From the SMX West Conference in San Jose, California, March 1-3, 2016. SESSION: Getting Images Right In Paid Search. PRESENTATION: Visual Thinking and Practical Design Principles - Given by Dustin W. Stout, @dustinwstout - Weal Media Corporation, CMO. #SMX #31B
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Fogg, B., Soohoo, C., Danielson, D., Marable, L., Standord, J., & Tauber, E. (2003)
FACT 2:
Human beings have evolved to judge their
environment based on visual cues.
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Stout, Dustin W. (2015)
VISUAL TRUST:
When something looks professional, we
generally assume that it is professional.
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Plain and simple. Don’t screw that up.
BEFORE ALL ELSE:
The purpose of good visual design is to
effectively communicate a message.
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Our brains are programmed to see symmetry as beauty.
BALANCE:
Clearly structured with visual “weight”
evenly distributed throughout the canvas.
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Also known as white space or negative space.
FRAMING:
Creating even clearance around the
edges of your visual piece.
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Also known as white space or negative space.
FRAMING:
This is an example of really bad framing. Please do not
subject your audience to text that goes all the way to the
edge of the canvas.
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See what I did there?
When you frame your message, it directs
people’s eyes better than a thousand
tacky-looking arrows ever would.
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Probably the hardest thing to explain, so let me show you...
CONTRAST:
Visual distinction between background
and subject matter.
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Witty commentary here.
COLOR:
Using the right combinations can set an
emotional and psychological tone.
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Start paying attention to opening credits in movies.
COLOR TIP 1:
White text on dark (or high contrast
background) works best.
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Start paying attention to opening credits in movies.
COLOR TIP 2:
Forget all those “studies” about what color
to make your CTA. Just make sure it
passes the Squint Test.
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Start paying attention to opening credits in movies.
COLOR TIP 3:
Stick to 3 colors or less, with your CTA
being the brightest.
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Resist the urge to give a lecture on the difference between “typefaces” and “fonts”.
TYPOGRAPHY:
Or in other words-- choosing the right
“fonts” for the job.
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Plain and simple. Don’t screw that up.
BEFORE ALL ELSE:
The purpose of good visual design is to
effectively communicate a message.