Full Page Magazine and Print Ads

· Photoshop Document

o Create a new document in Photoshop with the following parameters

§ 8X10

§ Resolution 200

§ Color Mode: RGB

§ Background: Transparent

§ Save this file to your :H Drive as a .psd file

o Import Graphics from the internet that you saved to your :H Drive

§ “Open the graphic and Select All” (control A), “Copy” (Control C) the image and go back to your new 8X10 document and “Paste” (Control V)

o Determine what you want to do with your background and fill “Layer 1” with that background

· Make adjustments to your Graphics (resize, cutout, feather, colorize, position)

· Resize you LOGO to fit in the lower right or left corner of your ad and place it there

o Add your Text

§ In addition to your SLOGAN, you will need to add a minimum of 4 “Teasers.” Teasers are the text items on your Ad telling the potential reader the benefits of you product

§ Text Tips

· Select Fonts that complement each other, or use the same font for all text

· Select Fonts that are easy to read. Keep it simple

· Make your text stand out on the page

o Make sure the text CONTRASTS with what is behind it on the page.

o Try to keep text off graphical elements (photos, drawings, etc.). It’s best to place text over solid, or “Spot” color

o Use “Blending” Tools to help your text stand out such as shadow, outline, etc.

§ Grading

· Grading will be based on adherence to the above requirements, originality, the quality of the graphics, and the overall quality of the finished product

§ Turn-In

· Print your final version, write your name, period, and date on the back of the page and place it in the turn-in box

· Also Save your final version of the magazine ad to your :H Drive for viewing by Mr. Zorn (so it can be also graded in its full color version)

FOUR GRAPHIC DESIGN PRINCIPALS:

1. CONTRAST

Contrast is the most important visual attraction on a page. Avoid elements that are similar. Rather than having one solid color as a your entire background – break it up into 2 or more contrasting colors that are placed opposite each other in your background design. Text must contrast with its background to make it stand out and be easily read.

2. REPETITION

Repetition means use it more than just once! Repeat the same color in design shapes, borders and text styles for example. This helps develop organization and creates unity.

3. ALIGNMENT

Nothing should be placed on the page randomly. Each element should have a visual connection with other elements on the page. BALANCE is what you are trying to achieve. Balance background shapes, text, and artwork with white space. Text should be justified. Use Centered, Left justification and/or right justification of type.

4. PROXIMITY

When items are close to each other they become one visual unit so we want to separate elements. White Space, which is a reference to blank parts of the page (not necessarily white but whatever colors are being used for the background) should be used between your design elements (art and text). Proximity helps organize information and reduces clutter.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY

Large sums of money have been spent by businesses and promoters on research about how people respond to colors. In general, people find warm colors (Red, Orange, and Yellow) more exciting than cool colors (Violet, Blue and Green). A list of common characteristics or "moods" conveyed by each color is provided below.

white	WHITE: Pure, clean, youthful, light
black	BLACK: Depressing, gloomy, negative, deadly, dark
brown	BROWN: Sturdy, reliable, earthy, conservative
red	RED: Active, vigorous, passionate, impulsive
orange	ORANGE: Lively, cheerful, warm
yellow	YELLOW: Vital, cheerful, radiant, sunny, warm
green	GREEN: Quiet, withdrawn, peaceful, balanced, cool
Blue	BLUE: Calm, contemplative, restful, cold
Violet	VIOLET/PURPLE: Mournful, Royal, sensitive, cool

PRINT AD TIPS

· Pose a question: Ask a question that prompts readers to say yes so they continue reading. It can be as simple as "Would you like to stay cool this summer?"

· Play off emotion: For this type of headline, stick to either positive messages that people will equate to a better lifestyle (whether that refers to health, social, money, or any issues that people can relate to in a positive way)

· Hammer home one message.

· Whether you're writing a print ad with minimal space or a direct-mail piece with virtually unlimited pages, focus on one benefit your product will deliver, or a single customer problem that your product solves.

· Avoid too much copy. Print ad sentences should run no more than four our five words each. Bullets offer a clean, easy-to-read format, but limit those to three. After you write the copy, grab a red pencil and chop out unnecessary words such as "that," "and" or "the." Proper sentence structure is not a requirement in writing Ads, but don’t go overboard – it still needs to be clear and make sense. You don’t want to make the mistake that will connect your product to non-intelligence.

· Cliches can be your friends. As long as you don't overdo it, marketing experts are fine with using the occasional cliche in the copy. So if "make a splash" works with your audience, use it. But do be careful of getting carried away with unfounded claims. If you want to bill yourself as installing the best pools in the industry for example, back it up with facts and specific statistics. Anybody can make a claim,you want potential customers to trust you're speaking the truth.

· Color your world – but don’t get carried away. For magazine Ads, keep your color choices to under four complementary colors. For newspaper Ads, where color is pricey and doesn’t always print as well as in a magazine page, instead of settling for the usual black-and-white newspaper ad, choose one spot of color. Choose the color of the season: In spring, that could be green or sea blue, summer might lean toward sky blue or yellow. This decision can also be made based on the “Color Psychology” Chart and what would most be associated with your product. Spot color means just that. You want most of the ad to be black, but maybe your headline, your phone number and special offer are in sea blue. And that's it.

· Picture it. Artwork of a pool if you are selling a pool product, for example, subliminally and immediately translates into feelings of relaxation and coolness--the perfect complement to your message without adding words. Rather than featuring the same types of photos throughout, retailers suggest varying the shots. Include images with and without people, show different versions of your product if it has different versions, and try some different angles to keep the look fresh and interesting.

· Give your ad some space. No matter its size, 30- to 40 percent of your ad should be white space. That's layout talk for open space: places where there are no designs, no words and no color.

· Go easy on the fonts. Select one type font for an ad, and increases its size if you choose to emphasize a word. If you prefer to mix fonts, stick to just two, say the experts. Also, make sure your font has feet, or serifs. Serif fonts feature short cross-lines at the base of letters such as "t" and "L." Straight-line fonts, due to their lack of extra shape, have a tendency to befuddle the eye, and fonts that are too fanciful can be difficult to read and tend to blend too much into other elements of the page. Use shadows, outlines, etc. to make your text “pop.” (use the “blending options” in a photoshop text layer to select these extras.