important. The Five Essential Elements of Effective Logo Design:
- Simple- Simple logos are easily recognizable. You’d never mistake Apple’s apple for any other fruit, even when zipping past a billboard at 70 miles per hour.
- Memorable- A memorable logo springs to mind at the mere mention of the company name—or, sometimes, even the product. Who doesn’t picture the magnificent golden arches when they hear the words “French fries?”
- Timeless- Graphic designers, art directors, rebranding campaigns… these things cost money—something most small business owners would rather reinvest in their companies in other ways. Timeless logos last for decades. Just consider Coca-Cola’s elegant red script. The mark is virtually the same as it was in 1885.
- Versatile- The best logos, like the Nike swoosh, are equally fantastic in color, grayscale, black and white, or reverse print. They also work well at any size, whether printed on postcards, brochures, flyers, or billboards.
- Appropriate- The best logos “speak” to the appropriate audience, effortlessly melding color, font, and graphics to convey the essence of the brand. The Toys “R” Us logo evokes memories of childish fun, while the Harley-Davidson mark channels a sense of cool.
A good logo tells the corporate story in micro-form every day, creates a reputation, supports a price position, gives you the opportunity for powerful shorthand messaging and improves all other corporate communications.
When is the right time for a company rebranding?
On the other hand, there are plenty of ripe occasions for rebranding a company. Here are a few:
- Your target market doesn’t “get” your brand. The owner of Accent Inns was crushed when a focus group told her customers thought they were an “American, bottom-of-the-barrel budget motel line,” rather than the affordable, high quality, socially responsible, locally owned and cool image they wished to portray.
- You’ve changed or expanded your product offerings. Your design elements must reflect what you wish to promote and sell. Otherwise, what good is marketing at all? If you have the nagging feeling that your look is outdated, then it might be time for an image overhaul.
- Your logo doesn’t stand out. Sometimes you hire the wrong designer and end up with a bland, generic image that looks like everyone else in your field. You should have a look that’s memorable.
Each logo has a rich meaning at its core, and represents some aspect of the effort to make sustainable living common place. For each of logo below, do a research on what the message they try to deliver to their customer.
Weekly Reading Material
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WEEK 6
Product Logo Presentation
WEEK 7
International Language: The Emergence of Icons and Pictograms
Symbols and pictograms have been used since the beginning of history, in every stage of the evolution of the many forms of human communication, from the use of visual signs and figures to convey the meaning of concepts, words and sounds, to the development of spoken language to writing. As a communication form, pictograms have maintained their varied functions which have now become more useful as the demand for quick communication has grown.
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What do we mean when we say “pictograms”
A pictogram or pictograph is a sign that represents a symbol, a real object or a figure in a schematic way. With this term we identify written symbols that belong to logo-graphic writing systems, which were originally based on ideograms. This kind of signs is created in order to draw attention to something using images instead of language or words; those images must be quickly and clearly recognized and understood. |
“I always liked the fact that in pictograms with very little you can say so much. How with one line you can make something with character. Creation of icons and pictograms is not easy, because it is far more difficult to make something meaningful with few elements, than to make something with a lot of detail. This is a problem that I as a designer have to solve.” –Sergey Punchev
As we are coming out of an era based mostly on written culture we are now entering into a new environment, dominated by audio and visual experiences: the traditional rules of communication are changing.
Pictograms become a useful tool when a message needs to be transmitted and understood independently of words, writing, language and culture. Anyway, it’s important to know that pictograms can’t be instinctively learned and understood by natural means: it depends on an agreement between the sender and the receiver.
Nowadays, pictograms are used as pictorial symbols whose objective is to report and inform: a practical example could be diagrams that represents statistical data by pictorial forms.
Pictograms become a useful tool when a message needs to be transmitted and understood independently of words, writing, language and culture. Anyway, it’s important to know that pictograms can’t be instinctively learned and understood by natural means: it depends on an agreement between the sender and the receiver.
Nowadays, pictograms are used as pictorial symbols whose objective is to report and inform: a practical example could be diagrams that represents statistical data by pictorial forms.
A brief history of pictograms
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Even if pictograms are a modern invention, the first written symbols are considered as pictorial representations of objects: in fact, the use of this pictorial signs has expanded throughout the course of human history.
