Five common design mistakes to avoid

Design encompasses a broad range of activities, such as automotive branding, so it’s important to avoid mistakes that can create delays and be costly across many areas.

In our latest blog, our experienced graphic designer Graham Bell, whose work has benefitted many clients, offers his advice on five of the most common design mistakes to avoid which he encounters.

Graham’s passion for graphic design has been built over a quarter of a century, having worked both in-house and agency-side.

Highly skilled in corporate branding, design for print, artworking and art direction, his sought-after work has seen more than 60,000 pieces of graphic design artwork for countless satisfied clients.

Alongside his design work for Red Marlin’s motoring and automotive clients, Graham’s design work can be seen across many other industry sectors including FMCG, high end audio, professional sport, hygiene, finance, education, recruitment, and building and construction.

Read on for Graham’s expert insight.

Low res is a non-starter for automotive branding

Using low resolution logos is, most definitely, not OK. If it doesn’t look good enough quality to you, then it almost goes without saying, but it won’t be acceptable with the client.

The issue is often made worse with low resolution images or logos on white backgrounds, which disturb the design aesthetic.

Meanwhile, using images grabbed from the internet is another concern, and is a very common problem.

There are also copyright issues if using an image that is published on someone else’s website, and Google is very hot on this. The simple advice is that if you don’t have the right to use an image, then don’t use it. Either gain approval to use, or obtain a royalty free image, checking for any licence restrictions.

If in doubt, consult a designer or specialist who can advise you.

Spelling mistakes and an overload of text

Spelling and grammar play a vital role in design, but one often made mistake is supplying the designer with text that has not been fully signed off.

Even before this stage, text should have gone through an initial approval process, allowing ample opportunity to check for any typos and other errors.

Regarding text, it’s also easy to fall into the trap of having too many words. People try to say too much and the message is lost.

Clunky, long winded and confusing messaging is a no go. Remember, less is more!

Too many font weights, sizes and styles should be avoided in automotive branding

Another factor to consider is when the messaging gets cluttered because there’s too much going with a mixed bag of font weights, sizes and styles.

If this happens, then focus is lost.

You need the combination of great content and design to achieve fantastic results.

Creating logos that are too subtle or too clever

Sometimes people want their logo to do too much. If your customer base can’t instantly see what you are saying, then it doesn’t work.

While everyone has a vision of what they want to achieve, it is sensible to take the advice of a professional graphic designer who has the experience of knowing what will, and won’t, work, across multiple applications such as websites, packaging, brochures and much more.

This might mean that designs are refined along the way, so be prepared for changes and updates, knowing that the final product will be a logo to be proud of.

After all, your business logo is your brand, and in today’s highly competitive market, a strong and impactful logo is essential. Make it one to be proud of, and one that speaks volumes.

Forgetting a call to action

Amazingly, this is often forgotten about and just added as an after thought – and it shows.

Just like in other marketing activity, such as PR and media relations, automotive email marketing, and automotive digital advertising, design has an end goal, prompting an action, whether that’s when designing brochures and magazines, flyers and leaflets, through to infographics and adverts.

Do you need professional design support for automotive branding?

Red Marlin understands the importance of great design for businesses serving the automotive sector.

Design plays a key role in many of the services we offer as a leading PR and marketing agency for the automotive industry.

Indeed, Red Marlin has been providing branding solutions to our clients across multiple automotive sectors for more than 15 years.

This invaluable support gives them a unique identity for their long-term business growth and has helped startups to become mainstream names, while increasing new audiences for established businesses.

Our philosophy is to offer a truly bespoke approach that is tailored for the maximum return on investment as we appreciate that your brand is as individual as your organisation.

If your business could benefit from our design expertise to give it a boost, then we’d love to hear from you.

For a free consultation, no obligation chat, then please get in contact with our dedicated team.