What are some of the best practices for designing a print ad that catches the reader's attention?

In my practice, defining the goal of an advertisement starts a thoughtful dialogue with the audience. My aim is not just to captivate the reader with a vivid image, but also to offer a path that feels personally significant. For example, when developing campaigns for scientific publications, it’s crucial for me to highlight unique achievements or breakthroughs that can change the reader’s perception of the topic.

Applying AIDA, I often add a unique aspect to the "Action" component. In my projects, I emphasize not only the urgency of the action but also the uniqueness of the offer that makes the action imperative. In one campaign for a book release, I used an author’s quote in the headline, which not only captured attention but also immediately established a personal connection with the reader.

The balance between text and visuals always guards the purity of communication. It is essential for the text and visuals to complement each other, creating a unified rhythm of perception. From my experience, working with cultural publications has shown that a well-chosen visual can tell a story more effectively than words.

We never used rule of thirds. That is great if you have complete control over the content and can keep the design clean, but for most of us, we have to make something visually appealing out of a laundry list of items a client wants in their ad or flyer. Most of the time, my group of designers would make a really nice looking ad, using pertinent information, and a second ad using everything they wanted. They would usually pick our design. Talk them out of using a lot of bursts, too many or gimmicky fonts, or wasting space on a small map. Talk them out of trying to fool people into thinking the ad is part of the articles in the publication. You want a nice color image, clean fonts, white space, info or offer and a way to get more info.

Practically applying this rule allows me to organize the space so that the reader's eye unconsciously follows the compositional accents that I set. For instance, in an advertisement for an upcoming event, I placed the information about the date and location on one of the strong lines, which subtly yet effectively increases the chances of this information being noticed.

This is a principle I hold in the highest regard. Simplicity in design allows the message to speak for itself, avoiding overload and confusion of attention. In designing an advertisement for a scientific conference, I opted for a minimalist design that focused attention on the theme and speakers, thereby enhancing the value of the offer.

Avoid too many words. It's an ad, not an article. Use a clear call to action. Get to the point of the ad as quickly a possible. Readers have short attention spans. Use URLs and QR codes to send readers to a next step for finding out more information or requesting service or product. Make it as easy as possible for them to do that.

Here's an idea: Hire a professional graphic designer (ie: one with a diploma or degree)! An experienced, educated designer can create an ad that not only prints properly, but is DESIGNED with all of the above and more.

Consider the way people read. If you are stuck for a layout concept you can hardly go wrong (in the English speaking world, anyway) leading the eye (and telling your story) from the upper left and ending in the lower right.

In a world full of convoluted consumerism, sometimes less truly is more. You don't always have to be clever, you can simply say what you mean. If you want someone to buy your product, tell them why, don't allude to it. People are sick of digging for the truth, give the consumer an honest ad.

Here, I would like to share an observation about the importance of context in print advertising. Every detail must consider both the cultural context and the specific expectations of the target audience. Recall how an advertisement for vintage books, styled in retro, created a sense of nostalgia and attracted the attention of collectors and enthusiasts.

One of the important things to think about is where is the ad being run. Newspaper, magazine, newsletter, etc. As someone who works on two local business journal newspapers, it amazes me how many agency have no idea how to design something that will print on newsprint well. Two key things to stay away from... Knock out text on any color other than 100% black and tiny font choices. While registration is typically good, sometimes on newsprint things can look fuzzy or out of registration. So best to avoid those two things.