Creative ideas and effective newspaper advertising design all start as a concept. Putting pencil to paper helps you sketch out your ideas and makes it easy to communicate with the client and finally the graphic designer.
A simple and easy way to approach newspaper advertising is to use the AIDA formula which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
But to break down a newspaper advertising design even further can help save you time in during the initial planning phase of the concept.
Types of Newspaper Advertising
What type of newspaper ad are you creating? Is it an event ad, a sales ad, an image ad, or an item & price ad? Since this article is focused on display ads, we won’t cover classified ads in this article.
The Offer
The offer is probably the most important and difficult part of newspaper advertising design. What existing interest does the offer appeal to? What should customers do to respond to your offer?
The Ad Elements
What size and shape validate the offer and the physical characteristics of our products/service?: What size and shape allow us to make a complete sale?:
What will the tone of the ad be? Is it a serious tone, sophisticated, humorous or bold? Choose the right tone to help plan your ad concept.
What must the overall tone and image communicate to speak to the reader’s lifestyle, and aspirations?
Layout
List how the elements including the signal image, headline, body copy etc., and how to best organize them to direct the readers’ eye.
Signal Image
What is the subject of the photo/illustration? What photo will you use to communicate the offer? What story is the image going to tell? What emotion will the image elicit?
Headline
What keywords will communicate the offer at a glance? What are the first few words that will grab the reader?
Body Copy
What are the clear benefits you want your ad to convey? What active verbs describe the benefits and features? An old saying in the ad world is “one ad, one message”. Don’t try to squeeze everything into an ad. The ad needs to stop the reader and inform them just enough to take the next action.
Initial Newspaper Ad Concept
Sketching out a draft advertisement helps you worth with the available space. Map out the headline and body copy, and drop in the signal image to grab attention. Don’t forget to include the offer.
Roughout a few sketches until you’ve got all the essential elements. Snap a photo of your draft and send it to your designer. You’ll be amazed on how a good designer will bring your ad to life.
Final Newspaper Ad Design
Before and After: From Concept to Creation Newspaper Advertisement Example
