Suite Deal Page 5
Visual Design Fundamentals
Good design basics make it easy for the human eye to digest information, best accomplished with an appealing layout, effective copy, and memorable color. For the most part, marketing pieces seek to lead brokers and prospective clients to a landlord’s leasing representative, so the pieces tend to be direct and have high visual appeal.
Layout
In terms of layout, the local ophthalmologist knows a graphic design secret or two. In Western culture, our eyes move from left to right and from top to bottom. As a result, the most effective printed materials form a Z pattern. That’s why so many ads display the most important written information across the top of the page, have a photograph (or other image) on the upper right side, and continue with bullet points or other succinct language down the left column and perhaps a tagline running horizontally along the bottom of the piece.
In addition, a pleasing pattern of text and images contains white—or negative—space in which the eye has an opportunity to rest. Effective designers use ample margin widths and space between text and photos. For example, enlarging an image and limiting bullet points can prove more impactful than a bevy of information. While amateurs fill every available space, summon your inner Steve Jobs to appreciate the beauty of clean, curated pieces.
The Z Layout
Some of the most effective printed materials display information and graphics in a Z-shaped pattern.
Color
Color theory—the study of the visual effect of specific color combinations—allows you to use design choices to evoke a desired response. For example, the color red can speed the pulse, increase the respiration rate, and raise blood pressure. Red is associated with words like winner, achiever, intense, impulsive and active but also danger. Think red neon in Las Vegas, prodding gamblers. Conservative blue suggests confidence, harmony, responsibility, and reliability. Think clear skies, calming travelers. In addition, each culture has its own color associations that influence perceptions and decisions. For instance, red might indicate prosperity and happiness in China yet signify mourning in South Africa. So cultural sensitivity matters.
Most marketing packages contain a variety of designs that can be produced in either color or black and white, depending on the purpose and cost. While color makes an advertisement more effective, its expense requires a cost-benefit analysis. Although your office’s color-printer quality differs from a professional press run, many real estate printing needs—such as fliers—can be accomplished with desktop technology.
When opting for professional printing, a full-color (also known as four-color) process uses magenta, cyan, yellow, and black in various combinations to produce images by running the paper through the printer numerous times. To select colors, graphic artists use the Pantone Matching System (PMS), which assigns a numerical value to each hue.3 Its precise color identification ensures consistency throughout the printing phases so a regal red does not print as bubblegum pink.
Color Your World
Pantone’s website (www.pantone.com) shows what color can convey, with its descriptions of hues and their effects. As an industry influencer, Pantone designates an annual Color of the Year. Front-row New York Fashion Week tickets not included.
Fonts
Typography refers to the way in which words are printed, including font style and legibility. An appropriate font connotes a style indicative of your property and management. For example, traditional fonts such as Garamond, Gill Sans, and Century indicate professionalism, while more askew fonts suggest whimsy. While the Jokerman font may prance around the pages of a preschool newsletter, building tenants may put more trust in a landlord who communicates in a traditional style using upright letters. Landlords sell a product that requires a high degree of efficiency: working elevators, clean windows, janitorial services, and so on. So pick a design commensurate with the property and its operation.
In addition to style, a font’s readability is important. According to Fortune magazine, the average CEO of the Fortune 500 is fifty-eight years old.4 Most middle-aged managers pack reading glasses, so make copy readable with 14-point (or larger) font and large, bold headlines. Black print proves the most legible on paper and especially on light-colored computer screens. Also, limit font use to one or two styles. Or, consider a block font with upper- and lowercase letters for maximum readability. And refrain from excessive punctuation that resembles a teenager’s text message more than a professional marketing piece.
Talking Typeset
Leading: the space between lines
Serif: the traditional little lines at the tops and bottoms of letters
Sans serif: that’s right, the little lines go missing
Typography: the way printed words look, including font and readability choices
Copy: the text (as opposed to images)
COOL IT ON THE CAPS
As anyone who has received an annoying text knows, using all capitals is the equivalent of shouting at your reader. Instead of caps, keep fonts to size 14 or larger to improve readability.
Photography
In the flittering world of online bombardment, capturing attention proves more challenging than ever, so a photograph truly does speak a thousand words. Use images whenever possible when advertising vacant space. Whether you enlist a photographer or obtain a photograph from an existing bank, there are some practices that can improve the use of images.
In the flittering world of online bombardment, capturing attention proves more challenging than ever, so a photograph truly does speak a thousand words.
