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Designing a banner is no easy task. There are many things that need to be considered during the designing process and especially during the optimization phase. What’s more, the end product must look complete and be compelling. Here are 7 tips that will help you create a more effective banner.

1.       Don’t make it unwieldy

The fundamental rule of banner design is this: keep the banner light. It doesn’t matter where it’s going to end or how it’s going to be used. It must always be manageable. A static banner should not be larger than 8Kb while an animated banner not more than 12Kb.  

2.       Don’t use more than 3 colors

You may think that color usage is a question of style more than anything else, and to a certain degree you’re right. But excessively colorful banners are just gaudy and, unsurprisingly, clicked by no one. Stick to 3 colors only and choose them wisely.

3.       Use a solid color for the background

If your banner has a transparent background then there’s a good chance that it won’t be clearly visible on the page on which it will be put. It’s not enough to know where the banner will end up – web pages always change. To be safe, avoid a transparent background unless the customer specifically asks for it.

4.       Update it

Since websites frequently change, banners must constantly be updated. Keep the relevant files close at hand so that you can easy alter a banner when a change is needed. Also, make it clear to your customer that you’re willing to update the banner in the long run – you’ll look professional.  

5.       Use the right color palette

You can always prevent your banner from becoming weighty if you stick to a simple color palette. Of course the color palette you use depends on what type of banner you’re designing, on what graphics are involved, and on your style, but reducing the color palette’s diversity is well worth it most of the time.

6.       Text should be short

The more concise the text is, the better. In those instances when the client already has the text, don’t be afraid to provide feedback. If you, the maker of the banner, don’t feel like the message is strong enough, then the readers won’t either.

7.       Don’t use the exclamation mark (!) 

Banners that use the exclamation mark (!) multiple times normally fail to make an impact; those that use it excessively simply look unprofessional. People are fed up with the “click this” sort of thing, and the exclamation mark is about the same thing. Full stops always work, and the question mark (?) can sometimes be highly effective.

8.       Think of all browsers

When creating a banner don’t optimize it for a single browser because while you try to please some readers you’ll manage to alienate a whole lot more. People navigate the web with all sorts of browsers and devices so it’s difficult to optimize for the right browser. Instead, try to satisfy everyone by settling for a compromise. Don’t just optimize for Firefox, IE, Safari, Opera, or Chrome – find something that works all right with all.

Arjun Khanna works for Offshore Ally, a company of smart and competent virtual assistants and link builders. Arjun has a knack for designing and loves to experiment with different designing software. Connect with him via Twitter.