8 design top tips and 8 mistakes to avoid
Do you have something to sell?
As with any product, be it a book, a bagel or a bungalow, you need people to know about it before you can sell it. You need to promote it.
There are three goals for any piece of promotion or advertising.
Goal 1: get attention
Goal 2: share information
Goal 3: elicit a response
And bad graphic design can get in the way of all three.
You could take a few years out to study graphic design and advertising. It’s rewarding. But you don’t have the time? I hear you. So let me walk you through some of the basics instead.
Before you design your advert, you need to know where it will go.
Location. Location. Location.
The location of the advert will impact what you want to include and what you want to leave out.
A print-based advert in a magazine can have more copy (words) because the reader is spending more time with the material. You can give your audience the opportunity to read and learn more.
But a billboard advert should have less copy (fewer words) as the advert is higher up and the audience is usually walking or driving past. With a billboard advertisement, getting your message across quickly is key.
Book promotion on social media
For this example, we’re using an advert on social media to promote a self-published book.
I’ve created an advert with all eight design mistakes. On purpose. So I can show you a before and after.
Yes. I’m putting my design cred on the line, just for you. Prepare yourself.
I’ll also let you in on a secret.
Even professional graphic designers make mistakes. We’ve all seen those graphic design fails, online or in person. Ouch!
So don’t feel bad if you’ve made any of the following mistakes. We all have.
Now let’s get your advert the attention it deserves, for all the right reasons.
Graphic design mistakes and how to design like a pro.
Mistake 1: Unclear message.
An example of bad design that breaks all the rules.
Look at this advert. I know, it’s ghastly, but take a look anyway.
What is the advert trying to get you to do?
It’s got something to do with a book. But are we meant to buy the book? Learn about the book?
Or something else?
This advert is trying to do too much at once.
Top Tip 1: Keep on message.
What is the main aim of the advert you’re working on? Once you’ve decided, stick to it.
It can be as simple as “Look, a book - buy it.”
If you need to add a second message, make sure that it complements the first and adds value.
Mistake 2: Too many words.
The main reason the message was lost is because of all the words. There are way too many words.
If I’m scrolling on social media and I see a wall of text on a picture, I’m not thinking it’s an advert.
Maybe it’s a typographical art piece? I might check it out. Or just scroll on by. There’s just too much information here for such a small advert.
Top Tip 2: Clear and brief.
Keep the copy focused.
Make sure that your book title is clear and inform the reader who the author is. Maybe you want to add a link to your author or book website to provide a secondary action or prompt a direct purchase.
Further information you could include that would support your aim for viewers to “look at this book” is your quotes, reviews, and descriptions. But these need to be short.
If your book has already had a great review, edit it down to the best parts.
From: “This book is amazing! I had a great time, and really learned a lot about the world and characters. The world-building is out of this world!” - Jo on Goodreads.
To: “Out of this world” - Goodreads Review.
Mistake 3: Everything everywhere all at once.
There is just too much going on. Every part of this advert is begging for attention. A reader might try to puzzle out the message. Or just worry about their eyesight. Most will scroll past it.
Top Tip 3: Balance and Flow.
Let’s get psychological for a moment. Trust me, it’s important.
According to Gestalt psychology, visual hierarchy is a pattern where some elements stand out or attract attention more than others.
This suggests to the reader that there’s a hierarchy of importance. There is a point where a message starts and ends. There is a hierarchy of what is most important and what is less important.
You also need to balance the different elements and consider ‘weight distribution’ for visual stability.
Text and images need to work together rather than against each other. Each element needs to look like it belongs and is part of the whole.
In the English language, we read from the top down and from left to right. If your audience reads this way too then it’s best to keep to those rules, especially in such a small space.
And you don’t need to fill up all the space. In fact, ‘white space’ or unused space actually makes it easier for the eyes to focus on the message.
Mistake 4: Overusing capitalization.
HELLO. I’M NOT SHOUTING. I JUST WANT YOU TO READ THIS. IS IT WORKING?
Or did you feel like I was shouting at you?
On social media, blocks of writing that are all capital letters can suggest shouting. Other than putting off your audience, a block of text in all caps takes longer to read.
