Online to Offline (O2O) comprehension has increased over the last two decades. However, there are still a few things that online can learn from offline that have been around since the invention of the printing press 500 years ago.
As a designer, it’s your duty to help your customers show off their brand and connect with potential customers – immaterial if it’s print media or digital media - Pavan Java
Use of Space, Content with Balance
In print, we need to be aware of how much space we have to fit your work into because adding more space means increasing the size (and cost) of the media itself.
The efficiency of a direct mailer—in a small amount of space, print media is able to grab the audience’s attention and deliver an effective message.
Digital designs strive for frugality conveying a strong central communication without trying to stuff as many elements, as possible. The use of a few words always works wonders. A few strong images instead of a cluttered collage create an impactful message.
Modular makes messaging clear
When people view a piece of print media, they expect to find the information they’re looking for without having to read the entire thing. Think of the way a postcard compartmentalizes information into easy-to-read sections.
We focus on Editorial Design use headlines and sub-headings to guide your audience’s eyes to the most vital information, keep paragraphs short. With typography bold and italic typesetting or bright colors to highlight important segments. There are several visual cues to increase readability. Including pictures that tie into the information being presented so that people can quickly find the sections, they’re looking for. Using infographics to convey messaging borrowing visual design elements commonly found in print media, such as starbursts, arrows, and other simple shapes that draw attention.
Repetitive messaging helps conversion
Print marketing collateral is just a piece of paper – it can’t convert customers all on its own. The call to action is what propels the customer into taking that next step towards a conversion. Print collateral with multiple pages will feature a subtle CTA strategically throughout the communication so that the reader is never too far from the information he needs to carry forward with a sale or conversion.
The benefit of a web campaign is that a website can directly lead a potential customer onto the next step of the process through hyperlinks and other interactive elements. However, one can’t assume the audience is going to know where to click or for what reason unless it’s been clearly defined. And they won’t be able to locate these points of interaction unless the design draws attention to them through the use of creative typography, imagery, or other eye-catching techniques.
Trigger All Senses
Print marketing collateral has the benefit of being a physical object, which affects both sight and touch. When people experience something for the first time, their brains create a sense of memory associated with that moment. The more senses that the brain can use to understand the experience, the stronger the memory becomes. Print designs often incorporate foiling, embossing, UV coating, use of textured lamination, textured papers, and other things that make a better connection to a person’s sense of touch.
Although web design has its limitations, it also has the ability to affect more than one sense – visuals and sound. By adding audio to our web designs we cannot only ensure a stronger sense of recall but a greater degree of accessibility. The audio could also come as part of a video, which allows the brand to literally speak to the audience.
Keep balance functionality & style
Print designs still have to have some level of practicality – an accordion folder has to open and close easily, not to mention hold the internal leaflets securely. Web designs are no different – creativity is key, but functionality is equally or even more important.
You don’t want your audience to become frustrated and navigate away from the page because the design confused them or they couldn’t find what they were looking for. The function of the design is to convey a message, so we won’t want to create a distraction that draws attention away from that message either.
Functionality doesn’t just mean creating a user-friendly interface, but being aware of the different ways your audience looks at websites. Think of our design as a fishing net instead of a fishing lure – the net may not be as pretty as the lure, but it’s a more practical way to catch a large amount of fish at once.