In their “Beyond Slim” campaign, three photographs from the Stills collection were featured in a national video ad—used to spotlight the power of the phone’s 200MP camera.

The goal?

Highlight the stunning quality of the phone’s 200MP camera. The choice to use still images inside a motion ad sent a clear message: the work had to speak for itself.

This wasn’t a traditional photo placement. These images lived inside motion. They held their own alongside sleek cinematography and cutting-edge tech. Samsung needed visuals that felt elevated, human, and emotionally resonant.

They found them here.

The images from Daniel Brittain, Sophia Sinclair, and Sara and Phil carried emotional weight and visual clarity that aligned perfectly with the campaign’s message.

RELATED READS: Case Study: How &Walsh Used Stills to Launch “Type of Feeling”

The final result was global spot seen by over 30 million people on YouTube alone, placing these images in front of a global audience.

The tagline in the spot confidently stated that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge was “Designed to capture your best.” And with only three images selected for the entire spot, all of which came from Stills, the message was clear:

Stills represents the highest standard, further positioning our photographers and collection of images as the definition of what “best” looks like.

RELATED READS: Award-Winning CD David Stevanov on Building Great Campaigns

Premium Lifestyle Images from Stills

Explore even more of the very best Lifestyle imagery that Stills has to offer.

The post Why Samsung Used Stills to Showcase the Galaxy S25 Edge and New 200MP Camera appeared first on Stills Blog.

When an image has a good narrative, people are drawn to it. Not because it’s pretty (although that plays a part, too) but mainly because the audience found it relatable. Imagine what will happen if you fuse visual narratives with advertising photography. What will be the impact of such images on your advertising campaign?

What is visual storytelling?

Simply put, visual storytelling is a way of effectively communicating with your audience by triggering emotions and piquing their interest through visuals.

A good product photo will tell the audience how this product will impact their lives on a positive note, not just that it’s a nice, new product from the brand. The same applies to websites or application launches—the advertising photo or social media post created to announce the new app will tell the audience how it can help people, not that it’s a cool new app projected to trend.

Solid visual narratives are considered solid when they effectively capture the attention of the target audience. Another factor is when they effectively communicate the message the brand wants to convey. Visual storytelling with photography and other elements discussed below translate complex ideas and overrated goals (e.g., purchase this new product) into something easy and actionable.

Benefits of visual storytelling

One of the biggest benefits of visual storytelling is information retention. If you create a great ad, but someone in your audience can’t make a purchase right now, they will remember the product and/or the brand because of that ad. And chances are, they will make a purchase when they can. They’ll add that product to their must-buy list. That is information retention.

Visual storytelling is also responsible for capturing people’s attention and enhancing comprehension, meaning conveying a message that is easier to digest. The bottom line of every good visual makes it easy for the audience—easy to feel, easy to decide (whether or not to purchase or subscribe), and easy to understand what your message is. It evokes emotions and pulls the audience in. This is what builds engagement and a strong, organic community.

What is a visual narrative?

Visual narrative is the use of visual elements such as images, illustrations, and graphics to convey a story or message. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than words, and 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. What does this mean for marketing and advertising? Well, it means visual narratives make it easier to communicate with your audience. What they see, they better understand.

But visual narratives are not just about finding authentic photos. It’s also about sequential placement or knowing when and where your audience would see these photos. Thanks to technology, there are multiple channels where people can find your brand. Sequential marketing is the art of understanding what visual elements look best where—some imagery are better for ads, and others are perfect for carousel posts on Instagram. Some images emphasize product usability (what is this product for), while others focus on relatability (how the product relates to the audience’s everyday life.)

Visual narrative examples

Investing in visual media is a smart move for brands. But a smarter move is to first immerse in the many different kinds of visual narratives. A narrative is not exclusive to photography. Stock photography from Stills can deliver authentic images that will help your brand build better connections with your audience. But narratives are more than that.

It can also be in the form of infographics, videos, graphs, charts, maps, comics, and so much more. Basically, if your visual tells a story (e.g., a visual chart of how a product was made), a visual narrative is present. Photography is, of course, among the most solid examples of visual narratives.

To develop good visual storytelling in your marketing and advertising material, be sure that it includes all the important elements of a solid narrative.

Elements to include in your visual storytelling

Visual storytelling doesn’t have to be complicated. There is an art to it, and there are elements that make it effective, but overall, it’s not as complex as you may think. Let these elements guide you to simplicity and clarity.

1. Photos

People love photos, so this is something every creative team has to maximize. And to really maximize it, take it to another level, and really focus on using high-quality images. Find photos with great composition that are relevant but also effectively convey the message. 

2. Illustrations

Visual narrative art starts with illustrations. This is where graphic designers really shine, and a great illustration contributes to communicating with your audience clearly. They see it in a few seconds, and they immediately know what you’re trying to say.

3. Infographics

However, data can be boring. Not everybody loves seeing number after number. Great visual narrative ideas include infographics, as it makes data more appealing. It makes those overwhelming numbers easier to grasp.

4. Animation

It is reported that an average person watches 17 hours of online video per week. This includes ads. Video marketing is big, and animation can really up your visual storytelling game. Slack’s “Work, simplified” ad speaks to today’s work culture and highlights how staying organized by having all communication in one place can make work a lot simpler.

5. Video

Just like animation, video is another effective element to include in your visual storytelling strategy. Make people stop scrolling. Make people share that video (that is an ad but doesn’t feel like it) because they found it relatable and true. Do these and you’ve nailed your visual storytelling.

6. Data visualizations

Character, setting, conflict, and resolution… these are the four elements of data visualization that make it really effective. Why? Because sometimes, people have a lot going on in their lives, and they cannot zero in on their pain points. Through graphics, charts, and other similar tools, you are making that pain point clear for them, and you’re also presenting a clear solution. Because of that solution, your brand will be easier to remember.

Visual narrative in photography

If you’ve ever wondered what is a visual story, when it comes to photography, it’s all about influential and powerful photographs.

Composition is one of the top priorities—what are you including in the frame, what are you keeping out, and why? Narratives also heavily rely on lighting. Terrible lighting might cause you to lose that narrative thus, photographers should be risk-takers when it comes to playing with lights and shadows. Pay attention to your angles. What will happen if you shoot something from a higher angle? Or what if you zoom in on something? Lastly, sequencing, or a series of shots in successive motions. While one shot can do the job, having a series that showcases how things unfolded can just be more telling.

People often say photography is powerful. But a better way of framing this is that solid visual narrative photography tells powerful stories. It is these narratives that shape our thoughts and widen our perspectives. 

Visual narrative in advertising

Visual narrative in ads is just as exciting. Similar to photography as art, visuals in advertising are there to tell stories. If your series of images highlights the cool features of a new product, good. But, if your series of images highlights how these features can play a role in a consumer’s life—that’s what you want. That is visual storytelling, with photography being maximized in the advertising arena.

Adidas’s Forever Sport ad is probably one of the best print ads in the sense that it is playful. Magazine folds are not always easy to work, but Adidas took a creative turn and used that fold in ways it’s never been used before.

Nutella’s move to turn their name (a noun) into an adjective with that’s Nutellable is also another example of a clever approach and one of the greatest visual narrative examples out there. The work of designer Claire Heppner showcases how image series can do you wonders when done correctly.

iPods may be a part of history, but they released narrative-driven ads too. Apple saw how runners, joggers, and bikers listen to music as they work on healthier versions of themselves, and Apple knew this was something to be highlighted. They literally made their product part of their consumer’s everyday life without being too sales-y. Which is how effective visual narrative in advertising looks like.

Final words

Print ads, social media ads, graphs, infographics—the main job of all these materials is communicating with the audience. Every design team works to produce visuals that will tell their consumers why their brand is worth buying. To achieve this, you have to think beyond simply captivating your audience and move towards having a conversation with them through visuals. That’s how visual storytelling works. That’s how it begins.

What do you want to say? What emotions do you want to evoke? How do you want your consumers to respond? To answer these questions is to answer the question, what is a visual narrative? These questions should be asked throughout the process of creating those visuals. Because every step of the way, it should be remembered that visual narratives make it easier for your audience to “get” you. So, are your visuals easy enough to understand?

The post Exploring Visual Narratives in Photography and Advertising appeared first on Stills Blog.

And then there are times when keeping the colors makes an image speak louder. From colors of healing to the color of loyalty, there’s so much to discover. Colors trigger emotions, and they affect the story each image tells. This is why creative teams must be mindful of color, how it impacts people, and how it affects the visuals they produce.

Different Types of Colors

Colors provide the framework of any visual element. There are three sets of colors: primary, secondary, and tertiary. This may sound basic, but it helps designers and visual artists navigate through color theory.

