Even if this is your first time designing an ad, you’ve no doubt heard countless pieces of advice from family, friends and colleagues in your industry—and naturally, you don’t know what to believe or where to start! With advertising—and newer, more modern forms of it—growing at an increased rate, it can be difficult at times to know exactly what qualifies as a good practice and what is better left to theory.

Fortunately, we can help you navigate all the ins and outs. Read on to learn about the four biggest ad design misconceptions we’ve come across and the truths behind them.

The flashier, the better

This is a misconception we see all too often in our industry. Many first-time advertisers might believe that potential customers won’t be able to see their ads unless they’re big, bold and bright—however, this simply isn’t true, or necessary for that matter! While a bit of boldness can help to capture passerby’s attention, and is a great way of setting yourself apart as a business, your ad doesn’t have to “scream” or go over the top in order to be different—instead, focus on the use of identifying colors, snappy slogans and other small details.

I need to cram all my information onto the ad

While it can certainly be tempting to stuff all of your company’s information onto one small ad, it’s not necessary… or practical. A successful ad only needs the bare bones—who to call or were to go, for example—to attract customers, and they’ll follow up with the rest. Give potential customers a chance to call you, visit your shop or go online to your website… but never feel the need to tell them everything you do or offer on one small ad.

Remember, this is bench ad design—and the name of the game is “fast impressions.” If your ad requires more than a few seconds at a stoplight to read and understand, it needs to be shorted and made more accessible.

My bench ad needs to match my business card and other ads exactly

Many first time ad designers believe that their bench ad needs to match up perfectly with their business card and other online formats or else the company won’t be unified. However, this just simply isn’t the case. Tying multiple mediums together—through use of the same logo or color scheme, for example—is a much better practice than trying to replicate the same design onto every advertisement you put out.

Ad design is too hard

This just isn’t true! While designing an ad certainly requires a good sense of design and functionality, it doesn’t have to be an impossible process. Make the design process an enjoyable one by putting your company’s personal flair into everything it sends out into the community, and constantly be on the lookout for new looks and ideas that make your job a little easier… and more enjoyable!

We hope that today’s post has helped to clear up some of the “gray area” misconceptions you may come across while designing ads. Please let us know if you have additional questions about ad design, or about how you can get your ads placed throughout the city at an affordable rate.