What Makes a Good Business Ad? Design Tips to Stand Out

In a world overflowing with business ad designs, creating one that truly stands out requires more than just flashy visuals and catchy slogans. Successful business ads are strategic, visually appealing, and designed with the audience in mind. To achieve this, you need to master the key elements of branding, colour theory, and calls-to-action (CTAs) — the trifecta of effective advertising design.

If you're looking to craft standout business ad designs that grab attention and convert viewers into customers, these creative design tips will put you on the right track. And if you need expert help, platforms like Spiky Carrot connect you with professional designers who can bring your vision to life.

1. Establish Strong Branding

Branding is the cornerstone of any good business ad design. Your ad should communicate who you are, what you stand for, and why people should care. A consistent brand message builds recognition and trust with your audience.

Key Design Tips for Branding:

• Logo Placement: Ensure your logo is prominently and tastefully displayed, but avoid overshadowing the message of the ad.
• Consistent Visual Identity: Use brand colours, fonts, and design elements consistently across all your advertising materials. This reinforces brand recognition.
• Clear Messaging: Your ad should clearly convey your brand’s unique value proposition (UVP). What’s the one thing that sets you apart? Communicate it with clarity.

Pro Tip: Make sure your ad’s tone, style, and voice are consistent with your overall brand persona. For example, a playful brand may use humor and bold colours, while a luxury brand might opt for minimalism and elegance.

2. Use Colours that Evoke Emotion

Colour isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s a psychological tool that can influence mood, perception, and behavior. The right colour scheme can evoke emotions, inspire action, and improve brand recall.

Key Design Tips for Colour:

• Use Brand Colours Strategically: Incorporate your brand’s primary and secondary colours, but ensure they work harmoniously with the rest of the ad’s elements.
• Contrast and Visibility: High contrast between text and background colours improves readability. Avoid colour clashes that make it difficult to read important information.
• colour Psychology: Different colours trigger different emotional responses. For instance, red conveys urgency and passion, blue suggests trust and stability, while yellow evokes energy and optimism.

Pro Tip: If you're promoting a seasonal offer, consider incorporating seasonal colours to create a sense of timeliness. For example, red and green for Christmas or pastels for spring promotions.

3. Craft Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Every great business ad design has a clear goal — to get people to do something. This is where a strong call-to-action (CTA) comes in. Without a well-crafted CTA, your ad may catch attention but fail to drive conversions.

Key Design Tips for CTAs:

• Clarity Over Cleverness: Avoid vague phrases like “Learn More”. Instead, use action-oriented language like “Get Your Free Trial” or “Shop Now.”
• Create Urgency: Words like “Limited Time” or “Offer Ends Soon” encourage users to act quickly.
• Button Design: If you’re creating a digital ad, use buttons with bold colours that contrast with the background. Make them large, legible, and easy to click on mobile devices.
• One Clear Action: Don’t clutter your ad with multiple CTAs. Focus on one primary action to avoid confusion.

Pro Tip: A/B test different CTA phrases and button designs to see which version drives the most conversions.

4. Prioritise Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy refers to the arrangement of elements in order of importance. Your business ad design should guide the viewer’s eyes naturally from the most important information (like the headline) to the CTA.

Key Design Tips for Visual Hierarchy:

• Headline First: Use large, bold fonts for the headline to grab attention. It’s the first thing people see.
• Eye Flow: Arrange elements in a Z-pattern (left-to-right, top-to-bottom) as this mimics the natural way people scan content.
• Use White Space: Avoid overcrowding your ad. White space creates breathing room, allowing key messages to stand out.

Pro Tip: Make your headline and CTA stand out the most by using bold fonts and contrasting colours. Don’t let lesser details compete for attention.

5. Keep It Simple and Direct

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Overloading your business ad design with too many visuals, words, or design elements can overwhelm the viewer. Clarity beats complexity every time.

Key Design Tips for Simplicity:

• Minimal Text: Aim for short, punchy copy. If your ad’s message takes more than a second to understand, it’s too long.
• Limit Design Elements: Avoid unnecessary graphics or visual effects. Focus on one central image, a clear message, and a single CTA.
• Readable Fonts: Use simple, clean fonts that are easy to read at a glance. Stay away from overly decorative typefaces.

Pro Tip: If you can’t explain your ad’s message in one sentence, it’s time to simplify. Make your message instantly clear.

6. Optimise for Mobile Devices

With more people consuming content on their phones, your business ad designs must be mobile-friendly. Mobile users scroll quickly, so your ad needs to make an impact in seconds.

Key Design Tips for Mobile Optimisation:

• Responsive Design: Ensure your ad looks great on both desktop and mobile devices.
• Readable Fonts: Use larger font sizes for better readability on small screens.
• Fast Load Times: Compress image files to reduce load time, especially for web and social media ads.

Pro Tip: Test your ads on multiple devices to ensure they’re easy to view, scroll, and click.

Final Thoughts

Great business ad designs require a balance of strategy, creativity, and design. By focusing on strong branding, emotional colours choices, clear CTAs, and mobile optimisation, you can create ads that capture attention and drive action.

If you’re ready to take your ad designs to the next level, consider partnering with a professional designer on Spiky Carrot. This platform connects you with experienced designers who understand how to bring your brand’s vision to life. Stop wasting time on generic templates — get custom, creative business ad designs that stand out from the crowd.

Your next great ad is just a design away. Start creating, and let your brand’s message be seen, remembered, and acted upon.