Search Ads
Client Brief
The client requested a suite of paid search ads for Google, Meta, and Instagram aimed at enhancing reputation management and driving traffic to live articles. The objective was to create visually engaging ads that were educational, story-driven, and vacation-centric, supporting the client’s content marketing efforts. The client specifically requested illustrative designs rather than photography to better communicate narratives and create a cohesive, branded visual language across multiple ad formats.
Objectives
Develop illustrative, educational, and visually compelling ads that capture a vacation-centric tone and appeal to a wide audience.
Design ads for multiple platforms and formats, including Google search, Meta, and Instagram carousels, stories, and static posts, ensuring consistency and adaptability.
Reinforce the client’s reputation and credibility while driving engagement and article clicks.
Create a visual system that aligns with reference examples provided by the client while incorporating original illustrations to differentiate the brand.
Design Approach
The approach focused on storytelling through illustration, emphasizing clarity, approachability, and a vacation-friendly feel. Key elements included:
Illustrative Style: Custom illustrations that visually communicate key concepts and article topics, avoiding stock photography for a unique, branded look.
Typography: Clear, legible typefaces suitable for small ad formats while maintaining a friendly and professional tone.
Color Palette: Bright, engaging colors that evoke vacation vibes and highlight important messaging.
Carousel Storytelling: Carousel ads were designed to guide viewers through a narrative, with each card building on the last to encourage engagement and clicks.
Format-Specific Approaches:
Instagram Stories: Vertical, immersive designs that draw viewers in immediately and encourage swipe-through interactions.
Carousels: Educational, sequential storytelling that guides the audience through content in digestible steps.
Static Posts: Bold, eye-catching visuals that communicate a clear message at a glance.
Google Ads: Clean, concise layouts with strong headlines and illustrative elements that stand out in search and display placements.
Platform Adaptability: All designs were optimized for the unique requirements of each platform and format, including aspect ratios, text hierarchy, and visual balance.
Research & Concept Development
Research was conducted across Pinterest and existing paid search ads to understand trends in vacation-focused and educational advertising. This informed the illustrative style, messaging approach, and visual hierarchy used in the ads. Initial concepts included multiple illustration directions, which were refined based on client feedback to emphasize clarity, storytelling, and vacation-centric visuals.
Toolkit Components
Ad Templates: Fully adaptable designs for Google search, Meta, and Instagram, including stories, carousels, and static posts.
Illustration Library: Custom illustrations created to match the content and narrative needs of each article.
Messaging Framework: Educational copy paired with illustrative elements to engage viewers and drive clicks.
Reference-Based Iterations: Designs refined in alignment with client-provided examples to create a unique and cohesive visual system.
Outcome
The final ad suite is cohesive, visually engaging, and highly adaptable, delivering educational storytelling that resonates with audiences while maintaining the client’s credibility. Illustrations bring the vacation-centric messaging to life across multiple formats, and the carousel and story formats guide viewers through content in an interactive, compelling way. By focusing on illustration and narrative-driven design, the ads stand out in crowded digital spaces and provide a scalable toolkit for ongoing campaigns.