If you’ve been on the net for some time, you may have heard of Adblock, a browser add on that allows you to protect yourself or rid your browsing experience of advertisements. No doubt that for many producers both large and small, advertisement revenue can be a very profitable revenue stream in addition to helping consumers find new content that they otherwise may not have considered. Here’s the issue at hand, you have to work off the assumption that Adblock was created as a countermeasure to invasive, intrusive and outright unsafe (queue viruses and malware) advertisements that were clogging the end user experience. You also have to work off the assumption that there is so much bandwidth a computer can take and certain advertisements can destroy one’s browsing experience. I’ve seen it time and time again visiting websites that will push an advertisement in your face, which in some aspects insults the end user. As an Industry we must strive to do better. So the simple question we should be asking ourselves is how can we come up with content that is pleasing to the end user while delivering quality content and/or raising awareness about products/services that may be of use to them, thus the end user engaging said advertisement(s)? The answer really isn’t so complicated, less is more. Traditional methods of ad communication can be just as effective without the intrusiveness (banner ads, small affiliate ads, the occasional wallpaper ad, etc.) The key to bypassing Adblock is building trust with your readers through clean attractive content that won’t sneak a Trojan onto their computer. Massive video and/or intensive ads plopping up on the screen as soon as the end user opens the site does nothing for anyone and only increases the reader’s aversion to your product(s) and the third party hosting them. Continuing to press the issue with louder and more obnoxious advertisements will only hinder the effectiveness of your content no matter how well crafted the message may be. Ultimately we should strive to deliver value to our readers and end users, not forcing it on them and a medium where the advertiser, the third party and the end user co-exists in a healthy environment. Hello to all; apologies for the inactivity I've been busy. Regardless as promised here is another set of old ads I created a while back. I love Coca Cola Vanilla with a passion so yeah... enjoy.
As some of you may know (if you came from my old Tumblr) I have quite the hobby for gaming, creating content, advertisements, etc. So as promised I am going to start uploading all of my old ads from Tumblr plus a few new ones in sets to make them easier to digest. So to start, here are a few old advertisements I created when I was in college.
It is often said that one shouldn't judge by looks, however one of the most important things when starting up your blog, website or brand is deciding on your logo. The logo is the immediate indicator of you, the "face" of your brand if you will. With that said, here are a few things to consider when developing a logo for your brand: 1. Colors Something that isn't mentioned often is the color of your logo. Colors themselves carry distinctive and varied meanings and is something to consider when creating your logo. For instance, my logo above is black and white as I chose to use colors which conveys "simplistic and distinguishable" (though I am considering Blue, my favorite color, in the future). 2. Style Consider what style of logo you want, you could go for a flashy design like Aston Martin or take a minimalist approach like Microsoft. Keep in mind how your audience will perceive the style by putting yourself in their shoes and asking yourself question they made ask in relation to the aesthetics of your brand. 3. Imagery/Symbols If you're thinking about including images into your logo, think about going for things that relate in some fashion to your content whether directly, discreetly or through a specific meaning. It goes without saying not to blatantly copy more established or popular acts (good way to get sued if you're into that). 1. Make sure it "fits" you. As a personal brand or blog it is just that, personal. It is more attractive to let consumers of your content see another layer of your personality or content reflected through your logo whether directly (using distinctive indicators like your face, things you like, etc.) or indirectly (using indicators such as symbols, letter style, etc.). Yes consider your audience but at the same time, consider your own taste(s). Have any extra tips not mentioned here? Feel free to leave a comment. |
Frank Sheppard
NOTE: all opinions/views represented here are my own and do not reflect on any third party that I am affiliated with. Archives
May 2016
Categories
All
|