Before you can get your message across, you have to get noticed.
Part of getting noticed is standing out from the crowd. If your ad, mail piece, website or other marketing item looks like everyone else’s in your industry, chances are no one will even notice it. It becomes just one more ho-hum.
When we design a website, we look at what others in the same industry are doing. Often there is a fad in designs which isn’t necessarily a bright idea. So at the same time we can do something better and which is distinctive.
When we design a Yellow Pages, magazine or newspaper ad, we always try and see what other ads in the same publication or YP category look like. The same rule applies.
Again, sometimes it really opens the door. We were designing a Yellow Pages ad for a dentist client of ours. NOT ONE of their competitors ads showcased a large image of a person. You can guess what our design looked like.