Primary colors include red, yellow, and blue. Red attracts the most attention, often triggering strong emotions like love and anger, and signifies power and courage. Yellow is all about lightness, happiness, and a positive mood. Blue is a color that evokes the mind in its unique way. It brings clarity and calm and triggers some sense of security and assurance.

Secondary colors are a combination of primary colors. Red and yellow gives you orange, which is a color of excitement and energy. Red and blue gives you violet, which is often associated with the future. This is why futuristic design almost always has a touch of violet. Blue and yellow give you green, which is a relaxing color. It is visually pleasing and is associated with freshness and growth. Tertiary colors are a combination of primary and secondary colors, and it only becomes wider and broader from there.

Color and Emotion: Key Color Associations

Elevating your visual projects starts with figuring out which colors will better serve your image or design and simultaneously trigger the right emotions in your audience. As a brand, it’s not just about using highly curated images; it’s also about studying the colors dominant in those images and making sure they’re in line with your brand identity.

Healing Colors

99Designs reported that almost 85% of the leading healthcare businesses feature blue in their logos. Pfizer, McKesson, and even healthcare publication WebMD all feature the color blue in their logo because they know it gives off that sense of calm and healing, not to mention it’s a color of trust. 

Colors of Hope

McDonalds, Bumble, and National Geographic pour feelings of optimism and hope into their audience through their yellow logo. Maybe they knew this at the onset, maybe not. But their their choice of logo color effectively work to their benefit because it’s easy to the eyes and triggers happiness.

Colors of Protection

The timelessness of black and silver not only makes it a solid color of protection but also gives off that impression of power. It is associated with security and authority, and brands like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Honda knew all about it. It’s like they’re saying, “There is safety and protection in our products,” or, to be more specific, “in the cars we build.” Other non-automotive brands that want to be associated with safety and protection include L’Oréal, Nike, and Gillette.

Energizing Colors

From Coca-Cola to DHL, these brands know exactly what they want people to feel when seeing their logo—hyped, alert, and energized. It’s as if they’re triggering people to take action immediately. For Coke, it’s to grab a can, drink, and feel energized. For DHL, it’s to head to their nearest location, send a package, and know it’ll be shipped fast. These brand logos scream energy, movement, and action.

Yellow is also a color of energy and DHL clearly made a smart move by combining yellow and red. Other brands like Nikon, Mcdonald’s, Shell, and Mailchimp all incorporated yellow in their brands. Because of that, people tend to associate action and energy with them.

Power Colors

If you want your brand to be associated with power and command, you’d want to go with red, black, gold, or a combination of these. Take Dove, for example. Their logo symbol of a bird may signify sophistication and elegance, but the color is all about power, as if to say, “we’re here and we’re here for a reason.”

In 2018, Hypebeast reported that Supreme tops the list of most powerful logos. The streetwear company’s red box logo never fails to give off that strong vibe without coming off too strong as they balanced it with white typography.

Love Colors

Unlike red, black, and yellow, not many brands choose pink for their logos. Perhaps because it’s seen as a soft color and most brands want to be associciated with either strong and powerful energies, or they want to be perceived as fun and energizing. But being the color of love, pink actually isn’t a bad color.

Think Dunkin’ Donuts, Barbie, and appliance brand LG—their logos are not so bad. In fact, it’s refreshing to see these pink logos and these brands know their logo color would make people associate them with a calm and chill type of love.

Mood Colors

Different colors trigger different moods, and this is one of the main basis brands have when choosing their logo color, the colors in their website, photos used for their social media posts, and other visual items they associate themselves with.

McDonald’s yellow logo want you to feel hungry and energized enough to stop by one of their branches and order food you’ll surely love (yes, that’s inspired by their slogan, “lovin’ it.”) Target red and white bullseye wants you to know there’s always action and something to check out in their stores. And Orange Theory wants to trigger excitement and fun with their orange logo, often associated with liveliness. You may not feel energized enough to workout but their logo will surely trigger gym excitement in you.

Passionate Colors

Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange are known to evoke passion and optimism. So you can say Amazon is telling you they’re passionate to “work hard and have fun” (yes again, part of their slogan), add to that the arrow shape in their logo that represents customer satisfaction.

Lots of food brands use red their logos to signal people they’re passionate about serving good food. These brands know that having red as a dominant color in their logo will effectively incorporate passion in their brand identity. And in the food business, isn’t that what we all want?

Colors of Happiness

If you want your brand associated with happiness, you’d want to stay close to red, yellow, and orange. Coca-Cola is associated with optimism, happiness, and energy because of their brand color paired with a distinctive Spencerian script logo name. Yellow is also strongly associated with happiness and many retail and consumer goods brands like Best Buy, Nikon, and Chupa Chups want you to feel exactly that when purchasing their products.

Colors of Kindness

While many brands want to evoke strong emotions like happiness and excitement, some brands simply want people to feel calm and safe. They want their brand to be associated with gentleness, kindness, and compasion. Most eco-friendly brands use green for their logo to stress out their kindness towards the environment, and they want to share that kindness with you. Best example of this is Whole Foods.

Colors of Loyalty

Like other businesses, healthcare brands use colors to trigger the right emotions in their audience and clients. UnitedHealth Group, Pfizer, and Elevance Health use shades of blue in their logos because they know this color is all about loyalty, trust, and diligence—three things they want to be known for. Pfizer and Elevance Health combined a darker and lighter shade, with the darker one being close to black that triggers power.

To maintain a very solid brand identity, one thing these three brands have in common is that their digital presence is very neat. They simply stuck with blue and combined it with simple colors like white and black, which brings out a sense of cleanliness and stability. 

Color in Visual Storytelling

With this strong connection between color and emotions, designers and creative directors are challenged to create designs based on good color themes or palettes. And just because a palette is good doesn’t mean the design is, too. You’d want to ensure your color choices support the kind of story your image wants to tell.

This lifestyle photo is a very casual image, but the orange, almost red rug pulls the viewers in. The various shades of white and gray maintain neutrality, calmness, and simplicity, while the hint of green adds life to the whole image.

This image of the streets at night is a good one, with so much blackness but still full of color. The bright blue-green and red are great attention grabbers, especially with how the lights from the traffic lights and the bus’s headlights reflect on the ground. The touches of orange, some yellow, which is a color of hope, and purple balance the photo out. And that is the key— to find that balance.

Applying Colors in Visual Storytelling

One of the ways visual artists achieve a well-balanced photo is by combining the right colors that match the visual’s story. It’s not enough to find the right palette, make sure that the palette matches your image or design.

Another tip is to play with saturation and contrast. When editing photos, don’t be afraid to go too high or too low with your saturation and contrast. Play with the shadows, see how it affects the overall image. Do the same with the brightness. Editing should be just as fun as shooting images.

Lastly, ask yourself: am I feeling what I want my viewers to feel? When you look at the photo you finished editing or the design your team just completed, do you feel exactly how you want your audience to feel? If it’s a product launch series of images, do you feel excited, captivated, and interested in the product? Or is it just another boring set of images of hairspray? Or loafers… Or handbags…

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes, turn off the tunnel vision, and be honest with how you feel about the project.

Mastering the Power of Color

Understanding how colors work is vital. The emotional power of color in visual storytelling will die down if visual artists don’t pay close attention to various color concepts.

Like color grading or the post-production process where you play with the color tone to see which setting best fits the image and portrays the mood you want. This is when you adjust the hue, saturation, highlights, and other elements to achieve a certain mood for the entire image so it is visually pleasing and evokes the emotions you want.

Color correction is often done before color grading. Unlike color grading, which is basically the finishing touches, color correction is when you work on the white balance, exposure, and other adjustments to make the photo well-balanced.

Another important concept is color harmony or the combination of colors in the image. There are four types of color harmony:

• Complementary color harmony: having colors that complement each other
• Monochromatic color harmony: where there is a heavy focus on one color, and tints, shades, and tones of that same color are added to create a color scheme.
• Triadic color harmony: where there is one dominant color and two accent colors or three colors evenly spaced out in the color wheel.
• Analogous color harmony: or colors that are adjacent to each other in the color wheel that give a harmonious look.

Finding the right mood colors will create that unified look that every good photo has to have. 

Conclusion

With so many different types of colors and color combinations, it can be overwhelming for visual artists when creating an image or editing a photo. But with practice and deliberately exposing yourself to images that challenge what you already know in photography, you will better understand the emotional power of color in visual storytelling. You will better understand how colors impact a brand by evoking the right emotions.

License the cover image via Roman Fox

The post Color Choice is Essential for Good Visual Storytelling—Here’s Why appeared first on Stills Blog.

