Three Ways to Make Marketing Messages Easy to Read and See

Have you ever heard of the saying "hard to read, hard to believe"?

Well studies back that up. When something is difficult to read or understand, it's often seen as less truthful or more difficult to accomplish.

Let that sink in a moment.

If your potential customers struggle to read your message, they might not trust what you're saying.

That's why when making design choices for our homepage banners, social media posts or advertisements, it's critical to make sure your message is both easy to read and easy to see.

So, how do we make sure our message stand outs?

Let's break it down into three simple steps.

Give copy contrast

Make sure there's strong contrast between your text and the background. Use dark text on a light background. Or light text on a dark background to ensure readability.

Never use a color on a lighter color of itself. And avoid designs where the text may blend into the background image. if you are laying text over an image, you may need to put a dark or light screen over the image or blur the image, so it doesn't compete with the ability to read the text.

Remember high contrast grabs attention. And makes your message stand out.

Example of a graphic using a low contrast color for the font
Example of a thumbnail graphic with high contrast between the background and font

Pay attention to placement

People's eyes are naturally drawn to visuals. And, unless the image directs their view, they naturally look down after seeing an image. So, strategically place your main message next to or below images, not above them. 

Let visuals support your primary message and help direct people towards it. Don't let the message get lost. Place your message where you know they'll be looking.

Example showing headline incorrectly placed above the photo
Example showing the headline placed under the photo for maximum impact

Choose fonts wisely

Fancy script fonts can be difficult to read quickly. Go ahead and use them for accents or supporting elements of the message. But use a simple, easy-to-read font for the primary message

You want the font to be clear and legible. This ensures your message is instantly understandable.

Example of a hard-to-read thumbnail graphic that uses script fonts for the primary message
Example of a thumbnail graphic using an easy-to-read font for the primary message

A step you can take this week 

Take a look at the content you're working on this week.  And see if there's an opportunity to add more contrast, simplify your font choices, or modify the placement of your text in relation to any image being used.

Making these small adjustments can have a big impact on how your marketing is being perceived. 

Keep things clear, concise and easy to understand. Your audience will appreciate it.

 

Feel stuck when it comes to marketing your business? 

Don't know what to change to get better results? Book a strategy session today.

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How to use visual elements in marketing to transform viewers into engaged customers