Four great ways Effective can help you get noticed

Blog by in-house designer Lisa Walsh

Brilliant design will put your business in the spotlight, making sure it stands out.

Research shows that people are wired to respond and interact more with gifs, videos and infographics than straightforward stock photos and images. They’re also more likely to remember a brand if their visuals are bright and engaging.

But how do you know which type of visuals your business should embrace and if your current imagery is working for you?

Here’s how Effective can help improve your visual strategy and ensure your communications are cohesive:

1. Social media
Well-designed posts will captivate a viewer’s attention, make a brand memorable and drive engagement.

How Effective can help with:
• Custom designed posts. These are posts that are reflective of your business and can be formatted to fit various social media platforms. Your profile image, cover photo and posts should all complement each other and we can help you achieve this cohesive harmony, making sure your audience immediately recognises who you are. We can design a variation of your logo in profile images and headers, create custom backgrounds to complement your brand and fully manage your social media accounts.
• Motion graphics. Animated infographics and gifs with bold abstract shapes are having a moment. An informative way of sharing content, Effective now has an in-house designer, Lisa Walsh, and a videographer, Ciaran Hiscox, who can help you create a range of visual assets to help sell your business.

2. Branding
Your logo is incredibly important because you need your brand to separate you from the competition. Great brands are simple, memorable, original, modern yet timeless, complementary and have versatility.

Unsure if you need a rebrand or a quick refresh? Ask yourself:
• Does your brand stand out?
• Does your logo communicate who you are and what you do in an instant?
• Is the typography easy to read?
• Does your logo make a strong first impression and is it memorable?

How Effective can help with:
• A rebrand. If the answer to most of the questions above is no, you might want to consider a complete rebrand. This is appealing because it means something new and exciting, but your visual elements are the biggest component of brand recognition. When you rebrand, you’re changing the identity of your business, which means you’re taking away the elements people recognise. We can help make the transition smooth, get your audience on board and make sure your new visual identity is worth it by creating something new to shout about.
• A brand refresh. If the answer to most of the questions above is yes, you might just need a refresh. Maybe your logo needs to be modernised or you need some new vector graphics. We can take your existing logo and update it without entirely changing your brand identity. This could mean simply updating typography, picking better colour schemes or creating brand guidelines.

3. PDF guides and ePubs
If you’re wondering how to reduce paper waste in the office, printing less is an obvious choice. Getting you brochure converted into an accessible digital format isn’t as hard as you think. You can then share, send and access the digital brochure easily and quickly.

How Effective can help with:
• Digital PDF brochures. These are standard PDF versions of printed documents with links added. They are normally shared as attachments via email.
• ePubs. These are hosted remotely and accessed via a link. They can contain animation, links and buttons, can be shared across social media and saved as PDF brochures.
• E-shots. These are graphics hosted in an email with links to your website. A bespoke e-shot is a fantastic way to round up all of your other marketing efforts by containing adverts, blog posts and links.

4. Annual reports
An annual report is a comprehensive report detailing a company’s activities over the past year. Firstly, you need to decide who is going to read your report. If you want your report to be read by anyone in the general public, a digital ePub or PDF might be the way to go. If you want to present something tangible to trustees, shareholders or a board of directors, then you’ll need a printed copy. Effective can help you create both.

If you feel your business could benefit from any of these opportunities, get in touch today.