Want people to be aware of and attend or participate in your events, programs and promotions? Of course! That’s why you create flyers, graphics, brochures and posters! If it’s not a big job like a brochure, poster or program, and for internal purposes only, you may be able to design it yourself, however, it’s important to remember that if your materials aren't designed properly, they can fail to have the intended effect you hoped for, or worse, they will have a negative effect and misrepresent what you are promoting.
To make sure this doesn’t happen, here are some best design guidelines and practices for creating promotional materials. As a reminder, all large jobs, or those that will go to external audiences, must be created by Hofstra Creative Services. The Office of Communications is always available to assist you if needed. Reach out to us with any inquiries or questions.
MAKE SURE YOUR PIECE SAYS ZUCKER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- The first thing to remember is to mention the Zucker School of Medicine. This may seem like common sense, but we see it all the time! People print up posters, flyers, graphics and designs without mentioning the event, program or promotion that is taking place at the School of Medicine. Some people just assume that by being distributed within the school it will be considered a Zucker School of Medicine promotion. Wrong! Never assume and put the school name on your piece.
USE THE ZUCKER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE LOGO CORRECTLY
- The Zucker School of Medicine logo is a seal of approval that delineates that your event or program is something that’s part of our school. However, used incorrectly, it has the opposite effect. The guide for how to utilize our logo correctly can be found on our branding page. If you need logo files, you can also find them here as well. Don’t take logos from the website…it won’t copy correctly!
DO NOT CREATE NEW LOGOS
- If you create a new logo for your area or program, you not only risk breaking our brand guidelines but you also risk making your project or event unofficial. The Zucker School of Medicine has a logo treatment that’s easily created and can be provided to you. We also have set logos and brand colors which should be used correctly at all times. Visit our branding page for more information.
BE MINDFUL OF COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED IMAGES
- There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to using photos. Did you take the photo or create the image? No? Then, did you get permission to use the image from the creator? Using an image you found off of Google Images does not mean you can use it freely.
- There are royalty-free image sites online, that provide photos you can use without permission from the photographer and models, but some may charge a fee to use their images. Keep in mind where you are sourcing your images from!
- Similarly, if you plan on using pictures of people’s faces, make sure it’s a royalty-free image, stock image or you have that person’s permission. Unless you have their permission, you shouldn't show their face.
- Flickr Creative Commons [https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/] (just make sure to credit the photographer) or use a royalty-free photo resource such as Pixabay.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: TRADEMARKED ELEMENTS
- All designs and promotional material must respect all trademarks. For example, if you are promoting an event about mobile phones, you should not include photos of an iPhone or a service carrier like Verizon. Keep in mind that trademarked elements aren’t limited to products and logos. It can also extend to things like slogans and similar brand elements. A popular example is the famous I ♥ NY design, which is heavily guarded by lawyers, extending to imitations of it. If you’ve seen something well-known and used by another organization, it’s probably best to avoid using it or something that plays off of it. There are no fair-usage protections when it comes to promotion.
DON’T MAKE IT RISQUE
- This may seem like common sense, but we think it’s important to emphasize anyway - leave any controversial, obscene and/or shocking stuff off your materials. Simply put, it just isn’t a good look. It’s important to note that these materials could end up anywhere once they go “public” and reflect the Zucker School of Medicine brand – it’s important to not make a bad brand impression.
CONTRAST BACKGROUNDS AND TEXT
- If you want your promotional material to stand out, make sure you contrast your colors! Don’t use a light-colored background with light-colored text, or dark-colored background with dark-colored texts. It’s too hard to see!
USE THE RIGHT FONTS
- You should always use fonts that are easy to read. Sometimes fonts that look fun, don’t translate well on paper or screens and can be hard to read! Try to use official fonts or ones that are most clear. XXX is the official font of the Zucker School of Medicine and should be used to convey the feel of the school. However, if you want something different, see the next item.
KEEP THE FONTS CONSISTENT…LIMIT THE NUMBER OF FONTS USED
- You want your message to be easy to read and easily understood. Your flyers, graphics and posters shouldn’t look like ransom letters. Always try to use two fonts or less. For contrast, headlines can be in one font while body copy is in another. You can also signify different elements and make text stand out by altering the font properties, such as increasing font size, bolding text, italicizing or underlining text, etc. You can also use small drop-shadows to make text stand out and if necessary, put a block of color behind the text to make it stand out clearly from the background.
- For example, think about a poster. If you look at your poster from 10 feet away...is it easy to see and read? If not, you should probably go back to the drawing board and make some design tweaks.
BIGGER IS NOT BETTER! KEEP IT SIMPLE!
- Your design should keep info limited, and only include elements of the utmost importance. Think about the name of the event/program, the time and date, the location, and contact info (particularly an online method) - these should be the largest/easiest parts to read. Overviews of the event, or descriptions, if included, should be brief!
- Similarly, you should be mindful of other principles of design such as visual hierarchy. This assures that design elements are visually ranked so the eye is guided to the most important elements first. An example would be putting the title of your event at the top or in the center of your design in big, bold and capitalized font.
