Direct Mail Design - Keeping Your Customer’s Eyes on the Prize

BOHEMIA, N.Y. - May 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Designing for direct mail is a combination of words and images. They each are quite different things and interact in unpredictable ways. As one can imagine, getting them to look good together can be tough.

When designing for direct mail, many people have a tendency to be overly concerned about the individual design elements in the piece.

Direct mail can be colorful and creative. But in the end, every direct mail piece is about getting people to read words on a printed page. And that’s no easy task.

Good designers follow a plan. They put an image here and the type goes there. Keep it simple. Keep the interaction between the two simple.

Reading is a chore for most people. And when you see just how hard the process is, you’ll understand why you should avoid getting too creative with type.

The most common typeface for reading direct mail is text. When reading is your primary goal in direct marketing, the designer must select a type of text that is smooth, flowing and pleasant to read.

The type of text to select is one that is legible and highly readable. In your selection process make sure legibility refers to clarity. How is one letter distinguished from all the other letters is a good rule to follow.

Readability of a text type means how well letters interact to compose words, sentences and paragraphs. In other words, a text that is smooth, clear and readable. You’ll see why making reading as easy as possible should be your number one goal.

Let your design direct your readers’ eyes. The eye typically moves from left to right – then down to the lower left corner – then right again. Reading in any other direction is nearly impossible. This left-to-right movement is not smooth.

And people do not read word-by-word. The eye actually skips along, stopping briefly here and there to take in groups of words. Reading experts call these stops, which last about a quarter of a second each, “fixations.”

What about a focus on a product? Once in the store, you can see and touch the product. On paper or on a screen, all the reader can do is imagine what the product can do. In this type of direct marketing using mail, a goal is through words, pictures and composition to make the product speak for itself.

So speak for yourself. Your audience is just like you. They are intelligent, make good decisions and are always running short of time.

A shopper doesn’t search for a store but a product. Visualize the selling experience. Be prepared. Be clear. Make your point. Be concise. And don’t waste anyone’s time.

Planning, readability and visualization are important to maintain success with your direct mail and marketing projects. Learning more about your prospects and customers can help you select the appropriate vision for paper or the screen.

MVS Mailers, Inc.
31 Crossways East
Bohemia, NY 11716

www.MVSmailers.com