9 Ways to Make a Graphic Designer Cringe

There are lots of reasons to hire a professional graphic designer. For one thing, it means getting quality work that cannot be replicated, or at least easily. Why is this the case? Well, as a Chicago graphic designer, I can tell you that designers make sure to know the best trends and designs; graphic designers look at how things look on a grand scale as well as the smallest detail.

When something is "off" artistically, it can really get under the skin of a professional graphic designer. Here are some examples.

1. Bad Spacing (kerning). Yeah, it's not what you think it says!

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2. Bad typesetting. 

3. Stretching text. Notice how blurry that is?

4. Multiple Typefaces. Choose 1 or 2 and stick to it.

5. Big red text on posters. This is just overdone.

6. Looks like you just learned how to use Illustrator or other graphic programs

7. Was it designed by a Tween? We get it, animals and other cartoon/artsy things are cute. But less is more. 

8. Generic, cliché posters. Hey man! Come to this party! It'll be the best St. Patrick's Day bash ever! 

9. Saying something needs more pizzaz.

Do you need to hire a graphic designer in Chicago? Then contact Integraphix!

6 Common Advertising Mistakes to Avoid

Doing great advertising takes knowledge of what to do and what not to do. Here we have 6 advertising mistakes that need to be avoided. As a graphic designer, there is a good chance you will work in advertising and here are some tips to help you make sure you don't make classic mistakes.

1. Piggy-backing off interest. This one seems like a smart move, to capitalize off of the success of another concept. However, it will not work out. It is not smart to try and associate yourself with things that have no relevance to your business. If your business is selling coffee, then don't try to place ads that feature puppies because we all know everyone loves puppies. As a graphic designer in Chicago, I have seen this done by some companies and it never looks good. 
2. Event sales opportunities. While it might be the anniversary of some huge event in history, if it has no relevance to your business, then don't try to capitalize on the day. For example, the anniversary of D-Day will not tie into your business that sells flooring. It just won't. 
3. Growing a large ego. Even if you are the company's CEO, President, CMO, placing yourself in the ad only shows desperation and lack of originality. Luckily, in my time as a Chicago graphic design firm owner, I have not had to place myself in any ads so I practice what I preach. Unfortunately, this is an all too common practice. 
4. Running different ads that bear no resemblance. Sometimes, one might think that since ads are running on different media channels, they should be different. While that is a good idea, there should be consistency; something about the ads during an ad campaign should let people know that they are from the same company and related. 
5. Running ads anywhere & everywhere. Place your ads in specific areas and media channels; you want to make sure your target market sees them effectively and efficiently. When you hire a graphic designer and they spend hours creating a print ad and you blast it everywhere, that gives the impression that the ad is just "whatever". Make the ad work for you. 
6. Doing too many ads. Go with quality over quantity. Nobody likes the company that has ads going 24/7 and are literally everywhere! Overexposure is never effective and can even create a boomerang effect; the boomerang effect is when the response to something is opposite of what was intended. 

Do ads that you are proud of and will actually generate ROI. Hire an advertising agency with a great graphic design team. If you need great designs, then contact Integraphix.