{"id":23830,"date":"2021-01-02T09:12:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-02T13:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=23830"},"modified":"2021-01-18T01:37:15","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T05:37:15","slug":"print-ad-layout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you create a great print ad layout? Are there rules to follow about layout for print ads?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Print ad layout is part of the design of the ad. The layout should make it easy for the reader to see and understand the ad. It’s important that the layout is clean and is not distracting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about print ad layout and how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Print Ad Layout<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The print ad layout is the placement of the above four elements on the page. The goal of a print ad layout is to make it as easy as possible for a reader to understand your ad<\/strong>, not <\/em>to create something that\u2019s pretty. First, we\u2019ll look at some general information about layout. Then, we\u2019ll look at how it specifically applies to different print media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Guidelines<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To make your ads as legible as possible follow these steps for a print ad layout:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip #1: Don\u2019t set your headlines or ads in all-caps. <\/strong>All-caps are hard to read because without changes in letter height, it\u2019s hard to recognize words, and people tend to read letter by letter, which is slower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • For example, this ad for ABN bank is very hard to read:[image] oglivy-abnbank.png<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #2: Don\u2019t overlay your headlines on illustrations.<\/strong> This makes them hard to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #3: Don\u2019t put periods at the end of your headlines.<\/strong> This will make people stop reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #4: Make your text block approximately 40 characters wide.<\/strong> This is how wide newspaper columns are and people find this width easy to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #5: Use fonts that people are familiar with<\/strong>, such as Jenson, Baskerville, Caslon, or Century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #6: Use serif fonts <\/strong>(fonts that have small strokes attached to the end of larger strokes of letters). They\u2019re easier to read because they help the eye distinguish between letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #7: Keep your margins consistent.<\/strong> Don\u2019t try to make shapes with the text because it makes the text less legible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • For example, these ads are hard to read:[image] oglivy-badtyppography2.png<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Tip #8: Set your text in black on a white background.<\/strong> The opposite, white on black, is hard to read. (The only exception is if your ad will be read in a dark place with a single light source, such as a theater, because in this case, white on black is more legible.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Tip #9: If your copy is long:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • Put a two-line subhead between your headline and the copy. This will encourage the reader to continue on.<\/li>
      • Use drop-caps (the first letter is larger than the rest of the text). This increases readership by approximately 13%.<\/li>
      • Keep the first paragraph shorter than 11 words.<\/li>
      • Include a subheading every two or three inches to create some white space and make the text look more approachable. Subheads should contain enough information that if a reader only reads them and not the copy, the reader will still understand the gist of the story. Additionally, make some of the subheadings questions. These encourage the reader to continue reading.<\/li>
      • Don\u2019t use justified alignment or try to have every column finish at the bottom of the page. Short lines improve readership.<\/li>
      • Emphasize important paragraphs by setting them in italic or bold.<\/li>
      • Use bullets, asterisks, arrows, or marginal marks to make the text look more accessible and therefore increase readership.<\/li>
      • Number lists of facts rather than trying to awkwardly link them together with connectives.<\/li>
      • Use 11-point text (font size 11).<\/li>
      • Include extra line spacing between paragraphs. This increases readership by approximately 12%.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        A print ad layout can help create a compelling and effective ad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        How do you create a great print ad layout? Are there rules to follow about layout for print ads? Print ad layout is part of the design of the ad. The layout should make it easy for the reader to see and understand the ad. It’s important that the layout is clean and is not distracting. Read more about print ad layout and how it works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,104,103],"tags":[189],"class_list":["post-23830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-marketing","category-sales","tag-ogilvy-on-advertising","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carrie Cabral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carrie Cabral\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carrie Cabral\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56\"},\"headline\":\"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\"},\"wordCount\":602,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ogilvy on Advertising\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"Marketing\",\"Sales\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\",\"name\":\"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56\",\"name\":\"Carrie Cabral\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carrie Cabral\"},\"description\":\"Carrie has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been open to reading anything put in front of her. She wrote her first short story at the age of six, about a lost dog who meets animal friends on his journey home. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. Carrie worked in book publishing for several years before getting an MFA in Creative Writing. She especially loves literary fiction, historical fiction, and social, cultural, and historical nonfiction that gets into the weeds of daily life.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/carrie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout - Shortform Books","description":"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout","og_description":"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1706,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carrie Cabral","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carrie Cabral","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/"},"author":{"name":"Carrie Cabral","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56"},"headline":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout","datePublished":"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/"},"wordCount":602,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Ogilvy on Advertising"],"articleSection":["Business","Marketing","Sales"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/","name":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-02T13:12:27+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-18T05:37:15+00:00","description":"How do you design a great print ad layout? The layout should be clean and help convey information. Follow these steps to ensure great design.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/print-ad-layout\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"9 Tips for Creating a Perfect Print Ad Layout"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56","name":"Carrie Cabral","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carrie Cabral"},"description":"Carrie has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been open to reading anything put in front of her. She wrote her first short story at the age of six, about a lost dog who meets animal friends on his journey home. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. Carrie worked in book publishing for several years before getting an MFA in Creative Writing. She especially loves literary fiction, historical fiction, and social, cultural, and historical nonfiction that gets into the weeds of daily life.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/carrie\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/glasses-notebook-white-writing-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23830"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24436,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23830\/revisions\/24436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}