That’s where we come in. At Nowspeed, we’re experts in digital marketing, and we’ve helped countless businesses create ad creatives that convert. In this blog post, we’ll share some of our top tips and best practices for creating effective digital ads.

Start with a strong understanding of your target audience

The first step to creating effective ad creatives is to understand your target audience. Who are they? What are their needs and interests? What kind of language do they respond to?

Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, you can start to develop ad creatives that will resonate with them. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, you might want to use bright colors and a fun, upbeat tone in your ads. If you’re targeting business professionals, you might want to use more muted colors and a more serious tone.

Use strong visuals

Visuals are a powerful way to capture attention and communicate your message quickly and effectively. When creating ad creatives, be sure to use high-quality images and videos that are relevant to your target audience and your product or service. Here are some examples of good creative from some of the website’s we’ve built.

Keep your message clear and concise

People are bombarded with advertising all day long, so it’s important to make sure your ad creatives are clear and concise. Get to the point quickly and don’t try to cram too much information into your ad.

Use a strong call to action

Tell your audience what you want them to do. Do you want them to visit your website? Sign up for your email list? Make a purchase? Be clear about what you want them to do and make it easy for them to take action.

Test and iterate

No matter how good your ad creatives are, there’s always room for improvement. Once you’ve launched your ads, be sure to track their performance and make adjustments as needed. This will help you get the most out of your ad budget and improve your results over time.

Following these tips will help you create effective ad creatives that drive results. But remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to advertising. The best way to create effective ad creatives is to experiment and test different things. So don’t be afraid to try new things and see what works best for your business.

Here are some additional tips for creating effective digital ad creatives:

• Use relevant keywords in your ad copy. This will help your ads show up when people are searching for the products or services you offer.
• Use negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you might want to use a negative keyword like “men’s” to prevent your ads from showing up when people search for “men’s clothing.”
• Use ad extensions to add more information to your ads, such as your phone number, address, or website links.
• Target your ads to the right people. Use targeting options like demographics, interests, and behaviors to show your ads to the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
• Track your results and make adjustments as needed. Use analytics tools to track the performance of your ads and see what’s working and what’s not. Then, make adjustments to your campaigns as needed to improve your results.

By following these tips, you can create effective digital ad creatives that drive results for your business.

About Nowspeed: As a pioneer in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, Nowspeed distinguishes itself by delivering cutting-edge marketing strategies that accelerate growth for businesses worldwide. With a comprehensive suite of services, from SEO and social media marketing to pay-per-click campaigns and content creation, Nowspeed offers tailored solutions that align with your unique business objectives. Our dedicated team of marketing experts is committed to using data-driven insights and innovative tactics to help you maximize your online presence, boost customer engagement, and drive sustainable business growth.

#1: Understand Your Audience 

Before putting pen to paper, or in this case, mouse to design tool, you need to have a clear understanding of your target audience. Who are they? What are their interests, needs, and pain points? The answers to these questions will guide your design process, ensuring that your ad creative resonates with your audience and prompts action. 

#2: Embrace Simplicity 

In design, less is often more. Overcrowded visuals or complex designs can confuse your audience and dilute your message. Opt for a simple, clean design with clear, concise copy. The easier your ad is to digest, the more effective it will be. 

#3: Use High-Quality Images 

Blurry, low-quality images will not only detract from your ad’s aesthetic appeal but also harm your brand’s image. Ensure you use high-quality, clear images. If you can’t take your own, there are numerous stock photo websites like Unsplash and Pexels offering high-resolution images free of charge. 

#4: Consistent Branding 

Consistency is key to brand recognition. Use your brand’s colors, fonts, and logo in your ad creatives. Consistent branding not only enhances recognition but also builds trust, significantly influencing purchasing decisions. 

#5: Powerful Call-to-Action 

Your ad creative must guide your audience towards the next step, whether it’s visiting your website, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter. This is achieved with a compelling call-to-action (CTA). Make sure your CTA is clear, persuasive, and prominently placed within your design. 

