After developing my brand – “Stitched & Sable Living,” it was then time to think about how to advertise in a way that communicates to my target audience the purpose of the products, and why they should buy them.
In my previous blog post, “Brand Identity: Stitched & Sable Living” I talked about the underlying purpose, values, market, etc. of the brand. So, truly, the main benefit I found worthy to differentiate the brand from competitors was that some of the home products tie back to pets (or really, any part of the family).
According to Robin Landa in Graphic Design Solutions, the best steps for having a successful advertisement are:
- Grab attention with visual interest
- Have a clear message to communicate to the audience
- Motivate the audience to a call-to-action
OK – so choosing my differentiator is a great way to grab attention. Check!
“Everyday Goods – for you and them.” simply communicates the message along with the images. Check!
The logo in the bottom corner helps the audience to know where this ad is coming from and to go there for any additional information or product. Check!
Designing the Ad:
Having the message, and using my resources was no problem…
The ad should be simple, so there isn’t much text on the design, but it’s powerful enough to know that the audience member can buy multiple items of the same essence. I utilized the logo’s typeface – as this is now an integral part of the brand. Just like how I mentioned in my previous blog post, the main Sans Serif font is for a more classic, modern visual interest, where the script is used so the audience knows there’s a fun, casual side to the brand.
Colors of the brand are essential to use in the ad as well so the audience can recognize it to be from “Stitched & Sable Living” before seeing the logo in the corner. I decided to use the same color background and colors for the font to balance with the logo. Also, what’s nice about the banana print on the products is that the yellow ties into the logo as well, helping to unify the overall design.
However – I think the overall message could be more clear with the images!
The issue for me is – since “Stitched & Sable Living” doesn’t actually have any product (at the moment) I found it difficult to advertise! I thought about taking pictures of similar product, but I don’t have anything like what “Stitched & Sable Living” would have, so that didn’t work. The only way I could show the [non-existent] product was to illustrate something that might be on the line-up.
Luckily, I have an already-made banana repeat print (for some masks I’ve made previously) that worked perfectly as one of the graphic prints that “Stitched & Sable Living” would provide.
Illustrating a hand towel and bandana worked out well for the ad – and it shows what I mean when I say that some of the products sold at “Stitched & Sable Living” can match as sets – a useful hand towel for the kitchen and a fun accent for the beloved pet family member.
I believe that my advertisement shows what I’ve wanted it to – that the product is inclusive for you and them (them being really anyone, but ideally for the pet). If I could do it differently, though, I’d want to have actual product to use and style it in a home, and with pets – likely a dog or a cat. In my mind, I think of an animated advertisement, where it goes from a mom or dad character with their item (a hand towel, placemat, coaster, pillow, throw, etc.), to their child with their item (pillow, rug, wall tapestry, etc.), to their pet with their item (bandana, bowtie, pajamas, bone toy, etc.) Maybe I will get there at some point soon.
That’s the hope, anyway!
Julie Anderson 