Budget allowing, rely on professionals to photograph a property. Prices vary based on geography, but a building “glamour” shot should run less than a thousand dollars (and sometimes a few hundred) per photography session. Before committing to a contract, discuss the digital resolution and confirm that photo quality with your printer or technology department to ensure clear reproduction. Be aware that photographers can retain copyright ownership of the photograph, limiting your ability to use the image. Check that the contract allows unlimited use of the photograph, enabling reproduction on fliers, advertisements, postcard mailers, and online publications. Online photographic databases also offer images for purchase. Again, verify the copyright rules to avoid legal tussles over ownership and usage.
Next, primp the property for photo day. Make sure the building entrance is free of cars and delivery trucks. Some landlords specify showing a minimal amount of foreground when a full parking lot fronts the building. Also, owners may dampen sidewalks and parking lots with water to create a glistening surface that contrasts with and highlights the building’s architecture. Plant abundant colorful flowers and, if possible, photograph during the spring or fall when fully leafed trees frame the property.
My company once acquired a building with an existing bank of photographs. The eight-story building stood adjacent to a main interstate freeway, with terrific commute access. When the aerial photographer shot the picture at 7 a.m. one Tuesday morning, a golden sunrise streamed light onto the building. Unfortunately, the photographer also managed to capture the snarled traffic from that morning’s car accident. While there’s a thin line between accuracy and misrepresentation, choosing to showcase a poor image seems foolish. The moral of the story: consider the story the photograph tells your prospective tenants.
Like people, some properties just don’t photograph well. To compensate, consider shooting an interesting aspect of the property, like a corner balcony, which might serve as a metaphor for the entire building. Enlarged and artistically presented, such an architectural image, used independently or as a background screen with text, can create a quality advertisement. Another alternative is a colored sketch of the property. Renderings, however, can imply a building is in the design phase or under construction, so be aware that prospects may perceive it as a future—rather than a current—availability. With some creativity, any p
roperty can be represented by an image that attracts prospective tenants.
Finally, organize electronic and printed photographs for easy access. By separating and numbering the photographs by property, you will have a reference catalog that you can use for a variety of projects. Many leasing professionals slip the photograph into a plastic sheet protector and then label the folder.
Is This My Good Side? Ensure Quality Photos
Consider photographing in spring or fall, with fully leafed trees and flowers in bloom.
Schedule the shoot for early morning or late afternoon for the best light.
Wet the pavement in front of the building so it glistens.
Ensure clean windows.
Make sure the area is free of traffic, construction, dumpsters, delivery trucks, etc.
Minimize the foreground if there’s a large (asphalt) parking lot.
Consider a close-up of an architectural feature or landscaping if the building doesn’t photograph well.
Obtain image copyrights from the photographer.
Logos
A logo achieves success when it is a recognizable symbol that communicates the landlord’s values, such as quality, service, size, price, or convenience. Jacob Cass of Just Creative likes simple designs and says, “A refined and distilled identity will also catch the attention of a viewer.”5 Cass points to distinctive logos such as Nike’s graphic swoosh or the McDonald’s arches and notes their visual distinction even when “the subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance.”6 Logos need versatility to be printed in one color, scaled larger and smaller, and printed in reverse (light logo on a dark background).
Proud Owner of a Logo
Creating a logo for an individual building, especially one with significant available space, lends a sense of distinction to the project.
Paper Stock
Paper, also known as stock, is a critical ingredient in the printing process. The paper’s weight and thickness drive cost, with typical bond weights between twenty pounds and thirty-two pounds, with twenty-four pounds being the most common for letterhead. Deeply saturated color requires stock on the heavier side. Photographs print best on white or ivory glossy paper, although be sure to use stock that resists fingerprint marks so multiple hands can collate a package without its appearing tattered. In addition, paper can connote sustainability through recycled materials, look, or texture. Paper with enough recycled content will be marked with the green recycling icon that appeals to an environmentally aware audience.
Content and Copy
Write Strong Copy
When it comes to copy, conventional wisdom is best: keep it short and sweet. For brevity, a seventeen or so word limit per sentence or phrase works. And as for the sweet, put your best foot forward by listing the building’s strongest attributes in bulleted form or in a succinct paragraph.
Because there’s a difference between real estate clichés and effective messages, pay attention to word choice. Remember the high school English teacher who cringed at the passive verb is? Old Mrs. Murphy knew her stuff; active verbs make sentences sing. Common real estate nouns such as view, remodel, and fitness center can be amplified with verbs such as “enjoys panoramic views of downtown” or “use the twenty-four-hour fitness center.”
Diction should include positive language. For example, “Fitness center membership included” sounds better than “Tenants don’t have to pay for fitness center.” Semantics, and their underlying attitudes, have a way of stretching their tentacles into every facet of a lease deal. By using positive statements, you create an encouraging tone for tenants and imbue the transaction with confidence.