Now, let’s dive into some user-friendly design tools that can help you craft stunning ad creatives, even with minimal design skills. 

#1: Canva 

Canva is a favorite among non-designers, thanks to its ease of use and abundance of features. It offers a wide range of templates, fonts, images, and graphic elements, allowing you to create eye-catching designs effortlessly. The drag-and-drop interface is simple to use, making it a fantastic tool for beginners. 

#2: Adobe Spark 

Adobe Spark is another excellent tool, offering features for creating graphics, web pages, and short videos. Its pre-designed templates cater to various ad formats, allowing you to create stunning ad creatives with a few clicks. 

#3: Crello 

Crello is a versatile design tool that caters to both beginners and experienced designers. With over 10,000 free templates and an extensive library of images and design elements, Crello makes it easy to create striking ad creatives. 

#4: Snappa 

Snappa is designed to be intuitive and fast, making it perfect for quick ad design tasks. It provides a range of templates optimized for different platforms, from Facebook ads to Twitter banners, ensuring your ad creatives always look their best. 

#5: Piktochart 

While Piktochart is best known for creating infographics, it’s also great for designing ad creatives. With its user-friendly interface, vast template library, and wealth of design elements, you can easily craft ads that capture attention. 

In conclusion, designing stunning ad creatives doesn’t have to be a complex process reserved for professional designers. By understanding your audience, embracing simplicity, maintaining brand consistency, and utilizing powerful CTAs, you can create ads that resonate with your audience and drive action. And with the help of user-friendly design tools like Canva, Adobe Spark, Crello, Snappa, and Piktochart, you can bring your ad creative visions to life, even with minimal design skills. So dive in and start crafting ad creatives that truly make your brand stand out. 

About Nowspeed: As a pioneer in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, Nowspeed distinguishes itself by delivering cutting-edge marketing strategies that accelerate growth for businesses worldwide. With a comprehensive suite of services, from SEO and social media marketing to pay-per-click campaigns and content creation, Nowspeed offers tailored solutions that align with your unique business objectives. Our dedicated team of marketing experts is committed to using data-driven insights and innovative tactics to help you maximize your online presence, boost customer engagement, and drive sustainable business growth.  

Unearthing Your Company’s Purpose

To infuse purpose into your marketing strategies, you must first discern what that purpose is. Your company’s purpose transcends profit generation. It’s about contributing something valuable and unique to the world, addressing a specific societal issue, or satisfying a distinct market need.

Finding your company’s purpose involves introspective exploration. Ask yourself: What does your business bring to the table that’s unique? How does it impact the world positively? If your business were to disappear tomorrow, what void would it leave? Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a clearer understanding of your purpose.

Aligning Purpose with Marketing Strategies

Once you’ve unearthed your company’s purpose, the next step is to weave it into your marketing strategies. Here are a few ways to do that:

Narrative Storytelling: Your purpose should be the cornerstone of your brand’s story. It should inform your brand’s voice, image, and the narratives you weave in your content. Telling stories that reflect your purpose not only makes your brand more relatable, but it also establishes emotional connections with your audience, fostering loyalty and trust.

Purpose-Driven Campaigns: Develop marketing campaigns that underline your purpose. For instance, if your purpose is to promote sustainability, you could launch a campaign about reducing waste or conserving resources. By aligning your campaigns with your purpose, you’re communicating that your company is committed to making a positive impact.

Value-Centric Messaging: Ensure your messaging across all channels emphasizes your purpose. This could involve highlighting the benefits of your products or services, how they align with your purpose, and the positive change they bring about.

Engage Employees: Your employees are your best brand ambassadors. Encourage them to understand, embrace, and communicate your purpose. When they genuinely align with your vision, their interactions with customers will be more authentic and impactful, which can significantly enhance your brand’s credibility.

The Impact of Purpose-Infused Marketing

Purpose-infused marketing can have profound implications for your business growth. Here’s why:

Attracting the Right Customers and Employees: When your purpose is clear, you’re more likely to attract customers and employees who resonate with it. These are individuals who not only believe in what you offer but also in why you offer it. They’ll likely be more committed, loyal, and passionate about supporting your brand.

