Good Colors | Bad Ads

There’s nothing like an ad with bright colors to attract attention. The ad designers of a well-known office/computer supply chain took this notion to heart. In an effort to get glances with bright color, or perhaps hoping the use of the “young & fun” color/shape combo would drive readership, they produced the ad to the right. The intention was well-meaning, but fell short of the mark.

The ad looks cluttered and more suitable to children's toys than office electronics.

 

Consider an ad created by the above advertisers’ competition. They decided to go with the “orange is a hot color” in the hopes that people will be hot to buy products. While this ad is laid out in a more visually appealing way than the ad above, it’s still heavy on one color family. Tangerine, sunset, mango, peach, tropical gold…they’re all there like a pack of quintuplets with no one else to play with.

 

You say you want orange in your ad? Go for it—with these tips in mind:

• Include an up-to-date color palette that includes greens, purples, and blues. Add splashes of reds and pinks for emphasis.
  
• Keep orange to a dull roar. As displayed in the ad on the right, orange used judiciously can brighten dull ads and add eye-punch to key products on the page.
  
• They don't call it "Caution Orange" for nothing. When using white text on orange, check to make sure the font type and size doesn’t recede into the background.

Getting back to the “young & fun” color/shape idea, orange and its primary color buddies work well for youth and sports-oriented products.


As long as the text, shapes, and colors don’t compete for space on the page, they can be used in a winning combination.


Used poorly, colors can reduce the readability of ads.

Used effectively, colors can bring ads to life.

Got examples of bad ads Send them to us!

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