If someone asked you to create an infographic, where would you start?
Definitely Not with a blank google doc or sheet of paper. No, you’d probably be looking for an infographic design template to use as a starting point – or at least get ideas from it.
Design templates are incredibly helpful tools for today’s marketers. They provide guidance and inspiration for almost all types of content and save valuable time and energy.
We created this guide so that you can get the most out of the design templates for your business. Read on to get started or use the chapter links below to continue.
What is a design template?
Design templates are ready-made designs and documents that can be customized. Templates often meet certain standards or specifications so that they are consistent between users and media. You can use pre-made templates from template libraries and websites, or create custom templates for future use.
Advantages of design templates
Good design is valuable, but not everyone can afford to hire a freelance designer or an in-house design team.
Design templates remove complicated design steps and equip even the most inexperienced graphic designer to create beautiful graphics.
Here are some other reasons to use design templates.
Design templates are convenient and quick.
Design templates save marketers (or business owners, or even designers) the energy it takes to create the same design over and over again. They provide a link so you only need to fill in the critical details.
Design templates also save you time. Ahead of a deadline for print ads or postcards? Are you preparing to start a restaurant and need a new menu? Get a design template, fill in the required text, and send it on its way.
Design templates are systematized.
Design templates, when downloaded from reputable websites, are created to meet all the specifications and specifications necessary for their intended purpose.
If you download a design template for your Etsy shop cover photo, it is likely already set to the width and length indicated by the website. Same goes for other social media and print design templates like postcards, business cards, email headers, and Facebook ads.
Design templates also help maintain brand guidelines and consistency. When a company defines a brand, creating design templates for all of the key visual, written, and printed components can help maintain consistency across the company, regardless of who is creating the ad or marketing asset.
Design templates are optimized.
Bad design hurts SEO. If people visit your website and cannot easily navigate through some content or webpage, they are likely leaving your website or jumping off your website to find another. This tells search engines that your website is not a good answer to search queries.
You can avoid this by using design templates. Its excellent design and ease of use mean you won’t be bothered by search engines – and left in the dust by visitors.
Design templates are inexpensive.
Most design templates are free, especially when provided as branded content offerings. Other places to find free or inexpensive design templates are Canva, Creative Market, and Adobe.
You can also create your own design templates for free in programs like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Canva.
Use of design templates
Design templates can be used for most types of content, whether printed, digital, written, or visual.
Here are a few key places where design templates can be useful – and where you can find them.
Visual content
Visual content is important in marketing. What is more important is Splendid, consistent visual content.
Whether you’re creating an infographic to illustrate a new report, adding icons to a PowerPoint presentation, or creating a new graphic for a web page, design templates can help keep your visual marketing content consistent and branded.
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Digital content
It can be difficult to create digital content without help. Website design templates provide marketers and business owners with a starting point for creating a homepage, blog, landing page, and other digital content.
Site builders like Squarespace, Wix, and HubSpot usually offer web design templates to suit their specific sites. WordPress also offers templates – also known as WordPress themes – that allow you to easily enter content and publish your website.
Recommended resource:
Written content
Design templates created for written content are among the most popular among marketers. Why? Because design templates allow content marketers to focus on what they do best (content) while they take care of the rest (beautiful design and ease of use).
Let’s say you’re creating an e-book and you need a nice template. Working with a design template allows you to focus on the writing aspect and provide directions on how to organize your content.
Don’t forget informational content such as press releases. Design templates can help shape the traditional PR approach creatively.
The same applies to email campaigns. Most email marketing tools (like HubSpot!) Have pre-made email templates that all you need to do is fill in your information.
Finally, design templates can also be beneficial for internal use. Do you need help organizing your content marketing efforts? How about developing an editorial calendar for your team? You can begin creating these documents and systems with the help of design templates.
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Advertising / print content
All publicly available content should be in line with your brand, especially promotional content. Design templates can help standardize this.
Whether you’re designing a series of social media promotional graphics, creating a PPC ad, creating an online presentation, developing a new call-to-action for a landing page, or even creating a new menu for your restaurant or catering business, consider using Design templates to maximize consumer impact.
Some templates can be found on websites like Canva or AdEspresso, others can be easily recreated using software like PowerPoint.
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Done, set, design
Design templates save time, standardize your brand and help your SEO. Whether you need ideas for a new social media advertising campaign or want to achieve consistency between your web content, design templates can help.
Consider adding some of the above bookmarks or making your own for future use.
