Top 5 tips for communicating a clear message through design

1. Decide what you want to say. Knowing the purpose of a page will help you decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. Ask yourself, what exactly is it that you want to communicate, and what is your intent? Keep your message short and simple. A favourite acronym for this is ‘KISS’ - Keep It Simple Stupid.
2. Decide who your audience is. The more you know about your audience, the better equipped you are to attract their attention and communicate your message. Knowing more about your audience’s demographics will help you target your audience and speak to them in a voice they will understand. Identifying your target audience will help you determine what sort of images and graphics will best appeal to that audience.
3. Check out your competition to see what has already been done. Ask yourself what worked, what didn’t work and why? Then work on doing something better.
4. Decide on your method of communication. Consider whether there are any limits or constraints on the format, time, and budget. The format you choose will influence how much information you should put within the space, as well as the size and shape of the area you will work in. These considerations have obvious implications for the general layout, and therefore how the final piece will look.
5. Streamlining your design effort involves forethought and planning, as well as an idea of what kind of design principles you may employ within your brand communications. Once you know what the design principles are (i.e.; emphasis, balance, and flow) and how to apply them, you can consciously use them to improve the look and feel of your brand identity.