Genius Level Print Ads We Love

Given the massive volume of ads we see every day, creating one that actually stands out and is memorable is tricky business.

“We are constantly exposed to advertising in our daily lives, be it online, in print, on billboards or through our television screens,” notes Rebecca Gross in the Canva Design School blog. “In fact, research suggests we are exposed to, on average, 362 ads per day (not including brand exposures) but only 3 per cent of these will make an impression. That’s just twelve ads a day that actually engage us.”

Those aren’t good odds, but it can be done. Take, for instance, this amazing print ad from sportswear brand ASICS that actually measures your shoe size. The ad, according to a company statement, was aimed at helping the thousands of athletes wearing improperly fitted shoes.

“[The] ad was created by Brazilian agency Neogama, and uses a thermochromic ink that reacts to the body heat to determine the foot type of a person by showing clearly their footprint,” explains Savio Hatherly in Brandt.com

“All people need to do is to stand on the magazine, over the determined area, to find out if the foot type is supinator (when the shoes wear themselves out on the outer area of the sole), pronator (wear themselves out on the inner area of the sole) or neutral (when the sole wears itself out uniformly).”

Okay, that’s so engaging you almost have to do it, right? As Gross explains in her post, this kind of creative genius relies on first coming up with a solid concept, then using your design to bring it to life.

“Attention to layout and presentation will help your ad get noticed; but attention to concept and creativity will help your ad be remembered,” she notes.

Check out her post for 50 more really creative print ads, and let yourself be inspired.