Posted by: Clayton Makepeace
March 5, 2010
Originally Posted On: August 22, 2005

Direct Response Graphic Design 101

• The 3 Types of Graphic Designers – And The ONLY One You Ever Want to Hire …
• How to Become A GREAT Designer In 3 Easy Steps …
• The 2 Simple Things A Designer Must Do To Create Bigger Winners, More Often …
• 4 Graphics Secrets for Generating Maximum Attention-Getting Power …
• 10 Design Strategies for Getting Your Promotions READ and responded to …
• And More!

Dear Business-Builder,

This issue of THE TOTAL PACKAGE will make everybody money – including you!

If you’re a business owner, marketing pro or copywriter, good graphic design is absolutely essential to producing peak response to your sales promotions. I’ve seen poor design cut sales by half or even more. Conversely, I’ve seen stronger graphic design bump response by 20% or even more.

If you’re a designer, reading this may be the most important fifteen minutes of your career. Because I’m going to tell you what’s what. If you can follow some simple guidelines, you’ll be booked solid. I’ll probably be the first in line to hire you!

First, a quick disclaimer …

I am NOT an “anti-artite!”

Please forgive me if anything I’m about to say offends you. Despite what you may think, I really like most of the graphics people I’ve worked with.

I helped put two kids through art school.

Some of my best friends – Ed Elliott, Rob Davis, Larry Owen and Brian Wilson, for example – are designers.

I even gave my blessing when my daughter married an artist.

But we’ve got to talk. Because sometimes, you guys drive me nuts. Much of what I see in first draft art – and a LOT of what I see on the Internet and in the mail – is abysmal.

And the fact is, if I get one more graphics draft with the same old blunders in it, my head’s going to explode.

So please – have a seat … you’re about to get your advanced degree – from The Makepeace School of Art and Design …

Which Kind of Designer Are You?

I’ve worked with three kinds of designers in my career:

Art School Grads: Most art school grads are very nice people. They tend to be idealistic, laid-back creative types who smoke funny cigarettes, and who became artists because they wanted to make the world a prettier place. Later, reality intervened and they became graphic designers because they preferred eating to starving.

But art school graduates – bless their hearts – have a handicap: They went to art school.

If they had attended business school, they’d know that their job is to help produce maximum response. But they didn’t. And their art school professors have convinced them that their job is to make your promotion “pleasing to the eye.”

Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with a good-looking promotion. But when aesthetics get in the way of the sales copy, you’ve got a disaster on your hands.

Technicians: Folks who got into this racket because they like playing with computers and learned how to use InDesign, PageMaker or Quark.

Problem is, few have spent any time at all studying or even thinking about graphic design – or how the layout of a promotion affects its attention-getting power, readability or effectiveness.

Great Designers: Designers who know their job is to help sell a product … who avoid the blunders that destroy attention and readership … and who have mastered a few simple tricks that boost the response of every promotion they design.

Great designers are near and dear to my heart. Guys and gals who know their stuff can boost response … make business owners richer … get marketing pros the big raises and perks … boost copywriter royalties … and keep their own schedules packed with lucrative assignments.

How to Become A GREAT Designer
In 3 Easy Steps …

Step #1: Get with the program. Despite what you may have been led to believe, we are not in the business of spending a fortune to mail acres of white space or pretty pictures to art-starved consumers.

Our mission is to make a sale.

So when you tell me I have to cut sales copy so you can have your massive margins, vast areas of empty “white space” and ponderous, meaningless photographs, you’re just asking for trouble. It ain’t gonna happen.

Step #2: Get over yourself. This isn’t about art. It’s about business. Specifically, it’s about selling a product or service.

Art is subjective. Graphic design for direct response is scientific. Certain techniques have been proven over many years to be more effective at generating attention, readership and response than others.

Great designers have taken the time to learn what works and why. That allows them to avoid things that are counterproductive … and to use techniques that have been proven to boost response.

The first lesson that great designers have learned is that design does NOT sell products. Copy sells the product. Great design helps the copy do its job. Bad design gets in the way of the sale.

We only have a limited amount of space in each promotion. Every element that gets through to final draft displaces something that didn’t.

Every unnecessary graphic element you add means crucial sales copy has to be smaller, shorter – or worse, cut altogether.

That means we sell less product.

That means I make less money for the client and even worse, less money for me. And that makes me cranky.

Step #3: Recognize that your design only has to accomplish two, simple but essential tasks.

Your first job is to help the copy grab the prospect’s attention. Do this one thing well – and yes, that usually means big, “ugly” headline and deck type – and you’re 60% of the way there.

Your second job is to convert that attention to readership and to help keep the prospect reading until he orders. Do this well, and you’ll create bigger winners, more often. Clients will beat a path to your door. So will I.

