Graphic Design Before & After

We’re often asked to re-design marketing materials for clients. They want something more attractive, but we want to deliver not just good design, but a piece that will actually help market products and services more effectively.

Here’s a sample of a project we were asked to redesign. Our client had a two-sided sales sheet that was frankly awful. On many levels, not just from the overall look and feel.

First, we have to know what is wrong with the existing design:

1. The original sales sheet is full of text. It looks like a chore. If your customers don’t want to read your pitch, why bother to put it together and pay to have it printed?
2. The gold banner grabs your attention visually, but the logo, as presented, looks old-fashioned. This is a tech company, their brand image should scream “streamlined and professional!“
3. The headlines feature the wrong information. “What is Quickalytics?” may be the question on people’s minds, but shouldn’t the answer to the question get top billing?
4. Horrible layout. It looks like a Word document with the logo thrown in repeatedly in an attempt to make it look interesting. The reader has to slog through the content from top to bottom. 
5. Price as a feature? There are times when the price IS the selling tool. This is not one of them.

This is the sales sheet we designed.

Written content from the original and their website provided the starting point, and all content was edited to speak directly to the consumer.

Here’s how we improved the graphic design of this sales sheet:

1. Marketed directly to the target audience. Their target market is medium to large professional businesses. Every part of the content we added is designed to make this piece resonate with the audience.
2. Delivered value. We’ve featured value statements, and used the question to lead readers further into the message.
3. Left out pricing. This sales sheet’s job is to show value and garner enough interest to get a conversion act (email, phone call, etc.). We want to let the sales staff answer the pricing question. At the same time, they can answer more questions and close the sale.
4. Organized content. We need to convey a lot of information, so logical order is critical. We’ve used a general format of  Value, Big Picture “about” info on the front, More (feature) Details on the back. We’ve carefully written content to speak directly to the consumer. Features/Benefits is a common formula followed, but to be more compelling to a consumer, content should be written in a way that states the value first and then explain how product features provide value.
5. Presented content in a manner that is fast and easy to read. Columns provide faster readability. Bullet points make it easy to skim important information. Bolded headlines give quick visual cues to deeper information.
6. Separation of information without visual clutter. Less is more is a design principle that we take seriously, because it works. The front side of the sales sheet uses the right column to point out some great benefits that address customer pains–time to onboard, and how they’ll host the product.The back of the sales sheet uses the right column to showcase a testimonial. Testimonials are powerful tools; this one won’t get lost.
7. Great design leads to great results. We’ve taken great care to leave plenty of white space so the piece doesn’t look too busy. Colors take their cue from the logo. The gray is all-business. Using it behind some of the most important statements (in white) helps them stand out.Gold is a visually strong color, but it can almost scream. We’ve used it as an accent instead of the main color.Stock photos were carefully chosen to reinforce the message, but also to blend well with the overall design.
8. We finished strong. The company promise is highlighted near the bottom of the back of the sales sheet. After we’ve told the story of what the product can do, and how it provides value, we tell the story of HOW this company delivers, with a guarantee that customers can count on.
9. Contact information. This is our subtle call to action. The logo and full contact information is the last step that a prospective customer needs to convert to a client. The logo doesn’t need to be the featured graphic of the sales sheet, it’s used here as an identifier. Losing the oval background streamlines the look.