Our top design tips

When writing content for your website always include your keywords

Keywords are words you think potential visitors will type in to find your site in Google or other search engines. Keywords need to be included in your content as often as possible and in particular, in headings, sub-headings and opening paragraphs. Remember, Google ranks pages not websites – so include different sets of keywords in different pages of your website.

Choosing an effective domain
name for your website

If you require high rankings in Google then consider keywording your domain name. For example, your company name may be ‘Workplace’ and you provide industrial space for local business. From a business perspective ‘workplace.com’ works well. However, it wouldn't be as effective as ‘industrial-space-to-let.com’ if someone was searching for ‘industral space to let’ via Google. Don't worry if you've already purchased a company orientated domain name, there are clever ways of utilising both!

Useful information to include in a brief

Provide examples
It's always helpful for a designer to see examples of designs you like and to hear the reasons why.

Explain your goal, not the solution
For example, rather than saying "I need a brochure" consider saying. "I would like a way in which I can promote a diverse range of products to a wide audience". The second approach allows you to benefit from the designer's experience. It may be that the best way of achieving your goal is through an ad campaign linked with your website rather than a brochure.

Know your audience
Providing us with as much information as you can about your target audience is essential. Age, gender, habits, interests and profession all play a major role in speaking successfully to your potential customers.

Supply existing artwork where possible
All information should be provided digitallly. Word documents are fine, as is email but always supply the original JPEGS for images. Hhigh resolution images are needed for print work – images downloaded from websites won't be good enough quality. If you are asking the designer to work with an existing brand or design try to supply the original artwork files along with any logos.

Successful advertising

A successful ad campaign should always focus on one message and this is usually your unique selling point (USP) i.e. what is different about your product or your service? Also remember to tell people what you do – even if your competitors do exactly the same thing. Explaining your process in a clear and concise way engages your audience and helps you stand out from the crowd.

Users don't read websites, they scan them, just like newspapers

This means that your opening pages need to be short and concise. Headlines and sub-headings need to be informative and grab attention. Contrary to popular belief users are more than happy to scroll – just keep the content in easy to read blocks – like a newspaper does.

Understanding colour theory

Many clients underestimate the role that colour plays in their decision, often choosing colours based on their own preference. However, did you realise that colour can actually provoke an emotional reaction? For example, blue conveys a feeling of professionalism, reliability and trust, whereas orange conveys warmth, fun and creativity. Sound silly? Consider this – red is thought to convey hunger and therefore is it any coincidence that nearly all the major fast food restaurants incorporate red in their brand?!