Differentiation: In today’s saturated markets, having a purpose that stands out can help differentiate your brand. It’s an authentic way to claim a unique space in your industry and capture the attention of your target audience.

Sustainable Growth: A clear, compelling purpose can drive long-term business growth. It can help you navigate through challenging times, keep your team motivated, and maintain customer loyalty. By staying true to your purpose, you’re likely to enjoy sustained success.

In conclusion, purpose is not a trendy buzzword to be taken lightly. It’s a powerful element that can steer your company towards sustainable growth. By understanding and harnessing your purpose, and by aligning it with your marketing strategies, you’ll find it much easier to connect with the right customers and employees. After all, people don’t just buy what you do; they buy why you do it. When your purpose aligns with their values or needs, you create a connection that goes beyond transactions—it evolves into a relationship based on shared beliefs and mutual growth. Purpose is the spark that can ignite passion in your employees, loyalty in your customers, and sustainable growth in your business. So, embrace your purpose and let it shine through every facet of your marketing strategy. When you do, you’ll find that your purpose isn’t just about what you want to accomplish—it’s about the impact you want to have on the world.

Myth 1: Brand Investment ROI Cannot Be Measure

One of the primary reasons some people hesitate to invest in their brand is the belief that the ROI is unquantifiable. While it’s true that brand investment doesn’t typically yield immediate, tangible results, the long-term benefits are invaluable. A robust brand strategy can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher conversion rates, and ultimately, increased revenue.

To measure the ROI of your brand investment, consider tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as brand awareness, customer engagement, and brand sentiment. These metrics will give you valuable insights into the effectiveness of your branding efforts, allowing you to adjust and optimize your strategy for maximum impact.

Myth 2: A Compelling Brand Strategy is Only for Large Corporations

Another common myth is that a strong brand strategy is reserved for large corporations with deep pockets. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A well-defined brand strategy is crucial for businesses of all sizes, as it helps establish a solid foundation for your marketing campaigns and sets your company apart from the competition.

No matter the size of your business, a compelling brand strategy should be at the core of your marketing efforts. It can help create a consistent and cohesive brand experience for your customers, making it easier for them to understand and connect with your company.

Myth 3: Brand Messaging Doesn’t Impact Campaign Performance

There is a misconception that brand messaging is only about creating a catchy slogan or tagline. However, it goes far beyond that. Your brand messaging communicates your company’s core values, mission, and unique selling propositions (USPs) to your target audience. It serves as the foundation for all of your marketing campaigns, helping to ensure a consistent and engaging customer experience.

By investing time and effort into crafting a strong brand message, you can create a lasting impression on your audience, making it more likely that they will engage with your campaigns and become loyal customers. Furthermore, a clear and consistent brand message can enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns by ensuring that your audience understands and connects with your company’s values and mission.

Myth 4: Aesthetic Branding is Unimportant

Some people may argue that investing in a compelling visual brand identity is unnecessary, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. A well-designed visual brand identity, including logo design, color palette, and typography, helps to create a cohesive and memorable customer experience across all touchpoints.

A visually appealing brand identity not only helps your company stand out from the competition but also communicates your brand values and personality. This, in turn, can evoke positive emotions and associations from your target audience, ultimately driving customer loyalty and boosting your campaign performance.

Investing in your brand is not a futile effort, and the return on investment is measurable. By understanding the myths and misconceptions surrounding brand investment, you can make informed decisions about how to develop and grow your brand effectively.

By clarifying your company’s values, creating a powerful brand message, and developing a compelling visual brand identity, you can significantly impact your campaigns’ performance, foster customer loyalty, and drive long-term business growth. It’s important to remember that a strong brand strategy is not reserved for large corporations alone; businesses of all sizes can benefit from investing in their brand. By debunking these myths and embracing the power of strategic branding, you can set your company up for success, creating a distinct and memorable experience for your customers that will keep them coming back for more. So, take the time to develop a well-crafted brand strategy, and watch as it positively impacts your marketing campaigns and propels your business forward.

