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Design to Sell

Design to Sell

by Roger C. Parker
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Release Date: March 2006
ISBN: 0735622604
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Book Description

Not a designer? Don’t have a big marketing budget? Now you can design effective marketing materials yourself with this guide written by best-selling author and design expert Roger C. Parker. This one-stop guide to marketing gives you the basics for creating effective messages and step-by-step instruction for using Publisher 2003 to design compelling, easy-to-read marketing materials that deliver your message successfully.

Even if you’re not a designer or you have no marketing experience, you’ll get expert advice and learn how to: • Develop a market empathy, think like your market, and solve their problems using their language • Format your message so it’s attractive and easy to read—by taking a crash course in graphic design • Save time and money by using Publisher to create several different types of effective marketing pieces—including postcards to promote your business and newsletters that keep you in touch with your customers • Use techniques for quickly harnessing powerful Publisher capabilities • Do it right from the start and avoid common pitfalls and design mistakes

Each chapter includes an interactive exercise as well as review questions with answers on the author’s companion Web site. Also on the Web site are downloadable worksheets and templates, more illustrations of the projects in the book, additional before-and-after project makeovers, and other resources.

Table of Contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Advance Praise for Design to Sell
  4. Introduction
  5. Perspectives on Marketing Using Design
    1. Using Design to Gain a Competitive Edge
      1. Competing with a Visual Edge
      2. What Design Is—and What It Isn’t
      3. What Can Design Do for You?
      4. Who Can Design?
      5. Eight Tasks That Design Must Satisfy
      6. Why Do It Yourself?
      7. The Tools of Design
      8. Summary
      9. Test Yourself
    2. Planning Your Way to Design Success
      1. The Six Criteria of Effective Design
      2. Design as Balance
      3. Obtaining Agreement on Project Goals
      4. Planning, Quantities, and Printing
      5. Summary
      6. Test Yourself
    3. Principles of Design Success
      1. The Eight Principles of Effective Design
      2. Building Blocks of Page Architecture
      3. Becoming an Artisan
      4. Summary
      5. Test Yourself
    4. Crafting Messages That Clients and Prospects Will Want to Read
      1. The Three Truths of Effective Marketing
      2. Tasks That Your Messages Must Accomplish
      3. Using Lists to Create Content
      4. Summary
      5. Test Yourself
  6. Working with Publisher
    1. Getting Started with Microsoft Publisher
      1. Fundamentals of Microsoft Publisher
      2. Developing Efficient Working Habits in Publisher
      3. Summary
      4. Test Yourself
    2. Creating a Foundation for Design Success
      1. Creating the Right Framework for Your Pages
      2. Working with Text and Graphics
      3. Working with Color
      4. Summary
      5. Test Yourself
    3. Building Design Excellence into Every Page
      1. Making Sense of Type
      2. Formatting Headlines and Subheads
      3. Formatting Body Copy
      4. Saving Formatting Decisions as Text Styles
      5. Sharing Text Styles Among Documents
      6. Summary
      7. Test Yourself
    4. Taking Your Design Success to the Next Level
      1. Advanced Type Tools
      2. Clarifying and Reinforcing Your Message
      3. Using Templates to Ensure Design Success
      4. Summary
      5. Test Yourself
    5. Distributing Error-Free Messages in Print and Online
      1. Getting Ready to Print the Perfect Publication
      2. Preparing Files for Error-Free Commercial Printing
      3. Preparing Files for Internet Distribution
      4. Summary
      5. Test Yourself
  7. Publisher at Work
    1. Promoting Your Business with Postcards
      1. Discovering the Power of Postcards
      2. Planning Your Postcard Promotions
      3. Designing and Producing Postcards
      4. Becoming a Postcard Pro
      5. Using the Internet to Send Postcards
      6. Summary
      7. Test Yourself
    2. Using Newsletters and Tip Sheets to Promote Your Expertise
      1. What Is a Platform?
      2. Planning Your Newsletter
      3. Producing a One-Page Newsletter
      4. Creating a One-Page Newsletter Template
      5. Producing Each Issue
      6. Using Tip Sheets to Further Promote Your Expertise
      7. Summary
      8. Test Yourself
    3. Profiting from Small Ads
      1. Putting the Power of Small Ads to Work
      2. Planning a Small Ad Program
      3. Creating Your Small Ads
      4. Using Small Ads to Drive Traffic to Your Web Site
      5. Summary
      6. Test Yourself
  8. Wrapping It Up
    1. Reviewing the 10 Most Common Design Errors
      1. Identifying Common Layout Problems
      2. Reviewing Headlines and Subheads
      3. Fine-Tuning Body Copy Content and Formatting
      4. Building Improvement into Every Project
      5. Summary
      6. Test Yourself
    2. Developing a Plan for Your Marketing Publications
      1. Why You Need a Marketing Plan
      2. Creating Your Own Marketing Plan
      3. Summary
      4. Get Started Now!
  9. Appendix
    1. What Else You’ll Find
  10. Color Chronicles
    1. Color Schemes Take the Worry Out of Choosing Colors
    2. A Little Color, Carefully Used, Makes a Big Difference
    3. Choosing an Appropriate Publisher Color Scheme
    4. Four Common Problems When Working with Color
    5. Four Examples of the Appropriate Use of Color
    6. Exploring the Advantages of 2-Color Commercial Printing
    7. Use 4-Color Printing for the Best Possible Quality
    8. Review Your Use of Color In Your Marketing
  11. Roger C. Parker
  12. Index