6 examples of how is graphic design used in advertising

Did you know, on average, a person comes across 4,000 to 10,000 ads daily? 

Half of the time, we don’t even realize what we are looking at is an advertisement. That’s because of how is graphic design used in advertising. That’s because there are various advertising designs that you can use to promote your product or service to stand out from your competition. 

When you are exposed to such a vast number of ads daily, why is it that you don’t remember most of them, but a few stay with you for a long time? Well, it’s because some of the advertising designs are better than the rest, and they use techniques that ensure their ads are memorable. And today, we’ll discuss the 6 best advertising design examples and why they work.

Let’s start!

What is advertising design? 

The primary purpose of advertising design is to sell services and products. A brand uses various advertising techniques to send its message to consumers and become relatable. The advertising design is the artwork that is visual and created for advertisements specifically. 

Graphic design has become synonymous with advertising, and visual representations of products and services are essential for any brand to get its message across to the public. Still,  how is graphic design used in advertising?

How is graphic design used in advertising? 

In advertising, it’s all about attention. The infamous rule of three seconds is how long a person needs to look at an advertisement before receiving information about the product. This is where design works wonders. With the help of color combinations, illustrations, and other graphic design tools, ads can tell the buyer about the product’s benefits quickly and easily. 

Graphic design in advertising is both art and science. To effectively read an advertising message, the designer must consider the target audience’s needs, understand the peculiarities of color perception, and address the buyer’s emotional needs. 

Now, the simple answer to how is graphic design used in advertising is:

Since graphic design is a visual means of communication, graphic design techniques are essentially used in ads to present information in a way that is catchy, easy to understand, and creates a sense of desire for the product being displayed. 

That said, things other than graphic design make an advertisement good enough.

What makes a good ad?

Since we have already mentioned the importance of having an advertising design that impacts the people who watch it, we have to go over all the aspects that make an ad memorable.

Let’s look at some features that contribute to making a good ad. 

It should be relatable. 

One of the most vital parts of creating an advertisement is ensuring it is relatable to the audience. This relatability can be achieved by using people in your ads that represent your target audience and make them feel seen and heard.

Various renowned brands have had campaigns that are more inclusive of genders and races, which has helped them reach out to more people. When people see an ad they can relate to, their trust in your brand will automatically increase. 

It should be memorable.

There are numerous ways of making an advertisement memorable. Sometimes the ad is so annoying that it gets stuck in your head. Other times the ad touches your heart and makes you feel emotional, and it stays with you for a long time. 

Many emotional video advertisements don’t usually have a lot of focus on the brand and product itself. However, they still tie in the product they are advertising in one way or another. The ads that tug at your heartstrings have a strong message and tell a story that resonates with people.  

It should be easy to comprehend and understand

If you make a complicated advertisement that is challenging for people to understand, you will immediately lose their interest. People who get a clear message through your ad will better understand the product or service and acknowledge the brand story. 

Your ad should communicate with the audience so that there is no confusion in their minds. It should also be informative, and people should learn something new. A good advertisement will convey the message comprehensively and straightforwardly and catch people’s interest. 

Use it to gain the trust of your target audience.

When making an advertisement for your brand, you should always follow one rule: never lie. If you lie to your customers, you can never gain their trust. If your consumers don’t have confidence in your brand, you will never reach the goals you have set for your company. 

The one thing people will never tolerate in advertising is being lied to. It would help if you always were transparent in the ads you create for all the services and products. There is no need for you to make offers or promises that you cannot fulfill. You must ensure that your target audience is completely informed on all the aspects of your brand. When people know you are honest with your practices, they will trust you and become regular customers. 

Features of good advertising design 

Now that we know the makings of a good ad and how is graphic design used in advertising, we also need to get familiar with the features of advertising design that can help you create an excellent advertisement.

When designing an ad, you must focus on some things to ensure it catches your attention and makes a great impression. 

Alignment 

When designing an advertisement, you must ensure that the image or video is appropriately aligned. People looking at the photos should not feel confused trying to make sense of it. The ad should look comprehensive, and there should be a proper order that the audience can follow. 

Repetition

When we say repetition, we don’t only mean the catchphrase, logo, or slogans. Of course, every brand focuses on repeating these elements repeatedly because it will help your brand gain recognition. While coming up with the advertising design, you should also repeat the fonts, color schemes, layouts, etc., to ensure that people recognize you through these elements. 

Contrast 

Using contrast in your advertising design can help catch attention. To make the difference prominent, you can use bold shapes and colors. The distinction should be easy to spot, and people should distinguish between the two sets of information. The information you want people to retain should be more prominent and easily distinguishable from the rest of the advertisement. 