Nowadays, pictograms are used in all sorts of environments, from road signage to laundry instructions, in instructional graphics and modern technologies. It’s interesting to notice that many of the common pictographs transcend cultures to become international symbols. In fact, the international standard ISO 7001 (International Standardisation Organisation) defined the DOT pictogram set in the Seventies already. |
The main difference between other visual representations and pictographs is that they are intended to be a standard, completely independent of their context.
Companies like Toyota and Phillips were the early adopters of pictographs; they came into general use around the Seventies.
But, to trace a comprehensive line of time for pictographic symbols we should go back to prehistoric rock paintings and petroglyphs.
Pictographs were used all over the world since 9,000 BC and became popular around 4,000 years later, when they began to develop into logo-graphic writing systems. But the first pictorial signs appeared in 30,000 BC, in the form of cave paintings.
Companies like Toyota and Phillips were the early adopters of pictographs; they came into general use around the Seventies.
But, to trace a comprehensive line of time for pictographic symbols we should go back to prehistoric rock paintings and petroglyphs.
Pictographs were used all over the world since 9,000 BC and became popular around 4,000 years later, when they began to develop into logo-graphic writing systems. But the first pictorial signs appeared in 30,000 BC, in the form of cave paintings.
Painting from the Magura cave, located in the Northwest of Bulgaria. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The earliest forms of Mesopotamian language of cuneiform, the Egyptian hieroglyphs as well as Japanese pictograms and Mayan glyphs marked a major advancement in the development of culture as they have contributed to the idea of icons and pictograms.
Kanji Pictographix was a project by Michael Rowley. His visuals matched the shape of kanji, thus conveying their meaning.
In the 12th century, new categories of pictorial signs emerged but, as hieroglyphs, they were not neutral because they didn’t fulfill the criteria of international symbolism. Three centuries later, the invention of the printing press gave birth to some pictorial signs that come close to our pictographs.
Because of all this influences now pictographs have developed in an incredibly efficient and simple way to represent and communicate ideas because they offer a clear and concrete explanation pointing to a simple fact.
Pictographs are easily recognized as every detail is removed to focus solely on the bare message. The context of pictograms plays an important role because it helps the viewer to comprehend its meaning.
In the 12th century, new categories of pictorial signs emerged but, as hieroglyphs, they were not neutral because they didn’t fulfill the criteria of international symbolism. Three centuries later, the invention of the printing press gave birth to some pictorial signs that come close to our pictographs.
Because of all this influences now pictographs have developed in an incredibly efficient and simple way to represent and communicate ideas because they offer a clear and concrete explanation pointing to a simple fact.
Pictographs are easily recognized as every detail is removed to focus solely on the bare message. The context of pictograms plays an important role because it helps the viewer to comprehend its meaning.
Weekly Reading Material
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WEEK 8
What are the main differences between signs, symbols and pictograms?
Signs and symbols can be defined as semiotic entities with different properties. A sign is given by the act – from who is trying to communicate – of denomination, designation and representation; a symbol, instead, is a visible representation of the reality that is commonly associated with a meaning previously accepted by society. A symbol may consist of real information that has been extracted from the environment and that is easy to recognize, or even by simple elements like forms and colors.
Signs and symbols transmit ideas: their close relationship with visual elements and their structural simplicity provides ease of perception that is essential when it comes to communicate.
Briefing Assignment 2 : Launching Ads Design Design
Class Exercise : Launching Ads Research
And what about icons?
In the field of information technology, icons are small pictograms used in graphical interfaces to assist users; they identify and represent an object, replacing it by its meaning or representation.
In the field of information technology, icons are small pictograms used in graphical interfaces to assist users; they identify and represent an object, replacing it by its meaning or representation.
A series of icons that go on the packaging of educational toys. Each icon refers to a different ability, which will be developed while the child plays with the toy.
Nowadays, icons can represent anything for users as they have a wide range of applications; some of them may be:
Nowadays, icons can represent anything for users as they have a wide range of applications; some of them may be:
- In modern operating systems applications are associated with an icon and the interactionwith this element is the standard method for launching the application itself.
- Within a program an icon can be used to represent an action.
- An icon can function as a link so it can be used in a website to connect the user to other pages or sites.