It’s always been important, and perhaps even underrated compared to some of the sophisticated audience targeting options that have gained notoriety over the last few years. Many advertisers have been using Lookalike Audiences and retargeting audiences with sophisticated retention windows to great effect.

But the Apple iOS 14.5 update just dealt a major blow to advertisers depending on that type of audience targeting—which we’ll discuss more in a minute—but the truth is it was a long time coming.

Forward thinkers have been wondering what it might be like to advertise in a ‘cookie-less’ world since the European Union put the General Data Protection Regulation into effect in May of 2018. Or possibly even before that in 2014 when Facebook came under scrutiny for ‘running experiments’ on its user base, or even the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2016.

Data privacy is a hot topic right now and it has finally moved from theory to practice, meaning advertisers are feeling the negative effects. So what’s the solution?

Focus on better Facebook ad creative.

Creating better ads isn’t the only way to combat less sophisticated targeting, but it’s the best and first thing you should do. That said, this post is all about using the tools available to you—both inside Facebook Ads Manager and inside the psychology of your audience—to get better results with your Facebook ads.

If putting the right message (ad creative) in front of the right audience (targeting) is the goal, you need to get the ad creative right first.

In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive on Facebook ad creative and give you some extremely actionable tips you can use to boost your CTR and lower your CPA. Oh, and *spoiler alert* we’ll also throw in a bonus copywriting framework you can use to write effective copy every time.

But before we get to the actionable stuff, it’s actually super important to understand why you even need good Facebook ad creative in the first place.

Let’s go!

The Importance of Facebook Ad Creative

If you’ve read any of the other Facebook ads content on this blog or heard me speak on the subject, you know that I view Facebook ads as a component of a larger marketing picture. Ads, landing pages, web content, and email are all crucial for success.

But if you can’t get a person to click your ad, the rest of your funnel doesn’t matter because they’ll never see it. In that sense, you need to get the ad creative right in order to even have a shot at converting a visitor into a lead or customer.

So how can you measure good Facebook ad creative? Easy, just look at the click-through rate (CTR).

• If your CTR is above 2%, your ad creative has done its job admirably
• If your CTR is below .5%, you need to go back to the drawing board

Note—A successful advertising campaign depends on other metrics, particularly cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM), but those aren’t affected by ad creative as directly as CTR. Your landing page experience is largely responsible for CPA, and CPM is affected by targeting and other factors. Since this post is about ad creative, let’s focus there.

As we mentioned, the reason Facebook ad creative is so important today is that the privacy updates with iOS 14 have stripped advertisers of some of their advanced audience targeting tools. This is affecting ad delivery and reporting, and all you have to do is browse #FacebookAds Twitter to see how media buyers feel about it…

Since there’s nothing we can do about that, advertisers would do well to double down on ad creative. If you can’t display your ad to precisely the right audience at exactly the right time, you can make sure your ad stands out.

That said, let’s take a closer look at what makes a good Facebook ad.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Facebook Ad

Ever notice how there are very few bands that only use one instrument? Generally speaking, most bands have several different instruments that play in concert to produce a sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Facebook ad creative functions in the same way. There are four* main components that should work in concert in order to get you that click. The components are:

• Image or video
• Primary text
• Headline
• Call to action button

*There is also a link description, but this doesn’t display on mobile, which is where the majority of ads are shown.

In order to make sure all four components are working together, you first need to understand an older, yet timeless, advertising concept:

Attention > Interest > Desire > Action

AIDA is the classic decision-making process that all humans go through in response to advertising stimuli. It can happen in as little as one second, but it happens before every single click.

And each of the four Facebook ad creative components is responsible for each of those four steps.

If you make sure that each component is optimized to do the job it’s assigned, you’ll be well on your way to CTRs of 1-2% and up. Let’s break down each ad component one at a time.