I learned the power of proofreading the hard way when creating my first building flier. The flier included a map of the western United States, indicating the locations in which our company owned and managed property—six cities in all. After I opened the box containing freshly printed color fliers, I handed one to an office mate. He remarked wryly, “I didn’t know Salt Lake City was in Nevada.” What?! There it was, a geographical error, printed one thousand times over in glorious color. Although I had reviewed the proof, seeing multiple versions had blinded me to errors. I vowed to show any future pieces to a panel of three discerning individuals. Mistakes happen, but a quality review can preempt most of them.
Crystallize the Message
Message clarity and consistency across media outlets create brand recognition, the public persona of a company. While one might argue that a company such as Google achieves better results with its whimsical daily animations, even Google repeats its primary colors in a recognizable font and uses an advertising-free opening page.
Further, realize that prospective tenants have relatively short-term exposure to the marketplace because of the long-term nature of leases. Tenants may only truly enter the market every three or five or even ten years, which makes the sporadic messages they do hear more important. So a property’s message must communicate the most significant features of the property whenever a tenant engages in the market. By tweaking aspects of the message but maintaining a basic script and look, landlords can make their brands both recognizable and relevant. In short, stay consistent, whether it’s a logo, tagline, tweet, mission statement, or design.
Communicate Your Mission
A mission statement sums up a company’s purpose in words. Typically longer than a tagline, such statements clarify a company’s business goals and are included in annual reports, brochures, newsletters, and websites.
Fifteen years after my company’s formation, our president hired a facilitator to help us craft a mission statement. I can’t remember what prompted the drive to formalize the statement—perhaps a notion that we would someday become a public company—but I do remember thinking it unnecessary. After all, we were a profitable, growing company. Why did we need a mission statement?
After the exercise, I did a 180-degree turnabout. While creating a mission statement did not change who we were, it did crystallize our purpose. With twelve or so executives gathered around a conference table, we talked about what was truly meaningful to our business. Repeated notions such as integrity, sustainable value, and relationships ultimately ended up in a statement that might do any real estate company proud:
Our mission is to provide productive work environments of sustainable value for our tenants and partners by creating timeless office projects managed with intense care. We diligently practice sound business principles and honor the integrity of our relationships as inviolate.
Consider Adding a Tagline
A tagline expresses a company’s mission and culture with a phrase or a few words. Examples include Nike’s “Just Do It” or 7Up’s “The Uncola.” Taglines often accompany a logo and are treated in a consistent manner in terms of font, color, and type.
Publishing and Printing
Graphic Designers (and Copywriters)
Depending on your budget and the scope of design services you need to produce a marketing piece, you may decide to work with graphic designers and copywriters. While initial costs may be higher, designers can often save you money over the long haul because they produce artwork and copy that can be manipulated in a variety of ways. For example, a color logo must also be available in black and white (also called gray scale) for use when color isn’t available or proves too costly. To have that option, you need a logo design that is as interesting in black and white as it is in color. Remember that, like the rest of our gig-job world, inexpensive online design resources abound, with companies that source freelance designers from all over the world.
The graphic designer can also act as a general contractor of sorts, responsible for oversight of a printing project in addition to the design. When selecting graphic designers, ask to review their design portfolios, which give examples of their styles and types of work. Once hired, such designers usually have established relationships with printer
s and will provide production specifications and obtain an estimate for the print job. Finally, remember to insist on a press check (the final review prior to printing) when signing the contract.
Copywriters often work in-house with a graphic designer (sometimes the same person) or come referred by the graphic designer. Excellent copywriters can distill culture and information into pithy sentences that communicate a property’s offerings.
The Printing House
For printing jobs, remember that size matters. The pressrun size of a job remains its single largest cost component. These economies of scale mean that increased copies lower unit costs, with fewer setup resources needed for one large printing run than numerous small runs. As such, an accurate estimate of the number of advertising copies you’ll need becomes critical. The adage “measure twice, cut once” is especially true when talking about printing jobs.
While yelling “Stop the presses!” makes for a dramatic movie moment, it’s a very expensive phrase to shout in real life. So make sure you or someone with good visual sense and spelling skills (e.g., the graphic artist) attends the press check on your behalf.
The All-Important Press Check
Usually held at the printing warehouse, the press check is your last chance to catch errors and ensure quality before the heavy printing equipment swings into full gear. While yelling “Stop the presses!” makes for a dramatic movie moment, it’s a very expensive phrase to shout in real life. So make sure you or someone with good visual sense and spelling skills (e.g., the graphic artist) attends the press check on your behalf. You, the client, will also be asked to approve any final proof (or press check) prior to the production of marketing materials. Take your time to verify that each detail is accurate prior to approving the job.