As a creative marketer, you may want to do your bit to add compelling elements and ideas to your content, campaigns, and presentations by following effective design hacks importantly. You may also want to show your creativity with designs. But things often get overwhelming for professionals without conventional design education and knowledge. You may not want to train on the basics, yet you will surely expect to contribute to campaign designs. The good thing is that you can get the best of both worlds with the help of some tools and tactics. You only need to find the right ones and use them fearlessly and confidently. Let us share some quick and effective design hacks for creative marketers.
Stick with simplicity
The most important tip for non-designers is to stick with simplicity and minimize elements. You may want to craft complex designs, but they may get overwhelming for you and your audience. Moreover, you will likely make mistakes by adding more than necessary. For example, including heavy images in your websiteâs interface can slow down the loading speed. You must think twice before picking multiple and complex elements. Tapping your inner minimalist is the key to simplicity. Minimize the amount of text, use simple fonts, balance the visuals, and keep the colors under control. You can always move to the next level after starting from scratch with a minimalist approach.
Create a visual hierarchy
A visual hierarchy is another factor creative marketers must focus on to ace design for their websites and campaigns. It is about creating an optimal flow for graphics, images, icons, and colors to create a visual balance and maintain a proper flow of information for the audience. The process helps you get attention to a focal point instead of scattering the elements without a cohesive plan. However, it may sound complicated to a non-designer. But being a creative professional will probably give you a good understanding of visual hierarchy, so you can follow your instincts and check the design flow.
Add surprise elements
Besides sticking with the visual hierarchy rules, you can consider adding surprise elements to your designs. They can enhance the UX and make the design more engaging for the users. For example, integrate a GIF or video to the piece or add music to video online to spike the attention of the viewers. The good thing is that you need not be a pro designer to integrate these surprise elements into your design. You can find several easy-to-use and reliable tools to do the trick. However, follow the rule of slow and easy while adding surprises because too many of them can overwhelm the user.
Prioritize relevance
Another simple tip to design without formal education and training is to prioritize relevance for every image, video, and content piece you fit into your design. The good thing about relevance is that elements fit in seamlessly and do not look out of place. So there is hardly a chance of going wrong with the design. But relevance is not just about picking elements that blend with the design. It is also about maintaining consistency with all other designs and replicating the look and feel of your brand.
Optimize readability
Making your text easy to read may not seem like a part of the design process, but it can make a big difference. Additionally, it is something even non-designers can excel with. You only need to follow your common sense to decide whether the text is easily readable. You can also ideate things to improve readability if it does not look good enough. Choose the colors and fonts for headings wisely to enhance readability in the first place. Also, pay attention to overlaying text on backgrounds and relating elements to text and design flow. Choose an ideal typeface that is consistent with the overall look and feel of your brand.
Look for visual inspiration
Another valuable tip for creative marketers looking to create the best designs is to seek visual inspiration. Since you probably do not have design education and experience, inspiration can be your savior. You can check designs online, follow your competitors, or find a mentor to get all the inspiration you need. Eventually, you can figure out your own style and follow it to create compelling designs for your campaigns. Involving your team in brainstorming design ideas is also a good option because more people can give unique ones. Get the top creative professionals on board and share ideas to create outstanding designs.
You do not have to be a seasoned designer to design your marketing content and campaigns. Even marketers can take over the role and do justice to it. Just be creative, align your ideas with your target audience, and dive in without worrying a lot by following those effective design hacks. You may actually end up doing as well as an experienced design professional.