When looking at the two internet banner ads below, it is really not hard to decide which one you would rather look at. Although internet banner ads are relatively small and seem to be everywhere on the internet these days, it is very important they are designed correctly if you want them to have impact.
The mattress company banner ad has SO much information on it, I really can’t believe a company would publish this. The reader’s eye does not know where to look first, and most of the writing is so small, it is impossible to read. All of the different colors combined with different sections, overlapping images and variety of fonts makes the banner ad unreadable and very unattractive.
“Contrast is indeed fundamental to good design, and without white space, good contrast cannot be achieved. The leading cause of the lack of contrast is clutter. Too many layers of visual complication make contrast weak, if it even exits” (Reynolds, 2010, p 159). Because banner ads are small, it is important that they include white space so contrast is created and clutter is reduced. The mattress company banner ad has no contrast and is full of clutter, and I would have to believe that most readers just skip right over it when it appears.
I really like the organic life book banner ad and I think it does a good job using space to create contrast. Only one or two fonts are used, and I like the way the chicken heads at the bottom bring your eye to the “Buy it now”. It is a simple design, yet is very well done and I think if I saw this banner on an internet page I would definitely like to more about it. I like the imagery, colors and font used and I think it is a good example of how simplicity is best when it comes to banner ads.
Good banner ad: ![]()
Bad banner ad: ![]()