Graphic Design Primer

Let’s begin by taking a quick look at the essentials …

Types of Type

• Type styles: There are two basic kinds of type used in direct response promotions: Serif and Sans-serif. A serif type has little flourishes on each letter, while sans-serif types does not.

This is Serif type.

This is Sans-serif type.

• Size: The size of type is denominated in points. Body text in most newspapers is 9 point. There is no limit to how large type can be. I’ve often used 120 point type for headlines on large tabloid mailers, for example.

• Weight: Type is available in various weights – from light to regular, to bold, to extra bold, to semi-bold.

• Kerning: The horizontal distance between letters and words is called “kerning.”

• Leading: The vertical space between lines of text is called “leading.” Extra space between paragraphs is called “secondary leading.” When you increase the leading, you increase the space between lines of text. This paragraph is leaded normally.

• Special treatment: For added emphasis, text can be reversed – such as when white or a light-colored text appears in a black or darker-colored background. Or it can be run in italics, or underlined.

4 Secrets for Generating Maximum
Attention-Getting Power

1. Size Matters: The purpose of a headline or subhead is to seize the reader’s attention. Larger and bolder heads generally seize attention better than smaller, lighter ones.

You’ll notice that many of my sales pieces use Impact typeface for heads and subheads. They give my headlines heft, height and yet are condensed, so I can get more letters on each line.

2. Dazzle ’Em With Color: The judicious use of color can add big impact to your headlines and other attention-getting copy.

Entire libraries of books have been written on color psychology. In a nutshell, most say that cold colors – blues and pastels, for example – tend to relax us. Hotter colors – highly saturated oranges, reds and earth tones – warm us up.

Since we copywriters work our fingers to the bone trying to get our prospects excited about ordering, it would make sense to default to warmer colors.

Ironically, though, PMS 286 – “junk mail blue” – usually works well, too. And some of my biggest winners in both the financial and health industries have used a good strong green as a main second color.

Boardroom is famous for successfully using what some refer to as “Gestapo Colors” – Black, red and yellow – for extremely high impact self mailers.

And many years ago, I remember a financial mailer that drew the eye with International Distress Orange headlines and purple text. It mailed for years.

In my opinion, the strength of a color – not its hue – is the key. Strong colors grab attention far better than weak ones do.

3. Look Him in the Eye: Since we were kids, we’ve been taught to look at people who are talking to us. And, we’ve been taught that people who do not look us in the eye are not to be trusted.

Including a photo of a person talking to the reader – and putting the headline in that person’s voice – is a powerful way to seize prospects’ attention.

4. Less Is More: Too many graphic devices on the outer cover of self mailers or on envelopes only confuse the eye. When everything is emphasized, nothing stands out.

Create a focal point – the main headline – and drive the reader’s eye to it.

10 Rules for Generating Maximum Readability

1. This is not an eye test. Many of your prospects are older and have fading eyesight. Requiring that they fetch their spectacles before they can read your pitch is a big mistake.

As a rule, body copy should never be smaller than 12pt. – and the body text in some of my most successful promotions has been presented in 14pt. type.

2. Readability Rules. You’ll probably notice that in the “Type Style” section above, the second, sans-serif paragraph is slightly easier to read on your computer monitor than the first one.

That’s because the dot pattern on many computer monitors makes it difficult to see the detail in serif type. That’s why I use Arial – a sans-serif type in this newsletter.

In print, however, readership studies show that serif type is far more readable. That’s why body copy in most newspapers and magazines is presented in Times or something close to it.

Also, in my direct mail promotions, you’ll notice that I often invert my type selection in sidebars to create contrast between them and the running text: Sans-serif heads and serif body copy in the running text … serif heads and sans-serif body copy in sidebars.

3. Put it in black and white. The human eye likes contrast. The lower the contrast between your text and your background, the lower your readership will be.

Black ink on white paper provides the greatest contrast. Each step you take away from black on white – lighter type or darker backgrounds, for example – cuts readership.

I use this fact to emphasize and promote readership of my running text. In most of my promotions, the running text is black-on-white. In sidebars, I add a light buff, blue or green background, keeping the body text in black.

4. Eye-path is crucial. The human eye is easily confused. You never want your prospect to wonder where to look for the next piece of text, or to be distracted in the middle of your cogent selling argument.

• Photographs and other illustrations embedded in running text distract and confuse the eye.
• Full-page sidebars on right-hand pages create a visual barrier and can discourage the reader from turning the page.
• Subheads should never be broken between columns. And when near the bottom of a column, should always have at least three lines of text beneath them.
• Subheads should be broken into coherent phrases:

I want to kiss her
BUT she won’t let me

– NOT –

I want to kiss her BUT
she won’t let me

5. Keep lines of text short and manageable. When a string of small letters and words – say 12pt. or 14pt. body copy – runs too long, the eye gets fatigued and the brain loses its place. Excessive line length kills readership.

