Effective advertising isn’t just great messages and offers that aren’t to be missed – it’s also designed. With the right one, you can make your ad campaign stand out from the competition and capture the attention of your target audience. But if your design fails, your brand ads may go unnoticed and fail to generate the results you’re looking for. If you’re looking for an ad that will set your brand apart and get the attention you need, you’re not alone. As long as there are products to sell, there will always be ads to create. But with so many options, how do you make yours unique and memorable?
Fortunately, advertising has come a long way from the age-old method of simply announcing the features and benefits of given products. Today’s advertisements are more creative than ever and consumers have high demands and limited attention spans. That’s why we’ve gathered for you 10 unique advertising examples that contain a lot of design wisdom and creativity. Whether you’re looking for ideas for a startup or another perspective on an existing business, these examples will inspire you and show you an innovative opportunity to think “outside the box.”

Make it minimalistic

One effective advertising tip is to keep designs simple. Many ads tend to feature a product with extravagant imagery and detailed features, but simplicity can also be a powerful tool. Take the Mcdonalds’ delivery ad, for example, which relies on a single image and a simple message to capture the concept of imagination in its simplest form. Simplifying your message not only creates a more effective ad but also increases its appeal to a wider audience. It’s no coincidence that the expression – “less is more” is so popular in the design world. So keeping your message and design minimalistic can result in great advertising that resonates with more people.

Include a call to action

Calls to action are used a lot in promotional designs, especially in advertisements. In case you’re not familiar, a call to action is copy that prompts or invites the audience to take action. Some calls to action that you may be familiar with are things like “Buy now”, “Get while supplies last”, etc.
Calls to action work particularly well in advertising when used thoughtfully and cleverly. For example, check out this call to action for MaxFactor cosmetics.

It not only warns users to be careful when driving but also helps to explain and contextualize the image above.
Because this call to action is accompanied by such a creative graphic and concept, it is kept simple and direct and is a major focal point of the page. Many other ads can lower the hierarchy of their calls to action to be small, almost subliminal type. But if your call to action is part of your key message, don’t be afraid to make it key, make it bold, and put it at the forefront.

Design to audience

When creating a design, it’s important to keep your target audience in mind. Representing your consumer group directly in your advertising can help make it more effective. But what if your target market is quite broad?
Take the Wilkinson Sword razor brand, for example. Their ad campaign consists of three ads, each designed to appeal to different consumers. By featuring people with different facial features and hairstyles, they can target a wider range of people. Using a campaign with multiple ads instead of one allows the brand to use a single strong concept and expand its direct market targeting by using different types of people. This approach allows the brand to appeal not only to a certain type of person but also to razor users in general.

Image: Wilkinson Sword by JWT, London, United Kingdom

Find hidden visual connections

If you want to create a creative and unique ad, one effective approach is to find hidden visual links related to your topic. This may seem like a daunting task, but here’s an example that accomplishes it well.
Take a look at this Mcdonalds’ mobile ordering ad. The sandwiches are made from mobile phones to show the connection between ordering through the mobile app and the restaurant. By finding hidden visual connections, you can generate a different approach to promoting your product. Try considering ideas related to your message that have comparable shapes, lines, or contours, and come up with a way to combine these two concepts to promote your message.

Find hidden visual connections

If you want to create a creative and unique ad, one effective approach is to find hidden visual links related to your topic. This may seem like a daunting task, but here’s an example that accomplishes it well.
Take a look at this Mcdonalds’ mobile ordering ad. The sandwiches are made from mobile phones to show the connection between ordering through the mobile app and the restaurant. By finding hidden visual connections, you can generate a different approach to promoting your product. Try considering ideas related to your message that have comparable shapes, lines, or contours, and come up with a way to combine these two concepts to promote your message.

Don’t say it – show it

In many creative schools of thought, there is a general “show, don’t tell” rule that dictates that you should never explain something when you can show it, and there is no exception to this rule when it comes to advertising.
This Curtis Tea ad has chosen to show rather than tell by visualizing the sense of smell and taste. They could have just put a copy on the page that said “This tea tastes very strongly of orange and chocolate”, but instead they showed what it tasted like by making an orange in the shape of a teapot.
If you’re designing your advertising, keep in mind that there are probably countless other brands advertising a very similar product to yours and making similar promises, so take the chance to show the features and ideas that surround your product instead of telling people about them to create a much stronger and lasting effect.

Make it interactive

Ads are designed for an audience that gives them value, so why not involve the audience in that value-creation process? Think about how your audience will interact with your piece – can they add something to it or interact with it in some way to get more meaning from the design?
This ad from Berrge Tattoo grabs attention instantly by asking users to apply the skills they would apply. Not only does this help the brand filter out inexperienced hands, but it also helps build a detail-oriented attitude towards Berrge Tattoo as a brand, “killing two birds” with one (very interactive) stone.

Make it interactive

Ads are designed for an audience that gives them value, so why not involve the audience in that value-creation process? Think about how your audience will interact with your piece – can they add something to it or interact with it in some way to get more meaning from the design?
This ad from Berrge Tattoo grabs attention instantly by asking users to apply the skills they would apply. Not only does this help the brand filter out inexperienced hands, but it also helps build a detail-oriented attitude towards Berrge Tattoo as a brand, “killing two birds” with one (very interactive) stone.

Consider using symbols in your advertising to create a strong, quick, and relatively universal message. It’s amazing how a very simple shape, like a circle with a pointed bottom, can symbolize the idea of location in an instant. So why not take advantage of this?

Be careful with colors

Colors are a very powerful tool in all design, especially in advertising. You can set a certain tone or scene with color to evoke certain emotions, or color can act as a motif.
This series of ads for the French dental office Centre Dentaire Paris Loft uses color as a motif, depicting usually yellow objects as pearly white, ending with the tagline “We don’t like yellow”. This use of “incorrect” colors is quite disturbing and draws a lot of attention while making quite a strong statement.
So, consider using color as a motif in your design, whether you choose to use color in an intriguing or eye-catching way, do it intentionally and have a purpose.

Create a custom look

We all know how powerful words are, so naturally typography is pretty important too. But it’s important to keep in mind that typography isn’t just limited to the fonts on your computer. Creating a custom font by hand can add a personal touch to your design, and it can be that added element that makes your ad stand out from the rest.
Take a look at this Nutella ad, which features chocolate lettering. The use of a messy, personalized font reflects the playfulness of the Nutella brand and creates an eye-catching and rather fun effect. Plus, the copy itself is very effective – a little reverse psychology can have a big effect.
So, consider building your typeface, whether handwritten, made from your product, or created in another way, this strong element that is unique to you is memorable and super effective.

The rules, techniques, methods, and approaches to creating advertising are extensive and seemingly endless. While knowing and following the rules of design helps to create visually stunning and effective advertising, much of the effectiveness of an ad comes down to creative thinking and the courage to be different.
Look at your product, look at your brand, and try to think alternatively. What new perspective can you put on this product? Would a visual metaphor work well, or perhaps an iconic image, or maybe a symbol or two?
In conclusion, the power of creative graphic design is clear. From eye-catching social media posts to memorable brand materials, high-quality design is crucial to stand out in a crowded marketplace and capture the attention of your target audience.

At martiandesigners.com we understand the importance of great design, which is why we offer a subscription service that provides unlimited access to our team of talented designers. Our platform makes it easy and affordable for any business to get quality and fast service from professional designers.
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