And that’s time your audience doesn’t have.
Top Tip 4: Avoid all CAPS.
Use all capital letters sparingly and never for full blocks of copy. If your book cover has the title all in capitals, you can repeat that for the title in the advert. If you need to make something stand out, make it larger than other text or use bold.
Mistake 5: Too many typefaces and fonts.
Speaking of bold.
A typeface means the design of the lettering. A font is all the variations of that typeface.
For example, Arial is a typeface and 12pt Arial Bold is a font.
Having too many typefaces and fonts in one piece of promotion hurts my soul. It also hurts the readability of your message and makes it messy.
Top Tip 5: Limit typefaces and utilize fonts.
A general rule of thumb is not to use more than three typefaces in one message.
I prefer to use just two typefaces. To make a particular message or word stand out, I utilize the options of their different fonts, so bold, italic, etc.
For easy readability, a sans-serif typeface is best.
‘Sans’ means without, and ‘serifs’ are the extended features at the end of the strokes. So use a typeface without the extra fancy bits for sentences or blocks of text.
Sans-serif typefaces like Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma are also easier for people with dyslexic to read.
Whatever you choose, the typefaces and fonts need to work well together.
Mistake 6: Using the “wrong” colors.
There are no wrong colors.
Designs that utilize all the colors of the rainbow exist, and they can work really well.
But using color in the wrong way can confuse your message.
And don't just use your favorite colors, tempting though that is. When it comes to graphic design, you need to pick what colors work best for the design.
Top Tip 6: Use Color Theory.
Knowing a little about color theory can really help improve your graphic design skills.
Color theory is a collection of rules and guidelines that designers use to communicate their message.
You already know some theories or meanings behind certain colors. For example, the color red can mean a warning, passion, or anger. In some cultures, the color red can also mean good fortune and prosperity.
This is why it’s important to know who your audience is when creating promotional designs.
A color wheel will help you learn about colors that work well together. You can find them easily online, along with a guide on how to use them.
If you’re struggling and need something quick, find a color or two that complements the main color of your book cover.
Mistake 7: Too busy with special effects.
Outline. Shadow. Refection. Glow.
Each effect exists for a reason. But overdesign is real. Using all of the effects or even using one of them for every element can distract from the message.
It also looks bad. Really bad.
Top Tip 7: Simplicity is key
Just because these effects exist doesn’t mean you have to use them.
Keep it simple.
Use one if it adds something to the design and accentuates the message.
Mistake 8: No instructions.
What is the reason for your advert?
To show a cover? To get people to buy? To share the news about your new book?
Some book adverts only use an image of the book cover and the words ‘out now’ or ‘out July, 18th’.
But these book adverts usually meet the following criteria:
the author is already a household name or has a big following, and
the book will be available in most bookstores
Unless you’re a household name with books in every bookstore, or you have a large audience already, you can’t afford to be vague.
Top Tip 8: A clear CTA.
A CTA is a ‘call to action’. This is the action you want your audience to take. You need to make your CTA crystal clear.
If the advert is a poster, tell people where they need to go to buy your book.
If the advert has a link, make it into a button people can press with the words ‘Buy Now’ on it.
The CTA comes after the main information. It needs to appear in the visual hierarchy once your audience is thinking, ‘I want this. What do I do to get it?’
Place your CTA close to the book title or near the bottom right of the main message because this is where your audience will be directed to look.
An example of book promotion that follows the rules.
Top Tips for good design
Overdesigning means your audience has to look past the fancy styles, fonts, colors, and copy to get to the message.
The location and type of advert also have an impact on what you should include or leave out.
Save your potential customer time and increase your chances of making sales by following these 8 top design tips:
Keep on message
Words - clear and brief
Balance and Flow
Avoid all CAPS
Limit typefaces and utilise fonts
Use colour theory
Simplicity is key
A clear Call To Action
This guide will help you avoid making some basic graphic design mistakes.
If you’re looking for more ways to promote your book, you can read five simple ways to promote a book using tips from Tinder.
If you want a book cover that works, read about the five signs of a successful book cover design.
And if you don’t have the time to create promotional material yourself, I can help.