In photography, the term has also taken a permanent spot. There are various techniques that photographers can apply to produce surrealist photography. And this is not just to express creativity or challenge the boundaries of this style.

If you’ve ever asked what is surrealism, in photography and art, it’s a form of self-expression and an encouragement to the viewers to broaden their imaginations. The beauty of surrealism is that it knows no bounds.

History of Surrealism

Heavily inspired by the Dada Movement, surrealism was officially founded in Paris in 1924. French poet and writer Andre Breton founded the Surrealist Movement, and his Surrealist Manifesto, published in 1924, defined surrealism as a “noun and an artistic process, as well as a philosophy.” That was how surrealism started, and it didn’t take long before the movement grew.

In art and photography, surrealism is the balance between dreamlike elements and rational vision. From the works of Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, and Salvador Dalí, to today’s modern artists like Nam Das, Aya Takano, and Jeff Soto, surrealism has become the language of dreams and the unconscious. It has evolved into contemporary surrealism, pop surrealism, and many other sub-genres that are still deeply rooted in what Breton started back in 1924.

What Makes an Artwork Surreal?

So, what is surrealism, and what makes an art surreal? Isn’t it the same as abstract art or the more classic expressionism?

Surrealism is, well, surreal. It’s like entering the artist’s mind, stepping into their dreams and subconscious thoughts and ideas. The things we cannot easily express, the wild ideas and imaginary concepts too complex for words—these usually fall under surrealism.

This type of art is not limited to a specific style. Instead, it’s like an act of rebellion against all styles that seem to put things in boxes with labels. Automatism, or deliberately suppressing conscious thoughts and allowing the subconscious to take the wheel, is a fundamental aspect of surrealism.

Art that follows this style is all about the juxtaposition of familiar elements, depicting them in unusual ways. It also includes elements like biomorphic shapes or rounded and irregular-shaped objects, and automatic drawings or the art of simply drawing without rationally thinking of any design.

Artistic Techniques in Surrealist Art

There are many artistic techniques to pursue surrealism design ideas. Some of the most common include collage, grattage, and decalcomania.

• Collage or the overlapping of pieces or different drawings or photographs gives off that sense of play in the artwork.
• Grattage, invented by Max Ernst, is a technique that involves painting over a textured object and then scraping it off, creating a unique output.
• Decalcomania is the process of applying paint to one surface and pressing it onto another surface to transfer that design. Some refer to this as the butterfly print.

You may also hear about frottage, which is quite similar to grattage. The main difference is that the latter uses paint as a medium, while frottage uses dry media like crayons or pencils.

From photography to film, from sculpture to lithography, every surrealist’s goal is the same—to create from the unconscious. Allowing the conscious thoughts of the viewers to create their own interpretations.

Surreal Art Ideas

Salvador Dalí’s works like The Persistence of Memory, Swans Reflecting Elephants, and Metamorphosis of Narcissus are perfect examples of art that seem to be born in dreamland. It’s like Dalí wasn’t following any rule of art but simply creating from a place of unconscious thoughts and wild imagination. No barriers, no rules, just creating.

Joan Miró’s work is rooted in the same thought process. His work heavily utilizes automatism or the process of drawing or painting unconsciously. No rules to follow, no specific image or artwork in mind.

For modern surrealism design ideas, Italian artist Angelo Accardi is behind the famous surreal art collection, Misplaced, which “gives the feeling that something does not belong.” This collection incorporates modern characters like those from Family Guy and the minions from Despicable Me, proving that surrealism is not a thing of the past.

How to Create Surrealism

Rational thinking and conscious creation are out the window, if you’re ever wondering how to do surrealism. The modern tools, the apps, and the software only encourage today’s creatives to explore and produce work that the viewers finish in their own imaginations.

Procreate and Photoshop are two of the most commonly used software, and artists become more limitless with an iPad in hand as creating becomes more convenient. If you’re still starting out, grab those old artwork of yours, even the dull and boring ones, and play with them to create surrealism photos.

Surrealism Ideas in Design

Surrealism in graphic design only continues to rise as designers push to produce work that incorporates dreamlike imagery and unique juxtapositions. It’s safe to say that today’s consumerism are strongly drawn to visuals that involve recognizable images but are presented in a weird, unusual way.

People seek designs that perfectly depict their mood without a care of whether or not it’s a sensible photo, so long as it connects with them so they can say, “THAT is exactly how I feel right now.”

Whether that’s a graphic for a social media post, an image for an ad, or a website design, designers are encouraged to incorporate elements of surrealism. Funky, distorted images and biomorphic shapes are some of the many design elements that are effective attention-grabbers.

Surrealism Ideas in Photography

If you’ve ever wondered what is surrealism photography, it’s something that has its own take on this and many photographers take the defining characteristics of surrealism and transpose them in their work. Rosen Goldman, Laura Zalenga, and Alex Stoddard are only few of the many photographers who are not afraid to show the uncanny and make images from the bizarre.

Solarization, photomontage, and double exposure are surrealism techniques that are not just present in paintings but are also used to create surrealism photos.

• Solarization was first applied in film photography, where the film is exposed to light, reversing the image’s shadows and highlights.
• Photomontage is when you creatively combine two different photos to create something new and surreal, maximizing today’s tools for better editing to achieve a surrealist effect.
• Double exposure is similar to photomontage, combining two photos and playing with exposure and transparency levels to produce a new and unique image.

Surrealism in Advertising

When it comes to business, surrealism can be found everywhere in advertising—from fashion items to automotive. Volkswagen’s Polo Bluemotion car took inspiration from Dalí’s Persistence of Memory and created an ad highlighting the car’s energy efficiency and that time may be running out for the oil industry.

Samaritaine Paris Trompe-l’oeil’s exhibit poster is an homage to surrealism, while the latest Barbie film had a massive 3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa. These installations and advertisements don’t just make people stop and stare. They actually evoke strong emotions and drive encouragement and interest towards the product. One may not like Barbie, but seeing that huge 3D ad is definitely interesting.

These are perfect examples of how to do surrealism in advertising, and they’re clearly effective. It shows how creative directors, graphics designers, and such are willing to play with modern tools to produce uncanny yet interesting work and memorable ads.

Other Use Cases

Rule of thumb when working on a branding or advertising visual element is that it has to be good. But what is good, nowadays? That’s not easy to answer. One thing for sure is that surrealistic graphic designs are of interest. From album covers to website layouts, it never fails to grab people’s attention and evoke emotions.

Take inspiration from Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s I’m With You studio album cover, Santana’s Abraxas, and Rihanna’s 2016 album Anti. Or from websites like pocopeople and hauska.

There are tons of graphic design works that are anchored in surrealism, which is to say this style is only moving forward with us as consumers.

Conclusion

Unconsciously, many of us have this desire to escape the current climate. It’s a breath of fresh air when we see something weird, unique, something we can’t really explain. That’s what surrealism design ideas are—no words can single-handedly explain it. You just have to take what you see and interpret it from your own perspective, whatever emotion or unconscious thought it triggered.

Putting that essence in photography and graphics design simply means offering today’s consumers a fresh way of introducing a new product. And isn’t that what catches people’s attention?

License the cover image via Vijay Sarathy

The post Exploring the World of Surrealism in Art and Design appeared first on Stills Blog.

A good brief encourages designers, Creative Directors, marketers, and everyone else involved in your project to foster their creativity and ingenuity, collaborate, and set the tone for the project. This document serves as the source of truth, something they can come back to as a reference to make sure they’re still on the right track and nailing all the project’s goals.

So, how can you write a creative brief that speaks to everyone? And why do you really need one?

Understanding the Purpose of a Creative Brief

A good creative brief has to go beyond a list of bullet points outlining the details of your project. Its main purpose is to provide clarity and align on vision. It will help everyone in your team gain a better understanding of what the project should look like and the approach to take to achieve that end result. Imagine the scenarios below:

While you can convey the idea for your project in a meeting or email, a creative brief helps your team better understand the direction you want to take. It provides context to your desired approach and sets expectations clearly.

20 Essential Elements of a Creative Brief

What makes a good brief for your creative project? Here’s a thorough guide on the elements you should include.

1. Project Name

Don’t just mention the project name—dissect it and share important notes on why you chose that name. How does it reflect the project? What message are you trying to convey?

2. Company Background

Who is this project for? Describe the brand and its values. What’s their mission? How did they get started? Introduce the company to your team like you’re introducing a new hire. This is where you encourage your team to get to know the brand.

3. Project Objective

Why are you working on this project in the first place? What’s the goal? What do you want to achieve? What is expected of the project? Is it to increase sales? Is it to promote a new line of products?

Having a better understanding of the project objective allows your team to have a better sense of creative direction.

4. Target Audience

Advertising briefs succeed when you’re clear on who you’re creating it for. Include demographic and psychographic profiles of your target audience. You want your team to get to know these types of people. Not just their age and race, but also their interests, so that they can approach the project more intentionally.

5. Competitors

Including your competitors is important as it shows your team what advertisement, website, and company online presence they should beat.

Aside from the competitor’s name and maybe their website, you’d want to include other relevant information like their ad that you’re trying to beat or a photoshoot they did that is now on their social media. Competition is not always to be seen in a negative way. Look at it as inspiration to be better.

6. Unique Selling Proposition

This is the part where your team should gain more insight into your product’s potential. What separates your product from other similar ones? What are its key features?

Imagine telling your friends about your product a.k.a. the baby your creativity and hard work just gave birth to—that’s how your approach to a unique selling proposition or USP should be.

7. Key Message

The key message is the core of every project, and if you’re wondering what a creative brief is, it’s a detailed version of the key message. So make sure you write this part as clearly.

Share with your team the main message you want the project to convey. If it’s a photoshoot for a new line of products, the key message is not just, “Hey, we have a new amazing product.” Oftentimes, it is, “Hey, we’re launching a new product, and this is why it’s amazing.” Key messages are rooted in both WHAT and WHY.

8. Key Consumer Benefit

If your key message is about the product and why it’s amazing, your key consumer benefit is how the product or service will benefit the people who will see your project, a.k.a. your target audience.

Give your team a better understanding of how your product will impact the audience. How will it make their lives easier? How will it make them eat healthier? How will it make them sleep better?

9. Tone and Style

Your brand’s personality should be reflected in everything you produce—ads, social media posts, product launches, everything. That said, whatever you’re creating a creative brief for, it’s important to detail the tone and style of the project.

10. Attitude

What feeling should this project evoke? When people see it, do you want them to feel encouraged? Happy? Eager to buy and share with their friends? You want them to be inclined to purchase or subscribe, so your brief should detail how to pull that string.

11. Call to Action

The call to action is what seals the deal. Not only should your project evoke the right feelings, but your creative team should also have a solid call to action that’ll convert that feeling into a sale or a subscription. Your take on this call to action should be outlined clearly in the brief.

12. Distribution Plan

What makes a good creative brief for advertising is a clear distribution plan. Make clear where this project will be placed. Is it exclusively for social media, or will you also send it out in newsletters? 

13. Budget

Budget is vital, and so is transparency. Be clear about how much you’re willing to shell out for this project, and how much your company is willing to spend, and always have space for negotiations.

14. Timeline

To save you and the rest of your team from unmet expectations, it’s best to lay out your timeline in the brief. This will help everyone see if they’re still on the right track at the right time. Or if they need to start powering through to finish before the deadline.

15. Mandatory Elements

For some projects, there is more than one element needed. You may be creating a brief for a new ad, but it’s possible you also need a logo and tagline. Or any other creative elements. Outline that in the brief so your team understands what exactly you need.

16. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicators or KPIs are the elements that help businesses measure their success. Or measure the success of their new ad, new product launch, you name it. What KPIs do you have for this project? How do you know if it’s a success?

17. Consumer Insight

Consumer insight is like seeing your new project or new ad from the consumer’s lens. It’s important to understand their point of view about this ad before you even start working on it. And it’s important to share this with your team.

18. Stakeholders

Of course, you’d also want to list the main stakeholders involved in the project. You’d want your team to get to know them.

19. Resources

Resources should be a very meaty part of the brief. Layout all the resources that your team can use to produce the desired output. From inspiration (think mood boards) to material resources like stock images, your team will thank you for this information. You’d also want to iterate to only use quality stock photos and the latest data when they do further research.

20. Constraints

A content brief is not all positive notes and creative ideas. To make it really solid, you want to make sure you lay out all the possible constraints. This is so your team can prepare and get ahead of it. Be it legal considerations or technical constraints, understanding their limits will help your team produce work within their bounds.

Tailoring the Brief to the Project

Once you’ve mastered the elements of a good creative brief, it can be used in many different ways. This includes advertising, client work, collaboration with other creatives, freelance projects, and even internal creative projects. Here are some examples of different types of briefs:

Content Brief: This is what you send to a freelance writer or a staffer in the content department. Content briefs outline either a specific article or a content project (e.g., an article/story series).

Advertising Brief: An advertising brief is designed for advertisement projects to be distributed both online and offline. It lays out the ad campaign and the clear approach the advertising team should take. This type of brief is heavily anchored on making sales as an end result.

UX/UI Design Brief: This brief is mainly for web developers and graphics designers. Its goal is to provide guidance on a website, software, or an app’s interface and user experience.

The Role of the Visual Artist in the Briefing Process

Having a visual person in the room when creating and finalizing your creative brief can greatly impact the outcome. Most briefs are composed of words and more words. Which is very helpful. But it can be boring.

Visual artists have a keen eye and can contribute to making your briefs better by injecting images and other visual guides like graphs and charts. Source images from quality photo licensing websites and curate them before using them. Make sure they are in line with your project or with what the creative brief is for, and that they can spark creativity among your team.

7 Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Too vague: A common pitfall is not being specific enough in the brief. This can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. How to fix it: Be clear and concise with your objectives, target audience, and desired outcomes.

Too much information: While it’s important to be thorough, including too much information can overwhelm the team and dilute the main focus of the project. How to fix it: Stick to the most relevant information.

No clear objectives: Without clear objectives, it’s difficult to gauge the success of a project. How to fix it: Every creative brief should have clear, measurable objectives. 

Ignoring the audience: The brief should always consider the target audience. Failing to define who the project is for can lead to ineffective messaging and design.

No Unique Selling Proposition (USP): The USP sets your product or service apart from the competition. If it’s not clearly defined in the brief, the creative team might struggle to highlight it in their work.

Neglecting the Timeline and Budget: These are super important details that can significantly impact the project. Not including them can lead to unrealistic expectations and potential overspending.

Skipping the Review Process: A creative brief should be reviewed and agreed upon by all key stakeholders before work begins. Skipping this step can lead to misunderstandings and potential rework later on.

Final Thoughts

From the key consumer benefit to the distribution plan to everything in between, a good creative brief should be able to direct your team to produce a solid project without limiting their ingenuity.

It’s not just some additional document that directors or managers create or an additional document that designers need to study. It’s a roadmap to a successful project where everyone’s expectations are met, and no one’s need is compromised.

License the cover image via Vijay Sarathy

The post 20 Essential Elements That Make a Great Creative Brief appeared first on Stills Blog.

Development of Minimalism

Minimalism rose in prominence during the 1960s and ‘70s, but the first emergence of minimalist art was from Frank Stella, who exhibited Black Paintings in 1959 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Since then, this design aesthetic has influenced artists all over the world.

Minimalism quickly influenced print and graphic design, as the reduction of extra clutter allowed designers to construct more clear and concise messaging. When the internet launched, website design quickly favored minimalism. It was all about presenting web content in a simplistic way over a more maximalist, busy approach. Minimalism in print, graphic, and web design included flat elements, reserved color palettes, and intentional use of negative space.

Minimalism in Graphic Design

Graphic design is all about intentionality. It’s an art form that requires a simple but more meaningful approach. In the digital realm, it forces you to use only essential elements to get effective messaging across quickly. Using fewer elements lets the designer direct the viewer’s attention to the main idea. This is why graphic design, especially in advertising, has always favored this principle over maximalism.

Minimalism in Advertising and Marketing

In a busy world, society craves more space and less noise. Marketers now need to find new ways to stand out while embracing simplicity in their visuals and messaging. Audiences are more drawn to advertisements with limited layouts, toned-down color palettes, and intentional use of negative space. This approach to advertising has been proven to grab audiences’ attention faster and for longer. A great example of this is Google’s branding and interface which remains clean and minimal, which makes it easier to use and interact with.

5 Key Minimalist Design Concepts

If you’re ready to start implementing minimalism in your design projects, the following five minimalist design concepts will help. You can experiment with these different ideas and put your own creative spin on them to fit your exact needs.

1. Simplicity and Reduction

When finishing a design, it’s essential to ask yourself what can be removed. This puts you in the mindset of only using what’s necessary. Admittedly, it’s easier said than done, but the effort is worth it. Because when you keep only the most important elements in a design, you remove all the possible distractions that might prevent your message from getting across. This concept can also be applied when choosing images to add to your design. Working with more minimalist imagery can reduce the visual clutter and keep your messaging clear and concise.

2. Emphasis on Form and Function

Removing distractions from a design allows you to prioritize form and function. This is especially important when it comes to building a brand, as you want design with functionality as the driving force. When elements are added for function over design purposes, you can create a strong visual experience for the viewer.

3. Negative Space and Visual Balance

Minimalism is all about integrating the right amount of negative space to visually balance out the design. Negative space is the empty area surrounding any design element, like your logo, text, and image. You can use an effective amount of negative space to draw a viewer’s eye to the exact element that is intended. You can visually balance a minimalist design by creating strong contrast, increasing the size, or adding more visual weight to the main element. This will help you lead the viewer’s eye to the right place. Minimalist photography can be a great asset when paired with text to create an effective visual balance. 

4. Monochromatic Colors and Contrast

Color is another avenue of expression, and restricting a color palette helps make designs minimal. If you want to limit your color palette to only two colors, be sure to choose something that can work in a strong contrast with one another. This will give you more versatility in your design while keeping it minimal. This is where a color wheel can be a valuable resource for choosing compatible colors.

5. Geometric Forms and Shapes

Geometric shapes are an effective way to add design elements without overdoing it. These can be kept flat for a more minimalist look, and they’re a smart choice when looking for a way to highlight different portions of text. Of course, in keeping with minimalist ideals, try to limit the number of geometric shapes you use.

Minimalistic Graphic Design

Reducing the amount of visual clutter in your brand’s graphic design can maximize your brand’s overall impact. Here are five examples to inspire your next graphic design project.

Modern Minimalist Logos

Minimal logos can be a challenge; they look easy to design, but they can take a lot of time to get right. They don’t rely on extra elements, so everything needs to have a purpose here. Even if a brand doesn’t adopt a minimalist design aesthetic, a simplistic approach is favorable when it comes to logos. Brands want their logo to be instantly recognizable, which can be achieved by choosing simple typography, utilizing space wisely, and sticking to uncomplicated shapes and icons.

Visual Simplicity and Branding

When it comes to branding, simplicity wins. Simplifying a brand design allows content and important messaging to speak for themselves. It also makes it easier for the audience to digest the content because the branding isn’t distracting. Visual simplicity is often more memorable, and branding is all about using design to make a lasting impact.

You can visually simplify your brand by limiting your color palette to fewer than three colors and choosing strong modern fonts. It’s also key to combine this with a minimal logo design so everything flows together cohesively.

Typography and Layout

Typography and layout are two of the most important elements of any design. Typography is fundamental to getting a message across, and layout is the foundation design must follow. These both drive the functionality of an effective design.

In a minimalistic design approach, it’s important to choose legible, clean fonts. Opt for sans serif styles over more traditional serif typefaces. Layouts should be less complicated and kept intentionally simple. This means a balanced and aligned layout with only the bare necessities.

Visual Hierarchy

When it comes to minimalist design, keeping a balanced visual hierarchy is key. Since minimalism is all about organization, this is where you can create a system that allows for more structure. Determine which elements need to be emphasized by creating a ranking system. From there, you can determine what necessary elements need to be sized, colored, or arranged to create a hierarchy. This is where your creativity can shine, because there is no set system to getting this exactly right. Play around and see what works best for your unique design needs.

Minimalist Art in Advertising

Minimalist art is a major fixture in successful advertising campaigns of the last decade. Brands use clever, subtle ways to make their advertisements shine, like making the concept straight to the point, with their messaging and CTA as the focus. This helps the viewer to not feel bombarded by a brand’s marketing efforts and creates a better storytelling experience through a direct approach. 

Design Process

Creating a minimalist ad campaign is all about functionality. It’s important to put purpose over aesthetics. Therefore, start with a problem and highlight how your brand can solve it. Brainstorm different ideas on how you can bring this design to life. Refine your design process with the idea that provides the most straightforward approach to your advertisement. Keep narrowing your concept until it’s reached the ideal simplicity to move forward with a minimal advertisement. 

What to Consider

It’s essential to consider and test how an audience will respond to a minimal ad campaign or branding. Although minimalism seems like an easy effort, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work to refine it. Keep in mind that minimal art in advertisements should focus on one simple message instead of several features or concepts.

Successful Example

Here you can see how the stain on a white shirt creates contrast while surrounded by a large amount of negative space. It forces the viewer’s attention straight to the problem. The brand recognition is secondary but cleverly placed.

Get Inspired By Minimalist Art

In order to fully understand minimalist philosophy, it’s important to be inspired by its origin in art. Since minimalism first emerged in the fine art world, a number of artists—Robert Morris, Dan Flavin, and Carl Andre, to name a few— played a role in its growth.

Influence on Modern Minimalist Design

All of these artists paved the way for minimalist design today. With their use of negative space, limited color schemes, and simplistic elements, we find these concepts repeated throughout minimalism in our modern age.

Exploring Minimalism in Different Mediums

Minimalism can take on various forms when it comes to different mediums. Here are some in-action examples of how it takes shape through four separate formats.

Web Design

Minimalism is popular in web design, as viewers are attracted to more easy-to-use interfaces. This can be done by prioritizing user experience over aesthetics, which allows your website traffic to focus on the important aspects of your site instead of busy distractions. Navigation should be designed to create a seamless online experience without any detours.

Print Design

If you are striving for a minimal design in print materials, a simple layout is key. Intentional negative space is one of the most common ways to achieve this. You don’t have the extra space to add unnecessary design details in a print format so it can work in your favor here. Find straightforward ways to organize text and images and play around with their visual hierarchy. Selecting photos with negative space can be useful in print design where the layout allows space to be paired intentionally with text. 

Motion Graphics and Animation

This medium is more minimal, as it embraces the limitations of the 2D world. Even though there have been major advancements in motion graphics and animation, there is a favorable style of simplicity. When fewer details are included in an animation, it leaves a more creative interpretation for the viewer. This is a fun way to play around with minimal visual storytelling.

Experiential Design

Our environments have a major impact on the positive or negative emotions we feel. Experiential design is another medium where minimalist design can be expressed. This can create a multi-disciplinary experience for the viewer that can create desired feelings of comfort, excitement, or trust. Whether this is a public art installation or a corporate brand event, minimal design has the power to engage and inspire the audience. 

Signal vs. Noise

Minimalism is here to stay, whether that’s in art, design, or advertising. As our world is bombarded with more noise and distractions, whether consciously or subconsciously, we crave more minimalism in our daily lives. If you want to reach the right audience in this modern and busy age, it’s essential to adapt to this ever-evolving design principle. If you’re looking for photos that can enhance your designs, search for minimalist photos in our catalog.

License the cover image via Gene Yoon.

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Fundamentals of grid systems

Layout design is the practice of arranging various elements with one another. A great layout has specific visual points of interest that guide the viewer through the design. The easiest way to create a successful layout is by using a grid system. A grid system allows these layouts to have a structural foundation to follow throughout a website, advertisement, or magazine. 

An effective use of grid systems can be found in a book cover design where the text, images, and negative space all work in harmony to draw a potential reader in. An organized layout here marks the vital information and then draws the viewer deeper in with more secondary elements that work to pique the interest enough to open the book.

Another example of how a grid system creates impact is through a magazine layout. There are usually competing elements that need to work together on a page. Each page differs from the next which is why it’s key to have an organized pattern of how text, page numbers, and images are consistently placed. This allows the reader to easily navigate through different types of content in the magazine.

Selecting the right grid

Various layouts and mediums can benefit from different grid systems. Depending on the project, you can choose a grid that anchors your content in the right way. The different grid types consist of manuscript, modular, column, and hierarchical.

Manuscript grid

Starting with the simplest grid, a manuscript system is contained with a large text box of typical page margins. The secondary border is a guide for headers, footnotes, and page numbers. This grid is most effectively used in books, professional documents, and long essays. These are typically not used for more complex and creative layouts.

Modular grid

If you need a multifaceted layout, a modular grid system is a beneficial option. This grid system contains columns and rows that make up modules or boxes on a page. These modules have gutters between them to create space from one piece of content to another. These types of layouts can be seen on our phone home screens and are often used in e-commerce, schedules, or charts.

Column grids

Our next grid system makes longer text easier to read. These are great layouts for newspapers, magazines, and websites. A column grid is a system that is set up with several columns ranging from 2 to 4. This system relies on vertical guides for text and images to be laid out consistently. These columns are usually the same size although you can create asymmetrical columns to add a unique visual interest.

Hierarchical grids

This grid system is most commonly used in website design as it organizes content in order of importance. A hierarchical system leaves room for the most creativity while remaining intentional about how the information is perceived. These grids are usually set up with customized proportions instead of a more predictable pattern. This is helpful to use when a layout requires a more unconventional approach.

What is grid flexibility?

With any design project, it’s important to know when and how to break the design rules. A designer can be flexible when it comes to a layout without breaking the integrity of the design. Adjusting an element outside of a set grid can add depth and diversity to a layout. This can be done by creating an obvious placement of a component outside the grid. This shows the viewer this was an intentional design choice instead of a mistake.

Grid flexibility should be kept limited to 1 or a few elements to still retain the structure of the layout. When breaking these design rules, it’s essential to still be mindful that text is legible, branding stays consistent, and photos are high-quality. Images are one of the most common elements that can be pushed outside the margin. If you are looking for exceptional images, Stills can be a perfect resource for your ideal layout design.

Responsive design and grid systems

When designing for different screen types, grid systems need to adapt to the changing dimensions. Overall when it comes to designing for mobile, the number of columns will change. Mostly, you will be limited to one column where the viewer can scroll through the content. The content must make sense when it is forced to be stacked on top of each other. A fluid grid system will help stay consistent with a layout. This allows the breakpoints to change the design to fit the desired screen size. It’s also important to take into account background images that bleed over and if the impact of that image remains in another screen size. Some images can work well in all screen sizes, and Stills has an extensive library to choose from.

Typography and grids

Typography always plays a key role in any graphic design project. It’s important to be intentional about how text is set up on a grid system to create an even flow. Since grids are about creating an organizational structure, getting exact placements for typography can make reading information easier especially when working in multi-page documents.

Alignment is a key element in how text can be set up on a grid system. Staying consistent in alignment on a grid will help the information flow through a layout. If you have a text-heavy design, a visual hierarchy can be created to guide the viewer through the information in a sequential manner.

It’s best to start your design project by laying out all your text on the side of your artboard space. From there, you can quickly access your content and start planning which text is most important. This will help you determine your text hierarchy. Next, you can set up a grid system that works best for your layout and place your text consistently throughout.

Here is text on an effective grid system on an e-commerce listing page. You can see the text is laid out concisely to create a hierarchical structure that allows you to easily flow through the content.

Invitations are another place you can see typography laid out on a grid system. Here you can see the headlines of the text are treated in a way to highlight the key information. The secondary text follows in a more subtle approach.

Using grids for visual hierarchy

Visual hierarchy and grid systems work together to oversee the position of text, images, and graphics in any layout. The visual hierarchy gives guidance to what information needs to be the focal point and what is secondary. It’s important to create a sequential system for how you want the viewer’s eye to flow through a layout.

Once you have established what content needs to be emphasized, it’s essential to understand the visual weight of each element. This can be achieved by size, negative space, and contrast. An effective layout achieves a smooth flow from all elements with each other. 

Photos are also an effective way to give the viewer’s eye a break from a more text-heavy layout. It’s important to use photos that help communicate your message and give it the proper placement in your hierarchy, as they can oftentimes evoke more emotion than text so let it enhance your layout by becoming the focal point.

Grid systems in print design

Print design benefits greatly from a wide range of grid systems. Newspapers were some of the first print materials that relied heavily on exact layouts and grids. If you look at any newspaper today you will see a common 6-column grid that allows the reader to easily move through stories. There has not often been grid flexibility in these types of layouts. Today we use them more creatively in advertisements, books, and posters.

A grid system will look different depending on the project. A more exact grid system in print design is needed for a multi-page document so you can keep a more organized structure throughout. For one-page designs, you have more flexibility to create a grid that only needs to benefit that one-off design. For example, a poster design can benefit from a hierarchical grid and allow some space for breaking outside the margins.

Grid systems in digital design

Designing in a digital space comes with different opportunities and challenges. These days, a user is used to scrolling through content so a grid must align with that setup. Not only does a grid system create a visual hierarchy in a digital space but creates a more enjoyable user experience.

Website grids are used to guide a viewer through its pages and eventually convert into either sales or subscribers. A clear organizational flow creates seamless harmony through the flow of content. Grid systems can have some variety here to create more visual interest. It is important to keep the outside structure of the grid consistent from page to page. This means keeping a constant page width but changing up what happens within those margins.

Grids come in many shapes and sizes and can be altered to fit your exact project needs. It may have been one of the first techniques you learned as a new designer but can be revisited to create more dynamic designs. Now that you have an understanding of different types of grid systems, combine various ones that work for your layout. In graphic design, it’s important to break the rules when it makes sense to do so. Think of grids as a set of patterns, rather than restrictions placed upon your design. A great layout has the power to improve a visual experience, and readability, and boost conversions.

The cover image via GS & Co

The post An In-Depth Exploration of Layout and Grid Systems appeared first on Stills Blog.

Our world is overloaded with constant competing information. As attention spans grow shorter, a designer must work precisely to guide a viewer’s focus. Mastering the art of visual hierarchy will ensure clear messaging and engaging designs.

If done correctly, visual hierarchy elevates your messaging. It uses size, scale, color, alignment, and negative space to draw attention to the key elements of a composition. All of these principles work together to impact comprehension and create an intuitive flow throughout the design. 

The first step in any design is assigning levels of priority to each element. Understanding how a person perceives visual information is necessary in setting this up. A designer must then create a sequential visual experience for the viewer to draw the eyes to what’s most important. Here are the ways to approach the best practices in design hierarchy from all angles.

Traditional vs experimental approaches

As with any design principle, visual hierarchy is approached in both traditional and experimental ways. In order to push the boundaries, a designer must understand the foundations of this concept. From there, you can put your own creative spin on it by experimenting with more innovative ways to guide the viewer’s eye.

Traditional visual hierarchy 

A more traditional approach in design is having the header at the top in the largest font. From there, the secondary elements are scaled based on their priority. This usually starts from the top and works its way down in a traditional sequential order.

Brighter colors can be used to highlight more key elements of the design. Contrasting colors can also work to make one part stand above the other. This traditional approach usually sticks with a more predictable arrangement of hierarchy. A traditional example is an ad campaign that contains large, bright-colored text with smaller, muted secondary text below it.

Experimental visual hierarchy

Once you gain an understanding of traditional visual hierarchy, it’s time to experiment. Experimental visual hierarchy is about knowing when and how to break the design rules. 

Even in visual hierarchy, design trends tend to be overused and a viewer can get bored of predictable compositions. This can be beneficial especially in marketing campaigns as it will allow your designs to stand out amongst the competition. You can move out of the usual design that your viewers are accustomed to seeing.

It’s best to start out by breaking one or two design principles when it comes to an experimental approach to visual hierarchy. Some examples of experimental visual hierarchy are highlighting the secondary text with brighter colors, inverting sizes of important and secondary elements, and playing around with a non-traditional font that draws attention to elements you wouldn’t otherwise want to be highlighted.

Experimental visual hierarchy in advertising or web design has the power to attract attention in a different way. It might create an unexpected reaction from the viewer to take the time to look further into the design.

Visual hierarchy through different mediums

Visual hierarchy can have different approaches depending on where it is being displayed. Although there are similarities, each hierarchy has a unique intention depending on print or digital design. This can also differ whether the composition is in a static or interactive configuration. Here are the best practices for each.

Print design

Print is the most traditional form of design. It is usually digested slower than digital art and leaves space to be more experimental.

If your print design is text-heavy, it’s important to have the viewer’s eye be led to the most prominent writing first. This can be done easily with scale, color, and alignment. Above all else, it’s essential that the design is clearly legible no matter what hierarchy exists. Create a priority scale for each element and design accordingly by using a consistent design system. Imagery can be used to break up a layout and hierarchy if it adds to the overall messaging. High quality photographs are important in print and Stills can be a great resource for that.

Digital design

As more of our world becomes digital, this is where visual hierarchy becomes most important. It’s all about creating a highly optimized user experience and intentional flow. Digital designs need quicker impact because a user has the power to scroll away instantly.

In web design especially, it’s key to guide a user intentionally through what buttons or links you want them to click through. Each page will have its own hierarchy and it’s helpful to look at each page as its own composition. They each will consist of having their own hierarchical needs depending on the unique user’s experience.

Static vs. interactive design

There is a whole different approach when it comes to a static or interactive design. Static design can be social media graphics, infographics, resumes, or read-only websites. This means the contents of the design are fixed rather than creating a fluid user experience.

Visual hierarchy in a static design is more like print design in that it has more space to create an impact but it needs to be done quicker. Since there is no interactive piece of this design, static hierarchy depends on the content layout more than anything else. It’s important to understand what elements need to be prioritized and keep a sequential format in that alignment. Keep the differences obvious enough so it’s easier to differentiate what is being prioritized.

Interactive design is especially important because the way a viewer works with this will dictate their opinion of a brand or product. Viewers are always drawn to any form of movement on a website or other interactive platform. Text is usually the last element people process. If a certain text is at the top of your hierarchy, you must use scale or color to emphasize this.

Highlight with color

Color is one of the best ways to emphasize a design element in your hierarchy. Human perception of color is powerful in drawing attention quickly. For example, a bright neon green will draw attention to a headline text more than any other design treatment. You can use color to create impactful focal points whether in text, a frame around an image, or a colored vector icon. 

Color can also be used to train the viewer to click on certain buttons. This can be achieved if you use this color repeatedly in your call-to-action areas of design. It’s also important to note how different colors interact with each other. For example, if you are using a bright red color to draw attention but not paired with a contrasting background you can lose the intended impact.

Font palette hierarchy

Font combinations are another important aspect of any design especially when it comes to visual hierarchy. You can use your font palette to work in favor of what text you want to emphasize.

Usually, there are 3 fonts in a palette which consist of a header, subheader, and body font. The hierarchy here goes in sequential order. Traditionally, you would make a header font stand out amongst the rest. If you are looking to experiment you can play around with unconventional font combinations here. 

If you want to make things minimalistic, try sticking to one font family but adjusting the font weight and size to create a visual hierarchy for different levels of text. Many font families offer a wide variety of weight variations so be sure to look out for that when choosing a font for your design.

When mixing type and images, choose images that have enough negative space to allow for proper text legibility. An image can be a secondary component in your hierarchy to highlight your text. You can find some photos that will work well with text in Still’s extensive library.

Cultural context in design

Design is an art form that will always be subjective to the viewer. Cultural nuances can play a role in the effectiveness of visual hierarchy. Our culture and society have a significant influence on human perception of shapes, text, and colors.

Designers must take cultural influence into account when creating a visual hierarchy. For example, when creating a brand for a Japanese company it would be important to keep simplistic content layouts and minimal branding. This may not be appropriate for other cultures that are attracted to a more elaborate approach, or even specific colors.

It’s essential to understand how different cultures digest visual information so you can create an effective visual hierarchy that speaks to them. This is another way to be intentional about your design choices in guiding your audience through your composition.

Visual perception of hierarchy

Human perception and cognitive psychology play an influential role in an effective visual hierarchy. It’s human nature to want to find structure by grouping together elements in a pattern for better understanding. Our interaction with visual stimuli affects how we perceive and act upon certain designs. This is especially relevant when it comes to visual hierarchy in advertising or web design. 

Cognitive psychology can help enhance the user’s experience by improving navigation, accessibility, and readability. A designer’s job is to design based on what an audience’s behavior would be when presented with a specific visual. Understanding how psychology and human perception play a role in design can help you find solutions that can potentially make a great impact on sales and conversions. In e-commerce, it’s important to create a visual hierarchy that allows the customer to quickly digest information so they can make better buying decisions.

Imagery has the power to evoke emotions and can be perceived differently depending on the placement in the hierarchy. If you are using photographs in your design, be sure to choose ones that play a role in the overall visual experience. Not only is a viewer’s behavior a key consideration in a visual hierarchy but it can also impact their retention. A hierarchy can guide someone to stay on a certain webpage long enough to digest the information concisely before moving on to secondary pages. If information is organized and clear, a conversion is more likely to happen over a less intentionally thought-out hierarchy.

Mastering the art of visual hierarchy takes time and practice. Start by gathering inspiration to gain an understanding of both traditional and experimental designs. Stills offers a comprehensive library of images to choose from.

Once you understand the traditional ways to emphasize the intended elements, you can experiment and push the boundaries. Rules can be broken if you work to find a better, more innovative design solution. Experimentation in the visual hierarchy will not only draw your audience in but will separate your work from the predictable. With practice, you will find opportunities to design more effective hierarchies with room for your own creativity.

The cover image via Max Chesnut.

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It’s always relevant to be on the cutting edge of design, but a vintage-inspired approach never goes out of style. It evokes nostalgia and can trigger strong emotional ties to a product or design of the past. 

Identifying vintage elements

When incorporating vintage-inspired elements into your designs, it’s useful to be able to identify their origin. This will help you pull further into your inspiration to add additional historical elements to your concept. Here are a few examples of how to identify certain styles by key historical eras.

Baroque was a time period that originated in Europe from the 16th Century through the 18th Century. Elements from this era can be classified by dramatic ornaments, lavish design, and luxurious details. When searching for inspiration from this era, you can refer to Baroque paintings that evoke passion with realistic human figures.

Mid-century has been a beloved trend that continues to endure the test of time. It began in the early 1940s through the 1970s and inspired a more simplistic approach with geometric shapes and patterns, clean lines, and simplistic two-toned color palettes. Bauhaus is another style that was happening in parallel to this time which consists of minimal details, abstract shapes, and functional typefaces.

Gothic design is another historical period important to mention. Elements from this era can be traced back to influences of Romanesque art with a more somber approach. This style can be identified by dark moody color palettes, highly stylized typography, and elongated graphic elements.

Vintage elements that stand out

When planning out your next vintage-inspired design project, it is important to modernize historical elements in order to grab attention. Audiences are open to reinterpretations of this trend while being attracted to elements that tap into nostalgia. Finding a balance between these approaches is what will make a design uniquely compelling.

Simple shapes and circles

Minimal graphic elements are a timeless design that can be used to draw attention within branding, website design, and advertising. The simplicity of this trend refers back to Mid-century and Bauhaus design. Simple shapes and circles can be combined with cut-out images related to your design. Premium photographs for this collage look can be found in Stills extensive library. These elements can also be mixed with serif typefaces to create juxtaposition within the design.

Limited color schemes

Limited color schemes refer back to various retro-inspired design styles. To embrace this trend you can pair with other elements that allow you to make a bold statement. This can be done with more striking vectors or imagery. To place emphasis on a key part of your design, use a contrasting tone for one element to best utilize your vintage color palette.

Vintage typography

Vintage-inspired typefaces aren’t going anywhere. When choosing more ornate, serif typography, it’s best to mix with a modern san serif font to create balance. Pairing two opposing fonts allows more dynamic and interesting compositions. If you are limited to using one typeface, another way to stand out is by utilizing vivid colors or clean patterns to add contrast with more traditional typography. 

Textures and noise

When creating a vintage design, texture and noise can be the finishing touch that makes a photo or composition look antique. Placing a vintage texture over a photograph can add an unexpected stylistic feature to any design. This allows a composition to stand out because of the positive nostalgic references it can pull from with older forms of photography and editing styles.

Imagery and illustrations

These are important elements of any design that have the power to evoke feelings from a certain era. Imagery and illustrations can be a dominant player in classifying a design as vintage and creating a unique impact on its audience. Feel free to pair vintage imagery and illustrations with modern text for a fresh new approach to your layout. You can also experiment by mixing more modern imagery with vintage-inspired illustrations or vice versa. Our eyes tend to be attracted to imagery first, so it’s essential to have high-quality images in your design. Stills can be your go-to resource for that.

Current vintage trends

Some vintage design trends come and go through cycles while others take the stage for long periods of time. The possibilities and inspiration are endless when it comes to implementing vintage and retro aesthetics into our modern designs. Two popular throwback trends that are relevant now are Retrofuturism and Pop Art.

Retrofuturism

What better way to look ahead into the future than through the lens of the past? This ‘80s style trend is all about combining imaginative futuristic design with old-fashioned stylistic themes. It blends the nostalgic fascination with things of the past with an obsession with all things tech. Elements following this trend would be rounded shapes, bright ‘80s-inspired color palettes, futuristic themes of tech and space, grunge textures, and mixes of retro mechanics and machinery. An effective example of this Retrofuturism can be found in movie advertisements and poster design where we see the past and future collide through colors, typography, and graphic elements.

Pop Art

This retro inspired trend stems from an art movement from the 1950s and 1960s. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichenstein led the way for this new stylistic approach to advertising that lasted until the 1970s. Pop art was all about using shapes and illustrations to create an artistic representation of popular imagery. It is usually done in bright pops of color with recognizable items or faces. The most famous examples of Pop Art are Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Can and the Marilyn Diptych. 

Swiss typography also plays a role here as it consists of block layouts and bold sans serif fonts which pair well with Pop Art. During the 1980s this movement transitioned into a more punk style with grunge themes, cut out letters, and chaotic graphic elements.

How to add vintage and retro touches to your designs

Once you have your vintage and retro inspiration, it’s time to implement them into your creative work. Here are 3 easy ways you can add these trends into your font and color palettes while providing the right balance between each element.

Color palette

Choosing the right color palette sets the tone for your overall style in your design or brand. Colors can evoke different emotions, even when using them to relate back to a historical time period. When creating a color combination for your brand, be sure to refer to color psychology while also referencing the vintage theme you are looking to incorporate. Colors are a great place to experiment by adding an unexpected pick to your palette.

Fonts

Typography can be the ideal avenue for you to easily relate back to a vintage era. Choosing the right font will take some research into what was popular during the time period you are influenced by. It can be helpful to look back at advertisements during that time and see how various fonts were paired. If you are looking to implement a 1950s aesthetic, mix playful with clean and bold typefaces. For an Art Deco inspired look, find tall san serif fonts and pair them with geometric rounded shapes.

Balance

By now it is no surprise that the best way to balance out vintage elements is by pairing them with their contemporary counterparts. This is the best way to approach vintage design in a fresh style. It’s key to make obvious differences between two opposing styles so the dominant elements can stand out while the more modern graphics are secondary. This will allow you to create more visual polarity which makes compositions more attractive and dynamic. Design is always about balance and experimentation.

Now that you have an understanding of how to identify and use this design trend, feel free to experiment with different elements in your creative work. Retro and vintage-inspired aesthetics have paved the way for an exciting time in design. As modern designers, we have the opportunity to resurge timeless aesthetics of the past by putting our own spin on it. Throwback design styles have the power to transport the viewer into positive memories and emotions of the past.

The cover image via Louis Dazey.

The post The Revival of Vintage in Modern Graphic Design appeared first on Stills Blog.

Similar to all aspects of design, typography has evolved through various trends and advancements over the decades. 

History of Typography

Typography originated from the eleventh-century Song dynasty in China by Bi Sheng (990–1051). Since then, we’ve made major advances in typography, as we have moved from movable type to typewriters to today’s ever-evolving digital spaces. Moving away from analog ways of arranging text has enabled endless creative possibilities.

With new technology, we are able to use text in ways that improve our chances of reaching the right audience. Before a viewer can even interpret what the text says, typography design can create a mood that sets the tone for what a brand stands for. For example, a modern sans serif font like Lato can work to portray a more contemporary brand, while a serif typeface like Caslon can work to set a more traditional mood.

Creative Typography Ideas

As design software advances, we have the power to create whatever we dream up. Here are some creative typography ideas you can use to push the boundaries and inspire your next design project.

Letters as Cartoon Characters

This technique is a way to add a playful aesthetic to your typography design. You can play around with the different letter shapes to create various characters. For example, using a U to create a smile on a cartoon character is a fun way to reimagine your text.

Overlapping Characters

Overlapping characters is another unique way to create different design elements in your text. This can be done by intertwining two words together or by using a small amount of big text in the background of a larger amount of small text. Remember, it’s important to put legibility first when you’re overlapping characters. 

Retro Styling

Nostalgia has the power to stir up warm and fuzzy emotions, so don’t be afraid to embrace retro elements in your designs. Retro styling in typography can be achieved by inspiration from the 60s and 70s with block letters combined with ornate text flourishes.

Handwritten Styles

Handwritten styles have always been on trend, as they add a “personalized” element to any design. This approach has extra value today, since it adds a human touch that stands out in the digital age. You can use handwritten styles by either creating your own or choosing from a wide selection of pre-made, handwritten fonts.

3D Effects

There aren’t really any set rules to follow with 3D. The main concept here is creating depth within the text so it pops from the background.

Glitches and Distortions

Both of these styles are unique ways you can add customization to your text. This technique reflects back to the nostalgic y2k trend, and it can be achieved by color static, line distortions, or pixelated glitches.

Floral Typography

Mixing floral elements with typography can add an elegant, romantic aesthetic to any design. This can be done by adding florals inside your text or creating floral decorative elements to go alongside your design.

Combining Uppercase and Lowercase

This technique is all about creating juxtaposition between two different kinds of text. You can either use this with one font in uppercase and lowercase or experiment with different fonts in both variations.

Fit into Geometric Shapes

Placing your text into unique shapes is a fun technique. You can distort your text to fit the geometric shapes or clip your text into any shape as well. This is an especially useful tool for logo designs.

Play with Colors

Colors and typography have always gone hand in hand. Playing around with different color combinations can create a unique typography design whether it’s in a logo, book, or branding design. Colors can also be used to emphasize specific parts of your text.

How to Create Unique Typography

Feel free to use these typography styles to experiment with your own design projects. With typography, it’s all about balance and contrasting styles when choosing your fonts. You don’t have to follow any rules here, but being intentional about your typography design will allow you to create something unique for your brand or design.

Before you begin to try out these different design ideas, it’s important to also get familiar with the basics. This will help you create a strong foundation to experiment with different font pairings, typography distortions, and various text effects.

Size, Leading, Scale, Hierarchy 

Being intentional about typography size is important to creating an effective design. Every font has a different size, and it’s important to keep that in mind when you are choosing and designing with different fonts.

Leading is the vertical space between each line of text. Kerning is also another customization that controls the spacing between letters. These can be altered to completely change the mood of a design.

Scale and hierarchy are used to organize elements of your design. You can implement this by creating a hierarchy of text you want to highlight with size, color, and font weights. When designing, keep in mind what parts of your content you want to accentuate and what is secondary. A way to categorize your text is in headers, subheaders, and body text.

Understanding Design Grids

A design grid can be an important tool, especially when it comes to using typography. This can be extremely helpful if you’re just starting out as a designer. You can add a design grid in most design programs. This will allow you to achieve design harmony by either creating symmetry or exact alignment.

Practice Correct Alignment

Text alignment can make or break your design. With that said, different design situations will need a unique alignment depending on the placement of your text. A good place to start is by left-aligning text as this is the most common alignment, and it’s generally easier to read. If this doesn’t look right, try centering aligning your text if you have somewhat even text lines. Be sure to always keep the space between each line of text consistent throughout.

Keep It Minimal

Less can be more when it comes to typography design. By keeping your style more minimalistic, you allow the fonts to stand on their own. With that said, it means that you have to be confident that your typography design doesn’t need any extra design elements to convey your messaging.

Create from Scratch

One of the best ways to create unique typography is creating your designs from scratch. This can be done by creating your own fonts or text so you have a design that can’’t be replicated. This will help you stand out from the crowd as opposed to using more common, free fonts.

Combine Letters

Combining letters is an unexpected way to push the boundaries of typography. This is a trend that has been seen mostly in poster design, and it creates a funky, vine-inspired aesthetic. Be sure to choose letters that differ greatly from one another so the combination looks intentional.

Mix Font Styles

There is an art and science to mixing different font styles. This is another avenue to push the boundaries of typography. You can create fun combinations by choosing fonts that make an unlikely pair, like a bold sans serif modern font with one that’s more thin and traditional.

Break the Rules

If you’re looking to push the boundaries in your typography design, it helps to know when and how to break the rules. First, it’s important to understand the basic rules of design, so you can effectively step outside the box on them. This can be done by pairing unexpected fonts together, playing around with surprising color combinations, or purposely playing around with uncommon sizing, kerning, or alignment.

Typography Trends

New typography trends are always emerging in social media, cinema, and branding. Below are a few of today’s top emerging typography trends. If you embrace these new trends in your brand, it allows you to stay relevant while putting your own creative spin on it. 

Vintage Narrow Serif Fonts

This trend is a reinvention of a classic typography style that makes a timeless statement. The traditional serif fonts are heightened to create a surprising combination of elegance and boldness. This is ideal for brands looking to portray a subtle but fresh take on more classic design elements.

Art Deco Reinvented

A new take on art deco-inspired typography has emerged in all forms of design. The traditional art deco movement can be characterized by tall sans serif fonts paired with surprising curves. This trend takes this vintage style and reinvents it by toning down the more decorative elements to create a more subtle approach.

Colorful Text Gradients

Gradients have always come and gone when it comes to design trends. We are seeing intentional, vibrant gradient effects added to text. You can embrace this trend by experimenting with different color combinations and unique gradient placements.

Superhero-inspired Text

This is a strong trend that’s common in cinematic design, but it’s starting to pop up more in branding as well. This action-packed trend is full of 3D lettering, retro tributes to all your favorite superhero movies, and movement created with different text effects.

Liquid Chrome Typography

Liquid chrome typography takes funky y2k text and reimagines it into melting, metallic letters. This can be achieved with speciality premade fonts or you can create your own using software rendering techniques.

Typography and Images

It’s vital to be intentional about typography when placing it over imagery and photography. This combination can be used to further convey a message or give more context to the image. It is essential to always begin with high-quality images, and Stills is an incredible resource for that. 

Typography has a unique power to create a lasting impression on viewers. This is why it has always been a key part of branding, communication, and design. Now that you have the tools to get started with your own typography designs, feel free to push the boundaries and experiment with your own fresh take. We have provided you with a guide to get started, but there are endless possibilities when it comes to using typography to find your own design personality.

The cover image via Faizal Westcott.

The post 10 Bold and Creative Ideas To Push Boundaries in Typography Design appeared first on Stills Blog.