- Websites usually have their own icon, called favicon, which generally represents the logo of the site
WEEK 9
Introduction to MEDIA CHANNEL
In nature, evolution occurs most rapidly when competition for resources is intense. The same process is now occurring with promotional media. All traditional media channels are now saturated, and competition for consumer attention is intense. At the same time, the impact of any one medium is becoming diluted. There are many more TV and radio channels, consumer have the ability to skip adverts and free information is now much more accessible. As a result, companies are becoming increasingly innovative in their approach to communications and a host of new media channels have emerged. As a result, media choice is becoming a tricky task, which is why detailed segmentation is so important - it's no use starting a Twitter campaign if none of your target market are regular users of the site.
Highly targeted communications often lead to better results. You can usually expect a response rate of under 1% for a relatively generic mass mailing. However, personal letters to a handful of your most loyal customers would lead to a dramatically increased rate of return. When deciding which media to use consider the reach, frequency, media impact and what you can expect for your budget but most of all, ensure your target customer will see the message in the first place.
Media choice is a matter of compromise between volume of people versus the personalisation of the message.
Highly targeted communications often lead to better results. You can usually expect a response rate of under 1% for a relatively generic mass mailing. However, personal letters to a handful of your most loyal customers would lead to a dramatically increased rate of return. When deciding which media to use consider the reach, frequency, media impact and what you can expect for your budget but most of all, ensure your target customer will see the message in the first place.
Media choice is a matter of compromise between volume of people versus the personalisation of the message.
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ENSURING YOUR MESSAGE REFLECTS THE STAGES OF THE PURCHASING FUNNEL
Once you have made the audience aware of your brand, work doesn't stop there. The customer needs to be guided through the purchasing process. This means identifying the key stages in the customer journey and ensuring communications messages are personalised and relevant. |
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INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Once you have decided which media channel to concentrate on, the next step is to ensure an integrated approach is taken. Regardless of whether you are promoting a new product or raising awareness, it's important that all ads across all media work together towards a common goal by using similar messaging and 'look and feel'. An integrated approach can dramatically increase the effectiveness of any campaign and will help create your brand image.
Once you have decided which media channel to concentrate on, the next step is to ensure an integrated approach is taken. Regardless of whether you are promoting a new product or raising awareness, it's important that all ads across all media work together towards a common goal by using similar messaging and 'look and feel'. An integrated approach can dramatically increase the effectiveness of any campaign and will help create your brand image.
GETTING THE BEST RESPONSE
To get the best response from your target market, you need ensuring the message is relevant and clear – once you've managed to gain the valuable attention of your customer the last thing you want is for them to be confused about what you're saying. Determine the objectives of the advert and ensure these aims are addressed clearly. Think about the next steps you would like the audience to take, whether this is visiting a website, ringing a number, or being able to recall your brand when they are next in the shops.
To get the best response from your target market, you need ensuring the message is relevant and clear – once you've managed to gain the valuable attention of your customer the last thing you want is for them to be confused about what you're saying. Determine the objectives of the advert and ensure these aims are addressed clearly. Think about the next steps you would like the audience to take, whether this is visiting a website, ringing a number, or being able to recall your brand when they are next in the shops.
POSITIONING
Positioning is the process of developing an image for your company or product. This can be achieved partially through branding, but it's important to realise that all elements of the marketing mix combine to provide the full picture. You must ensure that all areas of your business live up to expectations in order to successfully position yourself in the way you hope. Positioning also considers the competition, and you need to explain why you are unique in the marketplace and better than the other products on the shelf
Positioning is the process of developing an image for your company or product. This can be achieved partially through branding, but it's important to realise that all elements of the marketing mix combine to provide the full picture. You must ensure that all areas of your business live up to expectations in order to successfully position yourself in the way you hope. Positioning also considers the competition, and you need to explain why you are unique in the marketplace and better than the other products on the shelf
BRANDING AND MESSAGING
Branding is a powerful tool for positioning your product. Branding is used on almost all customer facing elements of a product, from the packaging design to the style of writing used on posters. Every communication a customer received adds up to form a mental picture of your brand and can influence the price they are willing to pay for your products. This ability to charge more due to the positioning of your product is known as 'brand equity'. Your branding also needs to consider your unique selling points (USPs) and ensure these are easily recognised through your messaging – is your product the best value, longest lasting, sweetest smelling or fastest?