Balance

Good advertising design is well-balanced and feels informative and entertaining simultaneously. Making perfect use of symmetry and negative space can help your design achieve a more balanced feel. An excellent advertising design uses white space to allow all the primary information to stand out and grab attention. When your ad is balanced, it creates a sense of harmony and order. 

6 advertising design examples

There are numerous types of advertising designs, and you can catch attention using all of them. Let’s have a closer look at some of the most excellent advertising design examples and the techniques they use that help them succeed at connecting with their target audience. 

1. Direct mail advertising design example

When you think of direct mail advertisement, it might seem like an outdated idea. In reality, it is still one of the most effective ways of advertising. Although the world has become more digital, and people have started using emails for personal correspondence, we still check any mail we receive at home. 

One of the most innovative ideas for direct mail advertising was Green Belgium Mailing, an organization in Belgium for World Water Day. They sent out an advertisement to people regarding the importance of water in our daily lives. However, there was a catch; the message and information only appeared once the card came in contact with water. 

This example shows how exciting direct mail advertising can be if used properly. The technique works because it gets the message across in a not-boring manner and grabs people’s attention.  

2. Outdoor advertising design example 

Outdoor advertising is one of the most exciting ways of promoting your brand and products. It allows you to develop an advertising design that can be either interactive or something like a billboard that catches your attention and informs you as you travel across it. 

One of the best outdoor advertising design examples is when Ikea decorated the side of an apartment building to open its 30th store in France. The building was decorated like an apartment outside, using furniture and other household items, and a 9-meter high rock-climbing wall was created. This idea was brilliant and provided the consumers with an interactive experience. 

3. Print advertising design example

Just like direct mail, people often think print advertisements might be old-fashioned. This idea is not accurate at all. Print advertising designs are used for magazines, newspapers, and other places where you can place ads to grab people’s attention. 

Chupa Chups created one of the most exciting and fun examples of print advertising to promote their latest sugar-free lollipops. The print ad shows ants avoiding the candy in their way, and it was an interesting play on what we already know; ants love sugar. This ad works because it is a unique way of presenting information to us, focusing on the picture instead of words. 

4. Social media advertising design example 

Nowadays, social media advertising is one of the most popular ways of gaining recognition for your brand and products. Businesses can leverage various social media platforms to spread their message.

To promote their initiative and create awareness, the WWF Twitter account tweeted that they have selected 17 animal emojis they will be tweeting. Every interaction they get on a tweet containing the emojis will lead to them donating 10 cents towards the endangered species. WWF shared how much money people contributed to the cause, and this transparency made this campaign successful. 

5. Video advertising design example 

Video advertisements are the most impactful for grabbing attention and sending a message to the audience. A well-made video ad keeps the viewer invested and informs the customer about the brand and product. Although video ads have a higher cost of production, it pays off because they are the most popular advertisements and create the most impact on people.

Volvo came up with a series of short clips showing some thrilling stunts for their video advertisement campaign. These videos were shot beautifully, and Volvo trucks were used for every stunt. The videos were exciting and worked well because of how exciting they were. 

6. Display advertising design example 

Display ads are the most widespread form of advertisements, and you need to invest more in these types of ads. A display advertisement can be text, image, or video. You can place them on various apps and websites to help you reach most of your target audience. Display ads also have an excellent return on investment. 

This Lexus advertisement is a brilliant example of an eye-catching display ad. It immediately piques your interest, and people want to learn more about the brand and product. It is an interactive ad that urges you to click the link to find out more. This advertisement works because it is mysterious but not confusing. 

Review your advertising designs with GoVisually!

When coming up with a strategy on how is graphic design used in advertising, your collaboration and workflow need to be just as effective as you want your ads to be!

When your company’s marketing and advertising teams plan the next advertising campaign for you, they should always use digital proofing software to work seamlessly on the project and meet all deadlines. 

The leading, most advanced, and affordable software out there is GoVisually! 

The platform can help your team collaborate on all creative projects with ease. You can use it to cut down on the long email chains and communicate within the group on one platform to get feedback and revisions to your Ad designs and copies. 

It is incredibly excellent for the design team. You can receive feedback on your uploaded files and edit them in real-time with advanced communication tools, visual feedback and annotations, side-by-side comparisons, rotation and watermark features, and a one-click approval workflow.

Want to know more about GoVisually’s superpowers and how they work for your creative designs?

Book a Free demo with our experts and see the power unleash!