Design and Production

Part 4: Effective Advertising Messages Chapter 14

Chapter Outline
I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. Chapter Key Points Visual Communication Print Art Direction Print Production Television Art Direction Broadcast Production Effective Web Design
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Key Points
Explain how visual impact is created in advertising List the principles of layout and explain how design is affected by media requirements Describe how art and color are reproduced Explain how the art director creates TV commercials Identify the critical steps in planning and producing broadcast commercials Summarize the techniques of Web design
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Visual Communication

Visuals normally work together with words to present the creative concept. Words and pictures accomplish different message effects Six key reasons for the effective use of visuals in advertising 1. Grab attention 2. Stick in memory 3. Cement belief 4. Tell interesting stories 5. Communicate quickly 6. Anchor associations

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Visual Communication
Visual impact
A picture in a print ad captures more than twice as many readers as a headline does
Initial attention is more likely to turn into sustained interest Ads with pictures also tend to pull more readers into the body copy Recall value The Bigger the Better

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Visual Communication
Role of The Art Director
In charge of the visual look, how it communicates mood, product qualities, and psychological appeal of the message
Most difficult challenge is transforming a concept into words and pictures Art directors are involved in designing a brand or corporate logo, as well as merchandizing materials, store or corporate office interiors, and other aspects of a brands visual presentation, such as shopping bags, delivery trucks, and uniforms

During the brainstorming process, creatives are engaged in visualization, which means they are imagining what the finished ad might look like..
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Print Art Direction: Art Directors Toolkit

Illustrations and Photos Photos (credibility factor )
The authenticity of photography makes it powerful, people feel that pictures dont lie

Color Attracts attention Provides realism Establishes moods Builds brand identity
Full Color Black & white Spot color
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Illustrations
Illustrations eliminate many details of a photo Ideal for fantasy

Typography
The appearance of the ads printed matter in terms of the style and size of typefaces Good typesetting does not call attention to itself because its primary role is functional. Type also has an aesthetic role,

Justification Justified type

Flush right Flush left Center aligned

Type selection can contribute to the impact and mood of the message Font family Basic set of letters in a particular typeface
Serif (pg 393) (end stroke has little flourish) Sans serif (more block like)
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Typography

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Typography
Type Measurement Points (used for type face)
Smallest system of measurement units 72 points in 1 inch

Legibility How easy it is to perceive the letters All capitals etc

Picas (used for colums)

Bigger unit of measurement 6 picas in 1 inch
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Layout and Design

Layout
A plan that imposes order and creates an arrangement that is aesthetically pleasing

Common Ad Layouts Picture window All art pg 388 Panel or grid Dominant type or all copy pg 391 Circus Nonlinear Grunge pg 392
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Layout and Design

Common Ad Layouts
Picture window: One of the most common layout formats is one with a single,
dominant visual that occupies about 60 to 70 percent of the ads space. Underneath it is a headline and a copy block. The logo or signature signs off the message at the bottom. All art: The art fills the frame of the ad and the copy is embedded in the picture.

Panel or grid: A layout that uses a number of visuals of matched or proportional sizes. If there are multiple panels all of the same size, the layout can look like a window pane or comic strip panel.
Dominant type or all copy: Occasionally, you will see layouts that emphasize the type rather than the art or even an all-copy advertisement in which the headline is treated as type art. A copy-dominant ad may have art, but it is either embedded in the copy or placed in a subordinate position, such as at the bottom of the layout. Circus: A layout that combines lots of elementsart, type, colorto deliberately create a busy, jumbled image. This is typical of some discount-store ads or ads for local retailers, such as tire companies.
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Layout and Design

Common Ad Layouts
Nonlinear: A contemporary style of layout that can be read starting at any point in the image. In other words, the direction of viewing is not ordered. This style of ad layout works for young people who are more accustomed to nonlinear forms; they are not as effective for older generations.
Grunge: A style of layout that shows what is presumed to be a Generation Xinspired lack of concern for the formalities of art, design, type styles, and legibility

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Design Principles
The design of an ad has both functional and aesthetic needs. The functional side of a layout makes the message easy to perceive; the aesthetic side makes it attractive and pleasing to the eye.
the

Common Design Principles Direction Dominance Unity White space Contrast Balance Proportion Simplify & simplify
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Design Principles
Common Principles Direction: By definition there can be only one dominant elementone
focal pointand everything else must be subordinate.

