Polarity Design TeamPolarity Design TeamPolarity Design TeamPolarity Design Team
  • Home
  • Custom Websites
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Custom Websites
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Your Design is Only as Good as it is Readable

pdtcseo2023-01-16T11:16:58-07:00
Marketing

Any design is only as good as it is readable—and that’s a universal rule. Whether it’s a billboard, flier, or logo, it needs to be crisp and easy to read. 

Complex designs can be so pretty. All the lines, script-y fonts, intersecting angles. It’s pleasing to look at. We really do get it. But designs that land on the simpler side translate better to screen printing and embroidery. They look less cluttered on a business card or flier. It directs the eye through the information hierarchy more smoothly.

And, to our knowledge, no one credible has ever said that something has to be wild to be stunning. On the flip side, plenty of credible sources have advised that busy looks are not good looks. In fact, even Coco Chanel advised removing one accessory before going out. Why? Because simple design always wins.

The Rule of the Drive By

We have a basic rule when it comes to everything we design. It’s unofficially referred to as the drive by rule, or we’ll just say something like, “Can you drive by it?”. The hypothetical of this rule is driving past a billboard on the freeway. 

Billboards need big, bold, readable designs. Cars are driving past these signs going anywhere between 55 and 85 miles per hour, depending on the speed limit on the highway in your area. These people do not have time to take their eyes off the road for long enough to decipher a complicated image or large bodies of text. And even if they did, they’re zipping past it quickly enough that they don’t have a lot of time to read and interpret a complicated jumble of words and images. 

A billboard needs to get to the point quickly. Big, clear logo or company name. Headline. Maybe a line of readable text. Beautiful image. The eye needs to be drawn to important information quickly and understand it within a second or two. Then it’s gone. 

Readable Designs Should Pass the Rule of the Drive By

Readable Designs

Obviously a flier or brochure can have more than a logo, a headline, and one line of text, but the spirit of the rule still applies. The person reading it should be guided to the pertinent information quickly and be able to grasp the message in mere seconds. 

Loud, competing colors, large bodies of text, difficult fonts, tech-speak, too many shapes, photos, or graphics. All of these lead to designs that are not readable. They may be eye-catching initially. But when it comes to trying to get them to actually absorb the information beyond that, you need to be smart about your designs. 

A readable can design can still be eye-catching with well-thought out colors, fonts, and text, and also be decipherable to your customers. Honest conversations with your designers about your goals is invaluable for a design that is the best of both worlds. 

The Anatomy of a Readable Design

Obviously there are a lot of ways for a design to be successful. Otherwise everything would look exactly the same. But there are a number of elements that should probably be present in most designs. 

Headline: Your company name. The event (such as a grand opening). Whatever it is that this piece is highlighting should be the center of attention. 

Image: Strictly text designs can be boring. Even business cards have a logo on them. This can be a photo, an infographic, a logo, or decorative designs.

Text: How much text you have is largely dependent on what you’re designing. A billboard should have one. A brochure can have quite a few. 

Subheadings: Subheadings are how you break up lots of text. A brochure disseminating a lot of information needs to break that text up into subheadings for it to be readable. It doesn’t have to be listed out like your references in your end-of-term papers, though. Columns, squares, call-out boxes, etc. can all fall into the subheading category. These are not often used on billboards, but occasionally you’ll see a call-out box or similar. 

Contact info: Website domains, phone numbers, or addresses are on most marketing materials. This allows people to reach out to you if they have questions beyond what is answered in their drive-by. 

The Bottom Line

If your design doesn’t pass the drive-by test, it’s not readable enough to be effective. A simple, readable design can be just as eye-catching as a busy one while still achieving your goals. If you need help making your designs more readable, you know where to reach us.

Share this post

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google + Email

Related Posts

13JunJune 13, 2023

10 Reasons Your Bounce Rate is High

Learn 10 reasons your bounce rate is high on your website, as well as when a bounce rate is “good”...

Read More
02MarMarch 2, 2023

The Great AI Graphic Design Debate

AI graphic design, and AI art in general, is a controversy that’s seemingly everywhere right now. The ethics of AI...

Read More
18OctOctober 18, 2022

Got Your Final Design? Think Again

There’s so much more to choosing your final design than seeing a cool shape you love and running with it....

Read More
11OctOctober 11, 2022

Descriptive Words That Are Not as Helpful as You Think They Are

Misinterpreted, or rather, differently interpreted, descriptive words are the source of many of our hours-long meetings. We spend these meetings...

Read More
16MayMay 16, 2022

Is Hiring A Graphic Designer Worth It?

We could honestly spend hours discussing whether hiring a graphic designer is worth it. In fact, we will probably have...

Read More
10MayMay 10, 2023

Why You Need Both NFC Cards and Traditional Business Cards

Near-field communication cards, or NFC cards, are a hot new wave for business marketing.  Using these cards, you can upload...

Read More
05OctOctober 5, 2022

The Time to Order Client Gifts is Now

It’s surprisingly not too early to order your client (or employee!) gifts for the holidays now - even though we’re...

Read More
12JanJanuary 12, 2023

The Perfect Client-Designer Relationship

There are 4 key elements to the perfect client-designer relationship that leaves both parties happy with the project. As with...

Read More
02FebFebruary 2, 2023

Effective, Affordable Marketing On A Budget

Marketing on a budget can feel daunting at best, and downright impossible at worst. There’s an old adage that says...

Read More
21JunJune 21, 2023

Shape Psychology in Business

Shape psychology is important for any business to keep in mind while creating their brand because it plays a significant...

Read More

Recent Posts

  • What is Website Hosting and Maintenance?
  • GoDaddy Website Builder: What GoDaddy Offers
  • Pros and Cons of Wix
  • Graphic Design and Branding Go Hand in Hand
  • Why Great Website Design Doesn’t Include Flashy Animations and Effects

Archives

  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022

Categories

  • Marketing
Polarity Design Team. © 2023. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy
Facebook Instagram
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT