Nowadays, being a marketing manager usually means you’re a jack of all trades.
And it’s challenging - you’re expected to wear a lot of ‘hats’ and to be an expert in everything loosely marketing-related, including graphic design.
38.5% of web designers believe that outdated design is a top reason why visitors leave a website. (GoodFirms, 2021)
If you’ve been in the game for a while, you likely know the basics of design software packages like Photoshop, InDesign, or Canva. However, when you (understandably!) don’t have the skills or experience to know what separates a so-so design from a great one, your brand is missing out on that visual wow factor that attracts, engages and inspires your audience.
In other words, while having a functional website and a solid product or service offering is essential, it isn’t always enough to win customers over - design is key!
ALYKA recently hosted another in our series of interactive ‘Design secrets every marketing manager needs to know’ workshops, led by our Head of Design and UX, Xixi Ma. In this blog, we’ll look back at some of the key points covered in the workshop, including how to create stunning designs and how to build templates that make it quick and easy to design slick, on-brand marketing collateral.
Facilitator background
Xixi has been ALYKA’s Head of Design and UX for almost 3 years and has worked at the agency since 2016. She has over 12 years of in-depth experience creating high-quality content and design across a range of channels, both offline and online. Xixi understands how to balance the elements of the brand, visual design, content and data-driven outcomes to create impactful, pixel-perfect designs that combine unique form and function for our clients.
The session primarily focused on an analysis of the following fundamental design principles such as:- Colour
- Typeface
- Alignment
- Space and Grids
- Gutenberg Diagram
- Hierarchy of Needs, etc.
These are the building blocks of design. Think of them the same way you would think of real bricks - each serves a crucial function on its own, but their true value is only realised in how they work together to create a unified whole.
This was followed by exploring Adobe and Canva best practices, including tips and tricks on punching up the quality of your designs, and how a Canva Brand Kit can streamline your production of marketing collateral via branded templates and branding guidelines.
Want to discover how we helped one of our clients by building their own Canva Brand Toolkit? Brand Kit? Read the Advanteering Canva case study here!
What people are saying
Xixi’s session received an average attendee score of five stars out of five!
"Xixi was so knowledgeable in design and explained it in a way that made sense to all skill levels. I really enjoyed the small group setting to be able to talk about our own concerns."
"The design workshop I attended was very helpful. The facilitator's expertise, practical examples, and emphasis on good design made it a valuable experience that enhanced my understanding of design principles"
With that sort of feedback, you can expect another workshop to be announced in the near future…
Keep an eye on our Eventbrite page for future instalments of Xixi’s interactive ‘Design secrets every marketing manager needs to know’ workshop.