Mailer Design - Points for Consideration

Commercial Objective

What do you want people to do?

This is the key question to ask before starting as this will determine the limitations imposed upon the scope of the design.

Mailer Design Considerations

Visual communication

information design

• Does the image tell the story without any copy?
• Is the copy clear and pithy?
• Is there an obvious call to action?
• Are there easily spotted benefit statements?

visual hierarchy

• Create a visual hierarchy to signal importance of elements to the user
• Structure the visual hierarchy to direct the eye to the call-to-action

typography

• Does the copy use headings and subheadings to facilitate scan reading?
• Are the USP and benefit statements summarised in bullet points for immediate recognition?
• Does text use bold, colour and italics to visually highlight important content for scan readers?

Call to action

wording

Short, punchy and proactive (do something!)

colour, position, size

• Use of contrasting (but complementary) colours to highlight Call-to-Action
• Position above the fold
• Proximity to the visual hook
• Size elements with regards to visual hierarchy

Use of devices

Familiar devices serve to highlight the action required, e.g. buttons are clickable, etc

Awareness of “the fold”

Most important elements at the top of the page above the fold (email client “preview” fold, not browser fold):

• Is it positioned to grab the viewers attention and pique curiosity in the first few vital seconds?
• Does it communicate the content of the rest of the mailer?

Use of space

• Is the design too cluttered?
• Does it allow users to see elements clearly?
• Does it use space to defined “containers” for text, product images, etc?

Common conventions

Common conventions (eg. left aligned text, underlined hypertext links etc) facilitate user understanding and rapid extraction of information e.g. they allow users to scan read and draw the eye to salient points.

• Does your design use counter-intuitive design quirks?
• Does the mailer’s elements aid comprehension, or diminish it?

Viewing device constraints

• How will the design look if read on a Blackberry or i-Phone screen?
• Does the message still work if viewed without images?

Mailer Content Considerations

Image-text balance

Ensure best use of layout real-estate, with regards to clarity of message vs digestibility

Clarity & consistency

• Does the email subject line match the copy heading?
• Does the copy message match the imagery?

Balance between message and brand

Remember the commercial objective - is the brand getting in the way of the message?

Compelling content

Content must be short and punchy – but must still be compelling so as to entice the click-through

Implications of target audience

• Does the tone of voice resonate with the intended audience?
• Is the product or offer relevant to them?

Reviewing The Mailer

Check the Commercial Objective

Upon finishing – review the design and ask:

• Is the commercial objective clear?
• What does this mailer want me to do?

If it’s not obvious within seconds of viewing – revisit and rework the design until it is…