If “Copy is King,” then graphics, as top designer Rob Davis states, would be the King’s Private Secretary who makes sure the King looks great.
Today, I want to share a few more insights and secrets of Rob Davis that help him create memorable, winning direct mail packages for me and other copywriters.
Big mistakes designers unknowingly make
I asked Rob what are typical mistakes he sees in graphic design.
He said that he often see violations of direct mail basics, such as using too much sans serif type, reversing large amounts of copy out of solid backgrounds or making line lengths too long for the page. Things that obviously impede readability.
Rob says another mistake some graphic designers make is not reading the copy seriously or thoroughly—so they miss some big ideas or graphic themes. As a copywriter, I would hope all of my graphic designers would read my copy carefully—but maybe I can’t always assume that.
A pet peeve of Rob’s is graphic designers who make copy subservient to pictures. No matter how attractive a picture or photo, or how good you think the very faint copy looks over that very beautiful but busy nature scene…readability of copy should never be compromised in favor of a graphic element. Amen, to that!
Rob believes graphics should be there to complement the copy, not vice versa.
Speaking of readability, he says that poor placement of copy and graphic objects that interrupt natural eye flow is another mistake he often sees. Design that creates barriers to how one would normally read or forces the eye to skip haphazardly across a spread isn’t helpful.
Rob says that time is the direct mail designers “enemy,” and the more time you make your prospect spend trying to navigate through your design, the less likely that prospect is to make it to the back of your piece and order something.
Secrets of the best designed direct mail packages
I also asked Rob what elements are common to his best designed (i.e. most successful) packages.
He said that his best packages all share a few things in common.
First off, they all have a very striking cover, with a bold, attention-grabbing headline. They usually have one main, very creative cover image to complement that headline. The kind of cover that just demands to be opened. He spends a great deal of time on covers. (See below for samples of covers for packages Rob designed for me and for other copywriters.)
Another common trait of successful graphic design is some kind of unique story or compelling personality that Rob can build the package around to help us connect with the reader and help drive him through to the end for the sale.
Rob says establishing that connection right up front is critical. If you can do this early, your odds of getting the whole package read and acted on go up tremendously.
However, as important as the first few pages are, it’s important not to try and do too much too soon. Rob’s tips? Ease your reader into the piece with compelling, easy-to-read, uncrowded copy and a few well placed focal point graphics. Once you have the reader intrigued, you can start to throw greater amounts of information.
The next critical element of a successful package, according to Rob, is the offer—I agree! Compelling copy and great design all work hand in hand with a great offer.
The successful packages that he has been a part of generally start to subtly build the offer as they make the case for the product. As the prospect moves along in the package and his confidence and belief in the package starts to build, Rob starts to increase the frequency of little sidebars that show graphically how much the prospect is going to save or all the great things he’s going to get when he orders. At the moment the prospect says to himself, “yep, I’m ready to stop reading and start buying,” he can move immediately to the order form and be ready to act.
Rob says the order form is the last critical element. You’ve worked the whole package to get your prospect to this point so the order form, in Rob’s words, needs to be “simple, simple, simple from top to bottom.”
Ordering options are spelled out clearly with the most desirable ordering option for the prospect (usually a “Best Value”) highlighted in such a way as to make it the most obvious choice. Payment options and modes of ordering are crystal clear as well. Second to the cover, the order form is where Rob spends the bulk of his page layout time.
Like me, Rob Davis loves what he does: To create memorable, winning, highly successful promotions that people pick up, read, enjoy and order!
Two covers of successful packages I wrote and Rob designed
Other winning packages Rob designed for other copywriters
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