What makes a great flyer design? This question, even for me, a graphic designer, was pretty tough to answer. When I was just starting out in graphic design I was very unsure of the answer to this question. However, as I got more into designing I began to want to learn how to make my designs better. Staying stagnate with anything you do is like the kiss of death. And, if I would’ve stayed stagnate in my designs I would’ve never been able to teach you how to make your flyer designs great. Now, in order for you to recognize a great flyer design and begin to make your flyer designs better, you must first understand 3 basic design principles.
The three basic design principles we’re going to discuss today are Form, Feeling, and Function.
1. Form
Form refers to the aesthetic part of your flyer design, basically what it’s going to look like. In order for your flyer design to be visually appealing, you must first think about what colors you’re going to use as well as fonts. Please understand picking colors and fonts may be difficult but in the end, it’ll all be worth it. If you’re unsure of which colors to use, check out our recent blog post “What Color is Your Business?” in order to choose the perfect color for your flyer design. Choosing the right fonts and colors also helps to convey your message, so you must choose wisely.
2. Feeling
In reference to “feeling” when it comes to flyer design, you want to make sure your viewer has received the right message. With a great, the message will stay consistent throughout the entire piece. Just like yourself, your flyer design has personality, and different personalities evoke different emotions. And as a designer, you have to be careful and intentional about the emotions we want to evoke. Do you want your viewer to be happy, sad, excited, etc when you put out a new flyer design. Knowing how you want your viewer to feel, will help you learn how to guide their emotions through your artwork. Once you learn how to guide your viewer’s emotions, you’ll become an even better designer.
3. Function
When creating a great flyer, you must think about the purpose of the finished product before you even begin. Nothing is more wasteful than a design that does not serve its purpose. Sure you may have picked out the perfect colors and fonts and the layout is amazing, but does it serves its purpose? When a flyer design is functioning properly it should be easily readable and very easy for the viewer to understand. You never want to leave your viewer confused about your message. There’s a quote that says, “Form without function is just a pretty sheet of paper,” and you never want to be just giving out pretty sheets of paper. You want to give out flyers that have meaning. You always want to keep that quote in mind whenever you’re at your desk working on a new flyer design. Never send anything out if you’re not sure that it’s going to speak to your audience.
Creating the perfect flyer design can sometimes be a difficult task especially if you’re new to the design game. But, if you keep these three design principles into consideration every time you get started on a new design you’ll always come out on top. Make sure your form is on point and is visually appealing to your viewer.
There’s a quote that says “never judge a book by it’s cover,” this is true but ultimately it’s how things look is that grab the audience’s attention initially. Once you’ve grabbed their attention, it’s up to you to deliver the right message? Be sure that your flyer design conveys the right message and your viewers are able to read and understand it clearly.
