How to use design to capture your target’s heart

Throughout the day, each and every one of us receives the impact of thousands of visual messages. Most of these pass before our eyes like water off a duck’s back, as small stimuli that have no importance beyond the moment. However, there are some images that seem to become engraved on your retina, that you remember and revisit after minutes, hours and even days.

In this post it’s exactly these images that we want to discuss – those designs that come to stay, the ones that do their job and fulfill their purpose, the designs that capture your heart. 

Every designer knows that behind an image there is always a message, something that you want to convey and that will have an effect on the person who receives it. That’s why it’s important to be meticulous and adapt your creative work to the audience you plan to address.   

Therefore, when you start a new project, you should always bear in mind who your target audience is, what they’re interested in, what language they use and how you can get your message across to them.

If you’re wondering where to start, be sure to read the tips we share below – they’re guaranteed to help you get your designs right. 

But first of all, let’s start by explaining what exactly we mean by target. In the field of marketing, the term is commonly used to refer to the specific audience segments to which you plan to direct your actions. In short, your target audience.

And now… let’s get started!

1. Define your target well

Would you design a banner for an organic food brand in the same way as for a fast food chain? The answer is obvious. They have very different consumers, and therefore, the designs should never be the same. 

So, when you start a new project, you should have in mind who you are targeting right from the start. You can start with some simple details such as age, gender, location, etc. 

But you should also answer other questions such as: What motivates them? What are their values? What are their tastes and preferences? What products are they interested in? What websites do they follow? What’s their lifestyle like? And so on.

All this information will help you to create a sketch of the profile of the people your design is aimed at and it will be much easier for you to select the graphic elements you want to use in it. 

2. Set clear objectives

As we said at the beginning of this post, every image aims to transmit a message and cause an effect on the person who receives it.

For this reason, it is essential to be clear about what you want to achieve and to previously define the specific objectives that will influence your design. 

Whether it’s a banner, a flyer, a poster or a web image, it has a purpose and must fulfill a function. 

Therefore, the content of the design must be relevant and aligned with the marketing strategy, so that your target feels that they are in the right place and that the message is interesting. In short, it must catch their attention.

3. Choose and adapt graphic resources

By now, you’ll be aware that it’s not a case of ‘anything goes’ in a design if you’re looking to impact a specific audience. There are certain steps that are almost as important as the design itself. 

It’s a basic requirement that the graphic resources that make up your image speak the same language as your target. To ensure this, select every element carefully: font, color palettes, images, vectors, etc.

For example, depending on the audience you’re targeting, you need to decide on how formal you want the font to be, whether to use a serif or sans serif font, and you can play with different text thicknesses and sizes to highlight your message. 

The same goes for color. You’d never not use the same tones in a design focused on a senior target as you would for a young target. Believe it or not, color influences moods, emotions and even behavior, hence its importance.

On Freepik you’ll find hundreds of resources for your design and even pre-designed templates that you can adapt to your target using Wepik, our online editor. You can download them ready to publish!

4. Make your design memorable

Finally, try to make your design appealing to your target audience. Don’t just go with the first idea, you come up with – try to be original, look at what your competitors are doing and do something different. 

The content of your design should be powerful enough to catch the attention of your audience and guide them through the process established in the objectives, whether it’s a purchase, a visit to the website or lead generation. 

Only by taking into account the unique characteristics of your audience will you be able to guarantee you make an impact on them and, above all, get your message across in the way you want to. 

Don’t forget that personalization is a plus – the more segmentation you have, the more opportunities you’ll have to make sure your design attracts the attention of your audience. 

And if you already know exactly who you want to target, you’ll find thousands of resources on Freepik to shape your design. There’s something for every taste and color! That’ll make it much easier to capture the hearts of your target audience, don’t you think?