Attention = Image or Video

When it comes to Facebook ads, the “attention” step in AIDA can be thought of as stopping the scroll. Put yourself in the shoes of a Facebook user on her phone:

She’s SCROLLING with her thumb looking for content that interests her. What’s the first thing she sees? The image or video. This is because the brain can process an image faster than it can process text, so this is the natural first step.

The job of your Facebook ad image or video is to stop the scroll.

It can do a lot more than that, but if you’ve successfully stopped somebody from scrolling (aka got their attention), you’re doing better than the majority of advertisers. See, if somebody stops scrolling, their next move is to glance up at the primary text area, giving you a better opportunity to capture their interest, but we’ll get to that in the next section.

Here are a few key ways to get attention with your Facebook ad image or video.

Color – Images that are white, grey, or blue are going to wash out in the Facebook user interface. Bright colors are going to stand out more. The social media team who promoted Fyre Festival (lol) announced the event by having their influencers post a plain orange tile. I do not recommend this, but it shows the extreme end of the spectrum that color can have. Images that are white, grey, or blue are going to wash out in the Facebook user interface. Bright colors are going to stand out more.

Faces – Humans are naturally drawn to eye contact with other human faces. If appropriate, eye contact can help establish trust in your message.

High-contrast photos – By bumping up the contrast in your photos, you can have your images jump off the screen a bit more with sharper lines than the rest of the organic photos posted every day.

Motion – For videos, somebody walking is a great attention grabber. Where is he walking to? Not sure, but now I want to stick around and find out! Get it?

Text overlays – If you have a succinct message (fewer than 7 words) that complements your image, by all means, throw it on top with a text overlay.

And whatever you do, please don’t use stock photography out of the box. Nothing screams “Please keep scrolling!” louder than a stock photo of two guys doing a handshake in a corporate setting. This doesn’t mean don’t use stock photos at all, but consider bumping up the contrast, using a composite, or adding a text overlay.

Got their attention? Great—let’s build their interest.

Interest = Primary Text

You have their attention, now it’s time to build their interest. So how do you do that?

Effectively transfer a single, clear idea.

Notice that I didn’t say sell your product or service. No, that comes later. At this point, you do not have their trust, but you do have their attention. Invite them into your brand further by transferring a key idea.

What idea, you ask? Pick one:

• Fear
• Anger
• Happiness
• Intelligence
• Curiosity
• Success

Notice how these feelings are primal and not specific.

• Fear of loss is a powerful motivator: You may be spending too much on auto insurance.
• Anger causes action: Did you know thousands of whales are slaughtered every year?
• Everyone wants happiness: These sheets feel like a cloud.

And so on. There are dozens if not hundreds of different ways you can execute this technique, but the immutable law is:

Seek to imprint a single, clear idea into the minds of your audience.

DO NOT attempt to sell a laundry list of benefits.

DO NOT attempt to explain your product or service in detail.

DO NOT use multiple angles.

The key here is that you are not selling your product or service at this point—you are selling the click. Remember, your landing pages and website can help you sell your brand, but people first have to have enough interest to click.

In order to capitalize on the attention, you gained from your image or video, plant a single idea in their head. You can use a statement or even a question. In very limited cases, you can tell a story through a mini-blog post (sometimes referred to as “broetry”) but I only suggest this if you know your audience very, very well and you’re operating in a specific niche. Otherwise, keep your copy to one or two sentences.

If you’re looking for inspiration on primary text copy for Facebook ads, we have a proven framework we use at Nowspeed that I’ll explain in the next section.

But until then, let’s move onto the next step in our audience’s decision-making process.

Related reading: Launch Your Lead Generation With the Facebook Ads Two-Step

Desire = Headline

OK, so I fudged a little bit—it’s not always clear which part of your ad (the primary text or the headline) your audience will read first if you successfully stop them from scrolling past your ad. In that sense, it’s hard to separate interest and desire by headline or primary text.

Rather, here’s how I use the headline area:

Give the reader an obvious clue about what’s on the other side of their click.

What’s a Facebook user’s biggest fear? You guessed it—clicking on an ad only to have the page load slowly, be unreadable on mobile, or offer something other than what they were expecting. A whole 5 seconds of their life down the drain…

You laugh, but that’s hardly an exaggeration. In order to combat that fear, use your headline to give the person a convenient little bridge so they know what to expect.

