What I Designed Today: Interchangeable B&W Newspaper Ads

So, these are quite simple but since they’re only 2″ wide and they pack a lot of info, it is important to make them readable but still stand out on the entire huge newspaper print page full of black and white!  Enter the diagonally cropped picture.  It really works!  It adds just enough visual “movement” to help the ad stand out on the static page and draw the eye of the reader.  Take a look and see which is your favorite.  These 8 ads are being printed in a series in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise newspaper, based on which performer is coming up next chronologically.

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What I Designed Today: OK Mozart Ads

One is a grayscale ad for newsprint and the second is a recreation of their ad in Conde Nast, originally done by PDG Creative, with the proper fonts of this year’s campaign and a little bit of a changeup in placement if items and photos (at OK Mozart’s request). It was a good work day, busy but not TOO stressful!

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What I Designed Today: the Basics of Designing Effective, Simple Black & White Ads

Nebraska Music Dealers & Exhibitors Association – NMDEA Ads

In 2006, a good friend asked me to redo the NMDEA black and white ad that had been running at their annual convention. It was a quick job so I agreed. I have now been doing their annual ad since 2006 and through two long distance moves! She approached me again this Spring for the 2012 ad and I thought it would be a good time to compile and compare past versions before I make something new. Sometimes I find an effective black and white or grayscale ad is much, much more difficult than a full color one. You have to really try to stand out from the crowd! My favorite was 2011, with the Nebraska outline used in the center. It’s funny how I can see a definite progression over the years to a better design – something I hadn’t noticed until they were side-by-side. Thanks to my friend, Marilyn, for the annual one-color challenge.

NMDEA-2011

NMDEA-2009

NMDEA-2007

NMDEA-2006