Last updated on October 26th, 2021
Banners matter a lot to the businesses when they intend to chalk-out a marketing strategy. One of the reasons for popularity of banners is that they are a cheap way of advertisement. Online banner ads are viewed by everyone who visits the website as the banner is right at the top of the site and catches attention quickly.
So, if a website gets larger numbers of visitors, most of them are likely to see the banner ad at the top and may even click on the ad if its design is professional and impressive.
Surely, banner design plays a crucial and decisive role in determining whether or not the ad will compel the people to click on it. While a lot of factors count in designing a banner, we discuss here a major design element of hierarchy in creating an effective banner.
What Is Hierarchy?
Hierarchy indicates to a typical pattern that people use to scan a design or any document. In design, they usually look at the left corner or top side first and then on the right corner. Then, they set their eyes on the center part of the banner design. They scan the end areas of a website or other design at last.
Similarly, people typically read from left to right. These are the usual patterns people follow to look at a design including banners. A professional banner designer takes into account this pattern to place important information.
A banner designer takes into account the rules of hierarchy to incorporate various elements of colors, fonts, space, images etc to ensure that the most important information is incorporated at right place as per the rules of visual hierarchy.
How To Maintain Hierarchy?
To ensure visual hierarchy, you must have its following components:
Your company logo
Your banner design should include your company logo as part of the visual hierarchy scheme. The logo helps in building brand awareness about your business and gives assurance that the products or services offered by you are genuine.
In placing of your company logo, make sure that it has a dominant presence on your web banner. This means that the logo must be the first thing that the visitors see on your banner.
Typically, the company logo appears on the top left corner. But many online banner ads have the logo on the right corner at the bottom. However, the logo is usually the most dominant element on the banner.
The Product Or Services
Your banner design should prominently showcase your products or services in the banner. You can catch the attention by making special offers and prices with phrases such as 50% off, High Quality, Free and Limited Offers.
This part of your ad should be taking most of the space on the banner. In fact, these attractive offers must be prominently seen as they are the main reason behind your banner. Place such attractive offers in the center of your banner.
The call to action
The call to action button plays a key role in your banner design. After the viewers have seen your logo and know about offers, their eyes move to the right corner of your banner where you should invite the visitor to buy the things or check your business website.
The call to action button includes phrases such as ‘Click Here’, ‘Buy Now’, ‘Register Here’, and ‘Learn More’. Generally such buttons on the banner ads are designed at the right corner but other places are also suitable depending on the shape and size of the banner.
Make sure that the call to action button is attractive. Design the button with the aim of compelling the visitors to click on it. To ensure that they click, color of the button must be in contrast to the overall color of the banner.
The contrasting color catches attention quickly. So, a combination of color and alluring text such as Buy Now or Click Here are likely to make visitors click on the ad.
In the following banner ads, you can clearly see the call to action buttons – Apply Now in colors that are in contrast to the blue color in the background of the ads. The blue colored ‘Learn More’ button is visible distinctly against the green background of the ad in the middle.
(Image Source: genettifolio.com)