Dominance: One focal Point Unity: Keep things together that go together. White space or Negative spaces: either to frame an element or
seperate

Contrast: Makes one element stand out from another Balance: When artists decide where to place an element, they are
manipulating balance

Proportion:Copy and art should be proportionately different. Usually,

the art dominates and covers two-thirds to three-fifths of the page area

Simplify, simplify, simplify: Less is More, Clutter is the 14 - 15

Opposite of simplicity

Layout Stages pg 397

Thumbnail sketches: quick sketches Rough layouts: shows where design elements go Semicomps and comprehensives: presented to the
client

Mechanicals: elements in their final position, ready for

reproduction

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Print Production
Different media have different demands on design, production & cost Newsprint not a good surface for reproducing fine details(color may not come out right) Excellent photographic and color reproduction differentiate magazines from newspapers Tips to Designers for Enhancement Graphics Size Colors Figure/ground Typography Product identification Shape Motion
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Print Production
Newspapers are printed at high speed on an inexpensive, roughsurfaced, spongy paper called newsprint that quickly absorbs ink on contact. Newsprint is not a great surface for reproducing fine details, especially color photographs and delicate typefaces. Most newspapers offer color to advertisers, but because of the limitations of the printing process, the color may not be perfectly in registration (aligned exactly with the image). Magazines have traditionally led the way in graphic improvements because their paper is better than newsprint. Excellent photographic and color reproduction is the big difference between newspapers and magazines. Magazine advertisements are also turning to more creative, attention-getting devices, such as pop-up visuals, scent strips, and computer chips that play melodies when the pages are opened.
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Tips for Poster and Outdoor

Tips for Designers Graphics Size Colors Figure/ground Typography Product identification Extensions Shape Motion The key to an effective poster or outdoor board is a dominant visual with minimal copy Billboards must make a quick and lasting impression from far away so their layout should be compact with a simple visual path.
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Television Art Direction

Excitement and drama in a television ad are created through the moving images Visual storytelling is important, even for abstract visual concepts Visual storytelling is another responsibility of the art director Video Graphics Stock footage Crawl (computer generated letters) Morphing (one object gradually changes into another)

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Television Production Requirements & Important Consideration

The length of a TV commercial is important in its design

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Steps in the Production Process

The producer oversees the production on behalf of the agency and client and is responsible for the budget, among other things The director takes the art directors storyboard and makes it come to life on film Steps in the Production Process
Message design Preproduction Shoot Post production
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Message Design
The first part of the production process is to get client approval on an advertising strategy, choose the message format, create a key frame, write the script, storyboard the action and scenes, and get client approval of the script and storyboard.

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Pre - Production Process

The producer and staff first develop a set of production notes, describing in detail every aspect of the production. These notes are important for finding talent and locations, building sets, and getting bids and estimates from specialists. Once the bids for production have been approved, the creative team and the producer, director, and other key players hold a preproduction meeting to outline every step of the production process and anticipate every problem that may arise. Then the work begins.
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The Shoot
The film crew includes a number of technicians all of whom report to the director. For both film and video recording, the camera operators are the key technicians. Other technicians include the gaffer, who is the chief electrician, and the grip, who moves props and sets and lays tracks for the dolly on which the camera is mounted. If the sound is being recorded at the time of shooting, a mixerwho operates the recording equipmentand a mike or boom personwho sets up the microphoneshandle the recording on the set. The director shoots the commercial scene by scene, but not necessarily in the order set down in the script. Each scene is shot, called a take, and all the scenes in the storyboard are then assembled through editing. Film has to be processed before the director can review it. These processed scenes are called dailies. Rushes are rough versions of the commercial assembled from cuts of the raw film footage. The director and the agency creative team view them immediately after the shoot to make sure everythings been filmed as planned. 14 - 25

Post - Production Process

For film and video, much of the work happens after the shoot in postproductionwhen the commercial begins to emerge from the hands and mind of the editor. The objective of editing is to assemble the various pieces of film into a sequence that follows the storyboard. The postproduction process is hugely important in video because so many digital effects are being added to the raw film. Another goal of video editing is to manipulate time, which is a common technique used in commercial storytelling. The result of the editors initial work is a rough cut, a preliminary edited version of the story that is created when the editor chooses the best shots and assembles them to create a scene. The editor then joins the scenes together. After the revision and reediting are completed, the editor makes an interlock, which means the audio and film are assembled together. The final version with the sound and film mixed together is called an answer print. The answer print is the final version printed onto a piece of film. For the commercial to air on hundreds of stations around the country, the agency has to make duplicate copiesa process called dubbing. The dubbed copies are called release prints and are usually in video form.
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Broadcast Production
The producer and director are the core of the production team. The commercials effectiveness depends on their shared vision of the final commercial and the directors ability to bring it to life as the art director imagined it.

The TV Production Process is usually followed by Big Productions for Big Companies Preproduction The shoot Postproduction
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Effective Web Design

Web design includes creating ads that run on the Web as well as the Website itself. Banner ads are designed more like outdoor than conventional print ads Web pages for websites should follow the same layout rules as posters Web pages can combine elements and design styles from many different media

Action and Interaction Web advertisers are continuing to find ways to make the imagery more engaging Sites should have clear navigation Avoid Clutter

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