The 10 Commandments of Guerrilla Marketing Design

Guerrilla Marketing Design is more an attitude than a system of do’s and don’ts. It’s an attitude that emphasizes the efficient and memorable delivery of information.

-First Commandment: Purposeful

Guerrilla Marketers view design not as a matter of subjective likes and dislikes but as a strategic tool intended to achieve specific goals. Guerrillas avoid unnecessary decoration. Every mark on the page must serve a purpose. Guerrillas make design decisions based on how efficiently their designs communicate a desired message to a specific audience.

Guerrilla Marketing design begins with a plan, based on careful analysis of message, audience and competition.

-Second Commandment: Recognition

Guerrilla Marketers refuse to get lost in a crowd. They know is it better to stand out and be recognized rather than confused with their competition.

Guerrillas recognize that their customers and prospects are bombarded with thousands of competing messages each day. Accordingly, Guerrillas choose colors, typefaces and layouts that project a distinct, easily recognized image that sets their message apart and accurately reflects their values.

Their designs project a consistent image throughout all of their marketing. Consistency is achieved by using a unique combination of colors, type and layout throughout their print and online communications. This consistency multiplies the impact of their marketing dollars.

-Third Commandment: Readable

Guerrilla Marketing Design is reader-friendly design.

Guerrillas recognize that readers are in a hurry and that anything that interferes with easy reading sabotages the delivery of their message.

Guerrillas make reading easy by paying close attention to typeface, type size and line spacing choices. They take painstaking care with spacing, hyphenation and punctuation. They carefully avoid design traps like setting entire words in upper case or overusing white text placed against gray or black backgrounds.

Color is never allowed to interfere with easy reading.

-Fourth Commandment: Emphasis

Guerrillas know when to whisper, when to shout.

They use design to help readers separate the important ideas from the supportive facts. They use the tools of emphasis to make their message’s information hierarchy instantly recognizable.

-Fifth Commandment: Simplicity

Guerrillas design to Simplify.

Guerrilla Marketing Designers recognize that readers quickly can lose interest when reading extended text, like articles, memos, newsletters or proposals. Accordingly, Guerrillas maintain reader interest by breaking information into manageable, bite-sized chunks using techniques like segues, subheads, lists and sidebars.

Simplicity also involves restraint. Guerrilla Marketers recognize that “less is more” when it comes to emphasis. They exercise extreme discretion before making typeface, type size, type style or color choices.

Guerrillas recognize that one outstanding photograph communicates more than three average photographs.

-Sixth Commandment: Instant Communication

Guerrilla Marketing Design is visual.

Guerrillas strive to replace words and sentences with story-telling visuals. These include charts, graphs, lists, organization charts, tables and timelines that communicate at a glance.

Guerrillas use visuals to quickly communicate comparisons, relationships and sequence.

Guerrilla Marketers understand that words alone are not enough to ensure marketing success. The presentation of the words has to be as finely-executed as the words themselves.

Guerrillas understand that design is not a mystery, nor is it a cure-all.

Rather, design is a fundamental business competency that can be mastered when the right resources are chosen and properly utilized.