That’s why God invented columns. Columnating text allows the eye and brain to sort out a few words quickly and then move to the next line. I find that columns containing about 40 characters and spaces are optimal.

6. Make each paragraph visually inviting. Long paragraphs look intimidating and discourage readership. I try to keep paragraphs as short as possible – even if I have to break them in places that drive grammarians and proofreaders bonkers.

Sprinkling an ample number of one - and two-line paragraphs on a page makes the entire page feel more inviting.

7. Justified text is unjustifiable. Justified text – where both the left- and the right-hand margin of each paragraph is even – destroys readership.

This paragraph is justified. Note the uneven spaces between the words. People justify paragraphs to eliminate unnecessary hyphens – but it also interrupts the flow of coherent thoughts in the text.

Ragged right – RULES!

8. Widows and orphans should be treated with care. In my opinion, a widow – a single word on the last line of a paragraph – is usually a good thing. It adds a smidgen of white space, making the page look less intimidating. I’d move heaven and earth to avoid ending a paragraph with a hyphenated word fragment on a line by itself. That just looks sloppy.

Orphans – the single line of a new paragraph at the bottom of the column – should be avoided. It breaks a thought before it can take hold in the prospect’s mind.

9. Never end a page with a period. Plan each page and 2-page spread so the last paragraph of running text is broken and continues on the next page. That way, the reader is more likely to turn the page and keep reading.

Also, at the end of the text, insert a page-turner: A small “Please turn …” flush right.

10. Include contact information on every spread. Add a header or footer on each spread that presents the client’s toll-free telephone number and/or directs the reader to the page where the response device can be found.

In my business, some 80% of our orders usually arrive by phone. So typically, I’ll use a footer on each spread that simply says, “For More Information, Call TOLL-FREE 1-800-827-0940.

How to use photos and other graphic elements

Illustrations should never be used simply to “break up the text” or make the page look less challenging.

That said, however, illustrations do serve four valid purposes in sales promotions:

1. To seize the prospect’s attention and to convert that attention to readership – as when you include the ersatz author’s photograph with a headline …
2. To establish credibility – as when using charts, graphs, tables or photos of a source (a big-name magazine, for example) to prove a point … or to make a testimonial believable by including a photo of the customer …
3. To drive important sales points home – as with “before/after” photos, “process photos” showing how the product works, etc. …
4. To present the product and/or premium in a way that enhances its perceived value.

Interesting note: Several years ago, a major publisher hired a research firm to determine which kinds of illustrations are most effective at seizing readers’ attention.

Male readers were most attracted to photos of:

1. Anything with an engine in it – cars, boats, planes, helicopters.
2. Women.

Female readers were most attracted to photos of:

1. Children.
2. Other women.

In both sexes, the use of a storyboard – a series of photographs or illustrations telling a story – seized attention far better than a single photo alone.

Master these rules and then break them – carefully!

As I write this, I can almost feel creative minds spinning. “Are huge headlines always best?” “Are strong colors really the only colors I should ever use?”

Of course not. In the financial arena, for example, it’s sometimes important to make a promotion “feel” like a serious report. In those cases, credibility trumps raw attention-getting power, and a more subtle headline typeface and color selection are called for.

But these are great rules of thumb, and many if not most of the promotions I see out there every day would be working better if the designer had followed them.

Having said that, I know you artists are free souls. You hate rules. So you’ll probably be tempted to break as many of these rules as you can, as quickly as you can.

But whenever you’re tempted to break with convention, remember: This is about SELLING!

You’ll do yourself – and the rest of us – a huge favor if you ask yourself how your rule-breaking will affect the attention-getting power, readership and effectiveness of the promotion

“Will it get my page more attention, or less?”

“Will it make the promotion feel more credible, or less?”

“Will it make each page look more inviting, or more formidable?”

“Will it make the page easier to read, or more difficult?”

Well, those are the basics. I hope this helps.

Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,

Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

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15 Comments »

1. Comment by Chuck Moulton — March 5, 2010 @ 11:07 am

   Good article all around, but, speaking as a designer, I have to say I was taken aback in the beginning. All the issues you describe are Graphic Design 101. I think the biggest idea you can take from this is to always hire a DESIGNER to create you graphic designs, and not an ARTIST.

   It may seem that I am splitting hairs, since we all call ourselves “artists” and “designers” interchangeably, but there are two types of us out there, artists who create graphic design AS their art (like myself) and artists who are using design as a vehicle FOR their art. A good designer wants to create something that is successful, not showcase him or herself in spite of the projects goals.

   The professionals among us care more about what we create achieving its goals (selling a product, communicating an idea, etc) than in our design showcasing its “artistry”. Sure, in a perfect world, both occur simultaneously… but I create DESIGNS for marketers…I leave my “artistry” for my personal work.

