Design is a crucial part of any marketing campaign's success. Campaigns are intended to raise the profile of your brand and drive customers to buy your products or services. With a growth in spending from $83 billion in 2017 to a predicted $129.23 billion in 2021, perfecting the appeal of your digital advertisements is extremely critical.

Before discussing the “Do's” and “Don'ts” for designing a digital advertisement, you must define the goals of your campaign and determine the best way to reach your target audience. Would a minimalist and simple design perform better than a loud and flashy design? Would creating something interactive for your customers work? Whatever design you choose, it needs to contribute to making your ad successful.

There is a psychological aspect to designing a display advertisement. The colors and photographs chosen all play a role in evoking emotion when someone is looking at your ad. In the 1970s the average person was exposed to about 500 advertisements a day. Now, an average person is exposed to approximately 5,000 per day. According to USCDornsife, 31% of ads with some kind of emotional pull succeed, versus 16% success of ads that focus on rational content. Like emotions, color can have a similar effect on a person. Having your call-to-action button colored green instead of yellow may increase conversion rates by 14.5%.

There is a lot to think about when it comes designing a display ad, and we've compiled these quick tips.

The do's and don'ts of digital ad design:

• Do display your logo. Brand recognition is very important when creating a display ad. It is a way for viewers to easily know and connect with your brand. The logo should cover 10-15% of the total ad area.
• Don't cram too much in a small space. Most display ads have fixed sizes like 300x250, 728x90, or 300x600, so use the space wisely and make your message concise. Be sure that your call to action is legible and easy to see.
• Do make your call to action look like a button. Consumers will readily click on a button to fill out data, use this approach in your display ads.
• Don't jump on every advertising fad. Just because there is a new fad that many are using, it does not mean it's right for you. If it won't help you reach your target audience, don't waste the time.
• Do define the goal of your campaign. The goal of your campaign will determine the copy and the creative. Brand awareness campaigns tend to have a different creative feel and message compared to lead generation campaigns.
• Don't point users to just your home page. Don't just direct your consumers to your home page, make the clicks count. A campaign-specific landing page that is optimized for conversion and echoes the look and feel of your advertisement will provide a more successful experience.
• Do use data to target audiences. When using data to target, you can identify prospects that have shown interest in products like yours. Well targeted ads show a 5X higher gaze time and 4x higher ad recall for your brand.
• Don't just sell. Gain your customer's trust before you try to sell something to them. Brand awareness campaigns as well as offers for thought leadership content can be an important part of your digital strategy.
• Do create a sense of urgency. Words like “ends soon,” “limited time,” and “act now” portray a need to respond quickly to not miss out on the deal you are offering.
• Don't put your eggs in one basket. Always look for new techniques. If your current campaign is not working, you may need to re-design or test different ad sizes or formats.
• Do have a consistent voice and message. When designing a campaign, or any advertisements for your company, you want to stay true to your brand voice and communicate a consistent message. Even if you are selling a different product or service in each ad, your brand standards will help all the ads tie together.

The world of digital advertising is constantly changing, and there is no magic design that works for every company. However, if you do your research, know your audience and spend ample time on crafting your strategy, you can find success.

Still in need of some inspiration to kick off designs for your next digital ad? Check out Digital Marketing Institute's listing of some of the most impactful digital campaigns.

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