• For e-commerce, this is a great spot to put a discount code + your product. That way, they know they’ll soon be looking at swimsuits for 15% off.
• For info products, let them know there is a free video training they can watch instantly.
• For lead generation, hint at the solution to the problem you’ve raised with your ad copy.

In order to pay off this desire you’ve aroused, you must be absolutely sure your landing page transitions seamlessly from your ad. If you offered a free video training, there had better be a video embedded on your landing page above the fold.

The concept of landing page ‘scent’ means your landing page should smell like the ad—considering using the same color scheme and even some of the same words from your ad. That way, your reader knows she’s in the right place and it’s less of a jarring transition from Facebook to your site.

There are many ways to use the headline component of your ad, but that’s how I do it.

Now, let’s bring it home.

Action = Call to Action Button

Last up is the call to action button. Facebook gives you several options here, 18 to be exact:

If somebody hasn’t clicked yet, this is your last-ditch effort and likely the least important of the Facebook ad components I’ve addressed thus far.

Here are my go-to buttons:

• Learn More – If you’re not sure, start here.
• Watch More – If you have a video sales letter on your landing page
• Sign Up – If it’s a low-commitment offer like a free ebook, etc.
• Get Offer – If you’ve addressed a problem and built a valuable offer like a free consultation
• Shop Now – For e-commerce, obviously

As I’m A/B testing different ad creative components, this is generally the last thing I’ll test. But, you do have options and they can make a minor—but measurable—difference in CTR.

By now you should have a pretty good read on how all the Facebook ad components work together. But you still might be wondering:

What should I write?

We can’t tell you exactly what to write because every business is unique. But what we can do is give you a proven framework that will help you get a running start on your ad copy.

Bonus—A Proven Copywriting Framework for Facebook Ads

At Nowspeed, pretty much every single Facebook ad we write falls under one of three themes:

• Value
• Relationship
• Scarcity

If you’re not sure what to write, start by writing primary text options that address each of these points. Inject your own style, of course, but stick to these proven topics—your audience is highly likely to go for one of them, and you can A/B test them against each other to see which drives higher CTR and lower CPA.

Note that we’ll actually use these themes in the naming convention of our ads. This gives us a quick view in reporting which is performing better. This way, you can run the same image or video with different primary text options and see if it has a positive effect on CTR.

With those three themes, you should never have to worry about what to write ever again!

Remember though—Facebook advertising, or any type of advertising, is only a small part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. You’re going to need a lot more if you want to have long-term success.

If you’re interested in seeing how Facebook advertising fits into the bigger picture of digital marketing for lead generation, check out our free webinar the Digital Blueprint for Business.

While these are all necessary ingredients of any well-designed website, it is also very important to execute designs using the brand identity and maintaining brand consistency as well.

One key goal of any website design is to immediately engage users with recognizable visuals, layouts, and messaging. Because there are likely hundreds or even  thousands of businesses in your industry that offer a product or service just like yours, your website design must reflect the attributes that define your company—those specific details that make you different from the competition.

Visuals are very important for brand recognition. Consider the following not-so-random words: yellow, arches, and smile. Remind you of a certain fast food restaurant? Companies like McDonald’s, Nike, and Chanel have logos and design elements that are immediately recognizable. Every successful brand is made up of unique colors, typographic styles, photography, and established tone.

While not all of us are mega corporations—Nowspeed certainly isn’t—brand identity and brand consistency are extremely important when it comes to website design. If you follow trends, or design from a template, you’re likely to get lost in the vast sea of trendy, templated websites and logos. But if you define your company and set out to create a design based on that definition, you’ll wind up with both visuals and a website design that truly stand out and represent your company.

That’s what brand identity and consistency is all about: figuring out what makes you…you, and designing with that in mind from start to finish.

Here are some tips to maintain brand consistency when designing your website.

Establish your color palette, but don’t go too crazy, as too much use of color can distract from other elements that tell the story of your business.

