Print and Web design have a number of things in common, one of the most important of which is their role in delivering visual impact. Marketing through design is all about making an impact visually, this means that beyond aesthetics, the psychology behind the design of your postcard printing or brochure printing pieces need to be geared towards making the best impressions both explicitly and subliminally. Colors and graphics play vital roles in doing this.
Background Colors: A Subliminal Message
Colors in large quantities have subtle yet essential psychological impacts. The background colors of print material for instance, would carry a subliminal message apart from what the material’s text says. Using colors in print design because they are serviceable enough for it is no guarantee they will work. Shades of pink are design-worthy enough, but its frilly associations need to be downplayed by more colors in the design to not detrimentally affect the outcome of the material’s impact.
Another case in point is using red for a greater male or female demographic audiences. For male audiences, brighter, purer shades are preferred, while for females, blue-based shades like purple and burgundy are better.
Foreground Colors: Retention and Comprehension
Where background colors help set the psychological mood, foreground colors directly impact retention and comprehension. Think of it this way: items in colors contrasting with their surroundings are not only easily noticeable, they’re easily memorable too. Research has shown that the simple act of highlighting text in college textbooks not only makes the particular highlighted lines, but the entire message that comes with it, more memorable.
Continue reading "Behind Visual Impact: Colors and Graphics" »
Previously we covered the best theoretical uses of Quick Response codes, now let’s get into how we can use these theories and put them into practice. Let’s see how we can use QR codes in print marketing – specifically how they can work on some of the most common print material used for promotional and marketing purposes.
“BBC” worked into a QR code.
Business Cards
You can make or break important business deals even and especially in the very first impressions. And the foremost tool when it comes to making favorable first impressions is the iconic business card. You can go for capturing creativity and sending bold messages through die-cut cards or unconventional ones, or you can simply add an interactive element like a QR code.
A creative QR code above and a small, usual one to the lower left side of this business card makes it advanced, creative, and curious.
QR codes can automatically save your vCard details to your client’s smart phone or lead them to an About Us or Contact Us webpage of your business site. You can adjust the information the QR code transmits depending on the design of your business card too.
Continue reading "Quick Response Codes 101: Applications in Print Marketing" »
A relatively new, engaging, and effective marketing tool is becoming increasingly popular today: QR codes. Quick Response codes are barcode-like, square, 2D patterns typically similar in scale to commonplace barcodes. Of course, the information they deliver is not so threadbare.
A typical QR code looks like this.
What’s In a QR Code?
Where normal barcodes have encoded pricing data (numeric), QR codes can harbor many other forms of information. What’s promising about this technology is how they are used today.
QR codes are read through smart phone cameras and decoded by QR code reader applications.
QR codes originate from Japan, where car manufacturing giant Toyota introduced them years before to identify (and present data of) their new cars. The Western hemisphere has only recently caught wind of the many varied uses of the barcode level-up. Today, QR codes are typically scanned via smart phones and a specialized QR code reader application decodes the information in them. It’s soon to become a common occurrence for someone to whip up their smart phone and scan a QR code on a product flyer with their camera, then they are automatically routed to a website where they can access more information about the product.
Continue reading "Quick Response Codes 101: A New Marketing Technology" »