2. Comment by Marcus Simmons — March 5, 2010 @ 11:43 am

   I am going to send this article to everyone I approach do do advertising form. I used to be a graphic artist before I lost my eye sight and hearing.

3. Comment by Nicole R. Peterson — March 5, 2010 @ 11:44 am

   Great tips and strategies to improve my website. As an online marketer, I’m always learning and striving to improve all of my skills. But, often copywriting is the least known about or applied skill.

   Many of these techniques can be implemented easily even with a simple article blog.

   Thanks Clayton!

4. Comment by Paul Simister — March 5, 2010 @ 12:23 pm

   Fascinating article to read.

   The nice thing about working with graphic designers is that you can tell immediately what type they are by looking at the portfolio.

   It shows you what they think is important and what they are most proud - and if response rates were quoted - wow.

5. Comment by Volker Karl Knoeringer — March 5, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

   Hi Clayton,

   great article, pardon resource.

   One question about the Eye Path on websites:

   As the eyes are conditioned to travel to the right side on the quest for information, wouldn’t it be better if the navigation stuff were on the left side of the text?

   To prevent the distraction of the reader with powerful headlines and so forth. With only those things on the right that you WANT the reader to get distracted to, i.e. the optin form and offers or advertising?

   Personally I even use a free browser tool to minimize distractions: Readability

   In the end I write the stuff to be read, to the end. For that’s were the magic happens.

   I’m I wrong with these thoughts?

   Karl

   PS: Check that free Readability thing. What if you love it?

6. Comment by Walter Daniels — March 5, 2010 @ 1:46 pm

   You are so right about design. Art Schools teach “art,” not how to do anything useful. Admittedly, I never trained as an artist, but do seem to have a knack for design, of sorts. Even so, I still learned some things I didn’t know.
   The problem, to me, seems to be that artists only study “art,” and nothing else. Printers, learn only print concepts and nothing about art. When I still had my custom imprinting business, I studied everything I could about art, and print concepts. I had to give it up after the accident in 2000, but I still study, and retain what I learned. IMO, and apparently in yours, copywriters should learn some design principles, and artists vice versa. We don’t need to be experts. just familiar with what each other needs to know.
   If you are going to write for videos, some graphic design knowledge would seem even more important. Since video is graphic design in moving form, and even more important to know.
   Thank you for this short course.

7. Comment by Viki — March 5, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

   Clayton,

   I went to school for web design/graphic design, and was never taught a thing about how to design to sell. I had to learn that all on my own - the hard way. This is a great article and - with a little tweaking - the points you make can also be applied to web design.

8. Comment by Yuri — March 5, 2010 @ 5:28 pm

   Hi Clayton,

   Enjoyed your article. I’m learning a bit every day.

9. Comment by Mark Edward Brown — March 5, 2010 @ 6:49 pm

   Hi Clayton,

   Wow, what a “Top Notch” article. These types of copy crib notes can easily turn a novice copy writer into a Super Man of Sales no doubt.

   As a marketing professional, I appreciate the truth and you my friend speak it with boldness!

   Keep it coming - I am a fan,

   Mark Edward Brown
   “The Marketing Professional”

10. Comment by Rick — March 5, 2010 @ 10:47 pm

    Interesting that the “Readability” website uses a serif font. Oops!

11. Comment by Dave — March 6, 2010 @ 3:34 am

    How dare you give away secrets that has taken some years and years to learn through testing!

    Great article, a little too good if you ask me

12. Comment by Jon — March 7, 2010 @ 9:20 pm

    I’m reminded of all those managers out there proclaiming how good they are. They have the best way of managing accounting systems, HR policies, or the best way of researching or developing new products. And yet their sales are declining or at the moment slumping!
    Managers or artists,.. maybe we all have a constant need for a reminder that whatever work we do should have communicable benefits for the customer.

13. Comment by Charlie — March 8, 2010 @ 12:39 pm

    Looking for a top line graphic designer….please check out:

    gaudettedsn.com

    Thank you

14. Comment by William — March 8, 2010 @ 1:48 pm

    Clayton, you have such a command of this subject matter, I am truely amazed. Its always the first thing I read everyday.

    I have found that most graphics designers have this ego problem, and have a hard time coming up with a dfesign that “works” but may look a little “cheesey” or heavy-handed to them. I find I almost have to do the design myself. All I really need is an expert at Indesign to do the layout.

    Sad that most don’t get it

15. Comment by Alan — March 12, 2010 @ 5:53 am

    I’d like to just thank you for this.

    It’s great to get many perspectives from all kinds of experts. Most will agree on most things and some have a different take, but listen,

    (btw - never end a paragraph with a coma…)

    …ALL this content you give us is a gift, so thanks so much. It is well received by many,as we see from the comments.

    All the best

    Alan