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Ad Layout and Design Strategies

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com Guide

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Basic Ogilvy Ad Layout

Basic Ogilvy Ad Design Layout

Basic Visual, Caption, Headline, Copy, Signature Ad Layout

Advertising expert David Ogilvy devised an ad layout formula for some of his most successful ads that became known as the Ogilvy. The illustration on this page is the basic design that follows the classic visual, headline, caption, copy, signature format. From this basic ad layout, other variations are derived.

Try changing the margins, fonts, leading, size of the initial cap, size of the visual, and placing the copy in columns to customize the basic format of this ad layout.

  1. Visual at the top of the page. If you are using a photo, bleed it to the edge of the page or ad space for maximum impact.

  2. For photos, place a descriptive caption below.

  3. Put your headline next.

  4. Follow with your main ad copy. Consider a drop cap as a lead-in to help draw the reader into the copy.

  5. Place your contact information (signature) in the lower right corner. That's generally the last place a reader's eye gravitates to when reading an ad.

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