Effectiveness of Advertisement Layouts

Sometimes people walk past advertisements as if they did not exist, where as sometimes they just have to stop and actually look at it for a while. An effective advertisement makes people notice. If people notice your advertisement then your ad has done its purpose, to create interest and attract customers. The effectiveness of an advertisement is comprised of many things but once of the most important is the layout.

One way to handle the layout is a five step process proposed by David Ogilvy. The Ogilvy layout consists of the following:
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• Visual – Place your photos and/or graphics at the top of the page
• Caption – If you are using a photo, place a short caption underneath.
• Headline – The headline of your ad goes next.
• Copy – Follow your headline with effective ad copy
• Signature – Place your company’s name and contact information at the bottom right of your ad. This is the last place the reader’s eye will go.

Z Layout

• Place all the contents of you ad in the form of a “Z”. Put the most important elements on the top of the “Z”. The eye will naturally follow the pattern. Place your “call to action” or your signature at the very end of the “Z”.

        A good example of the Z layout is this great eye catching Puma ad. From the image dominant on the left, to the caption on the right, corporate info on the bottom left, and logo at the bottom right.

Single Visual Layout

• The principle of this layout is “less is more”. This is a simplistic, yet powerful ad. There is only one visual element followed by a simple headline and short ad copy.

 

An advertisement for the Boston Marathon using the Single Visual Layout.

Illustrated Layout

• There is not much room for audience interpretation with this layout. This ad shows the actual product or service offered. It demonstrates what it does, how it works and what it accomplishes.

Top Heavy Layout

• This layout puts strong emphasis on the visual element of the ad. The photo or graphic design is placed in the top half or the left side of the ad. It is then followed with the headline and copy.

 Upside Down Layout

• This layout is as simply as it sounds: turn your ad upside down. After you finish designing your ad, you may find it is even more powerful in its opposite layout. "

These layout styles are some of the ones shared by the article Effective Designs in Advertising.


-Hijaz Radzi