Abby Meister
Case Study: Ad Design
CLIENT
Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc.
ROLE
Marketing Assistant & Graphic Designer (2013-2016)
Freelance Design Consultant (2016-2021)
CHALLENGE
When I took over the ad design work for Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. (PHIL), the previous ads were very dark and text-heavy, with little focus on the visuals of the product. Management was looking to brighten things up and bring a more modern ad style to the table, with a better method of delivering information to audiences than a huge chunk of text.
IMAGE
Original PHIL ad style from 1973 on top of the more recent, dark style ads.
Design Goals
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Brighter colors, with more emphasis on brand colors
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More focus on images of the product
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Information broken up into easier to digest bites
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Highlight mobile device accessibility
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More dynamic movement with graphic elements
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Utilize canvas background to tie in older ad designs
Solution
GRAPHIC ELEMENTS
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Pulled in the canvas background to keep consistency with previous campaign, adding a white overlay.
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Selected new image from the same photo set as the previous campaign. Both images were stunning, but the updated version had more movement.
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Replaced original pale, washed out sky with a darker sky to add drama and create stronger contrast for text.
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Introduced angle graphic elements throughout to enhance the sense of motion and modernize the layout.
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Incorporated a device mockup displaying the website and a QR code, allowing viewers to quickly access the PHIL website.
TEXT ELEMENTS
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Refined typography hierarchy to guide the viewer's eye through the design and establish a cohesive visual system to use throughout the campaign.
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Reorganize copy into more digestible sections, with directional lines drawing attention to key features.
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Created a standardized footer featuring logo and contact info to be used across future ads, unifying the campaign and strengthening brand recognition.
Campaign Evolution
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021