Determine which colors are your primary and secondary colors and use them accordingly. Secondary colors should only be used as an accent to highlight pieces of information or draw attention to areas within a section.

Decide whether you want your site to have a lighter or darker background. This will reflect the tone of your brand and how you want to be perceived. Darker backgrounds can provide a sense of luxury, intimidation, strength and confidence but are paired better with less content and more visuals due to readability concerns.

The website for the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City (above) uses black to project all those qualities of wealth and luxury, while the product page for Apple’s MacBook Air (below) utilizes lighter backgrounds to give a sense of clarity, understanding, and welcome that also allows for more content to be displayed and provides emphasizes the product imagery.

Color should be used sparingly and in a well thought-out manner to draw attention to important content without distracting from the main message. Also, keep in mind that you are likely going to want to use photography on your website. If the story is being told through images, you don’t want multiple colors to distract from that story.

Use elements of your logo as a visual embellishment that helps make your website’s style and design more unique.

Your logo is the face of your brand. It’s usually the first thing that people see. If there are embellishments in the logo, these are good opportunities to use it throughout the site for highlighting sections or pieces of text.

If your logo is unique due to typography choices, you can reuse that stylistic choice throughout the site in headers or call out text.

Your logo will help you establish the feeling and tone of your brand. It emphasizes its importance and constantly seeing these elements throughout the site will remind the user of who you are. By using it throughout the site—both functionally, as part of the header menu linking back to your homepage, and as an accent for site elements and imagery—it shows that your logo is not just a random symbol, but rather is tied into the identity and feel of your business.

Choose a typeface that reflects your company culture and how you want to be perceived.

The various styles of typefaces can be used to further tell the story of your brand and establish your brand as possessing certain qualities (professional, luxurious, helpful, experienced, etc.). This is where you really have to think about how you want the company to present itself. Refer to this article about choosing the right typeface for your brand and appropriate typeface pairings by Pixelsurplus.

If you are a tech company, you may choose a sans serif typeface that is very simple and easy to read to show that you are straight to the point, experts in what you do, personable and easy to approach.

For example, Samsung’s website uses a thicker sans serif typeface that makes the content extremely legible and clear, while also giving the sense that their products are durable. The hint of personality seen on the “t’s” makes them more approachable and shows they stand out from other companies. The shortened heights of the “H’s”, “T’s, and “L’s” give a sense of stability and reliability.

If you are a boutique clothing store, you may want a typeface that is more elegant, captures the eye with its unique qualities, and gives a sense of establishment. In this case it could be a serif or calligraphic typeface that sets you apart from other boutique clothing stores and reflects the styles of clothing you offer (ex. clothing inspired by nature and florals, sleek professional looks, comfortable fun-loving designs, etc.).

When looking at the Laurenly Boutique website, the serif typeface with varying line widths and subtle variations in individual letter design give a sense of high-class quality, attention to detail with their clothing, and femininity. The smaller sans serif typeface complements this look very well with its simplicity and slight roundness, offsetting the harsh edges of the serif typeface. They use the secondary font in a way that whispers information to the user and entices them to feel a sense of intrigue as to what Laurenly has to offer.

Setting photography and illustration standards ensures that the visuals support your brand’s story.

Photos are excellent ways to support your brand story, and can even serve as the main means of telling it. User’s eyes are drawn to visuals, and it is important that images and illustrations throughout your site continue to reflect the established tone of your website.

Make decisions on how you want photos to be oriented, the composition within the photos, whether you want a warmer or cooler color scheme for each shot, and how the subjects in the images should be focused on. Keeping these things in mind will help support your content, and help users better understand what your company does and what you strive to do for them.

As for illustrations, infographics, and icons, a certain style needs to be set that follows the tone. If you are going for a professional and clean look, thin lines with not too much detail are best.

If you are going for a playful and exciting story, thicker lines, with more color, and detail will support that narrative.

With these four points in mind, you can transform a general template into a site that reflects the essence of your brand and creates a consistent, memorable story.