This is a story against ourselves. We were helping the great ERP software group Epicor develop some ads to appear in our Weekly SOURCE eNewsletter.
Complying with the graphic standards of Epicor, the ad above was the first draft. It drove me crazy.
According to one of the best advertising creatives ever, David Ogilvie, Rule 101 in design is don’t present reverse white type out of a colour background. It reduces readership significantly.
Rule 102 is don’t use capitals in a headline – also hard to read.
You would be amazed at how many ads we get that ignore these rules. They look pretty but their return on investment is significantly lower.
The final Epicor ad was black type on a white background. Less colourful but it worked.