CORPORATE IDENTITY
A corporate identity is a useful tool to ensure that your branding is used in a consistent way throughout the company. This detailed document runs through almost every conceivable customer touch point and provides guidance on the presentation and style which should be used. This could include use of logos, colours, tag lines, uniform and the type of coffee to serve guests. A CI guide is particularly useful if any creative work it outsourced to agencies or freelancers or if you have many offices worldwide. The most powerful brands can be identified by many elements of their communications material, not just a by their logo or slogan and this is due to successful implementation of a recognisable corporate identity. Recognition is a key part of any purchase decision so a corporate identity should for a core element of your advertising strategy.
Branding is a powerful tool for positioning your product. Branding is used on almost all customer facing elements of a product, from the packaging design to the style of writing used on posters. Every communication a customer received adds up to form a mental picture of your brand and can influence the price they are willing to pay for your products. This ability to charge more due to the positioning of your product is known as 'brand equity'. Your branding also needs to consider your unique selling points (USPs) and ensure these are easily recognised through your messaging – is your product the best value, longest lasting, sweetest smelling or fastest?
CORPORATE IDENTITY
A corporate identity is a useful tool to ensure that your branding is used in a consistent way throughout the company. This detailed document runs through almost every conceivable customer touch point and provides guidance on the presentation and style which should be used. This could include use of logos, colours, tag lines, uniform and the type of coffee to serve guests. A CI guide is particularly useful if any creative work it outsourced to agencies or freelancers or if you have many offices worldwide. The most powerful brands can be identified by many elements of their communications material, not just a by their logo or slogan and this is due to successful implementation of a recognisable corporate identity. Recognition is a key part of any purchase decision so a corporate identity should for a core element of your advertising strategy.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADVERTISING MESSAGE
Once you have determined the positioning for your brand, it's time to develop the message in order to influence your target groups. Advertising objectives should be directly linked to your marketing plan, and tend to fit into the following generic categories:
- Inform - raising awareness of your brand & products, establishing a competitive advantage
- Persuade - generating an instant response (usually driving sales)
- Remind - to maintain interest and enthusiasm for a product or service
WEEK 10
Proposed Launching Ads Presentation
WEEK 11
Point-of-Purchase Marketing
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Point-of-purchase marketing, also known as POP marketing or marketing at retail, uses in-store displays and other last minute marketing ploys to influence the customer to choose a specific brand or to make an impulse buy.
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Advantages
Point-of-purchase marketing takes over when the customer is already in the store and ready to make a purchase. POP displays and marketing techniques draw attention to particular brands or special offers that create additional value or showcase the advantages of the product. This additional marketing has a large impact because it is in place at the very moment that the consumer is making a buying decision. Marketing messages by competitors may be marginalized by an effective POP marketing campaign.
Keep It Interesting
Point-of-purchase marketing displays must be attention catching and constantly evolving. Once the customer sees the same display for a few weeks, it becomes inefficient. Change the offer regularly, rearrange the display and keep it interesting. Quantity discounts and buy-one-get-one-free offers are a good example of offers that must be changed regularly to continue to influence customers. If the sale is regularly available, customers will not feel the urgency to buy additional items to get the discount.
Point-of-purchase marketing takes over when the customer is already in the store and ready to make a purchase. POP displays and marketing techniques draw attention to particular brands or special offers that create additional value or showcase the advantages of the product. This additional marketing has a large impact because it is in place at the very moment that the consumer is making a buying decision. Marketing messages by competitors may be marginalized by an effective POP marketing campaign.
Keep It Interesting
Point-of-purchase marketing displays must be attention catching and constantly evolving. Once the customer sees the same display for a few weeks, it becomes inefficient. Change the offer regularly, rearrange the display and keep it interesting. Quantity discounts and buy-one-get-one-free offers are a good example of offers that must be changed regularly to continue to influence customers. If the sale is regularly available, customers will not feel the urgency to buy additional items to get the discount.
WEEK 12
Assignment 2 - Launching Ads Final Review
WEEK 13
Final Presentation for complete Launching Ads Design
WEEK 14
Deadline for Launching Ads
