Holiday Ad

The Fun and Challenges of Designing Ads for the Festival of Lights

Designing three distinct advertisements for the Festival of Lights—an 8.5 x 11" Full-Page Magazine Ad, an 8.5 x 5.5" Half-Page Ad, and a 2000 x 2000px Instagram/Facebook Ad—was a creative and rewarding journey. While each format had its challenges, it was equally exciting to experiment with layout, typography, and visuals to fit each platform's unique needs. Here's a breakdown of the process, challenges, and why this project was so much fun

Challenge 1: Balancing Details on the Full-Page Magazine Ad (8.5 x 11")

The Fun:
This was the largest canvas, giving me plenty of room to play with bold, festive visuals. The glittery lights background perfectly captured the holiday vibe, and having ample space meant I could feature clear, easy-to-read text and create hierarchy with a big, bold headline like "Kissimmee Festival of Lights."

The Challenge:

The biggest hurdle was deciding how much information to include. Since magazine readers often skim, the text needed to be concise yet informative. I played with font sizes and colors to highlight key details (date, time, location) while maintaining the festive aesthetic. Ensuring the text didn't overwhelm the beautiful glowing lights was another balancing act, but adjusting opacity and creating clear text blocks made it work.

Challenge 2: Condensing the Design for the Half-Page Ad (8.5 x 5.5")

The Fun:
Shrinking the design into a smaller format forced me to focus on the essentials. I loved the challenge of trimming the details while maintaining the spirit of the full-page ad. Keeping the glowing lights as a subtle backdrop gave it continuity with the full-page design.

The Challenge:
With less space, text readability became tricky. Fonts had to be adjusted to fit the smaller size without cramming. I had to carefully decide what to prioritize, such as cutting secondary details like the email address while keeping the date, time, and location prominent. Additionally, the smaller size made me rethink the arrangement of decorative elements like snowflakes and glowing accents.

Challenge 3: Making the Instagram/Facebook Ad (2000 x 2000px) Pop

The Fun:
Social media ads thrive on being visually stunning and direct. Designing for Instagram and Facebook was a chance to go bold and let the festive vibe shine. The square format was perfect for centering the glowing lights, headline, and date in an eye-catching way. I even experimented with brighter text colors to make the design pop on digital screens.

The Challenge:
Keeping the text minimal but impactful was key, as social media users scroll quickly. The font sizes had to be larger and bolder than in the print ads to grab attention on small mobile screens. Additionally, I had to test the design across different devices to ensure it looked crisp and vibrant.

What I Learned from the Project

1. Adaptability Is Key: Each format required me to rethink the design, ensuring it was appropriate for its intended audience and platform while maintaining a cohesive theme.
2. Hierarchy Matters: Organizing text by importance made it easier to fit information within the constraints of each ad size.
3. Color & Typography Impact: Holiday colors like gold and red worked beautifully to convey warmth and festivity, but balancing those tones with white text was crucial for readability.

This project pushed me creatively, especially in ensuring the three ads felt connected while serving distinct purposes. Seeing the final designs side by side, each tailored to its platform, was incredibly satisfying. Plus, working on something as festive as the Festival of Lights gave the entire process a magical, holiday feel.
Whether in a glossy magazine, on a flyer, or in someone’s Instagram feed, these ads are ready to spread the holiday cheer of Kissimmee’s Festival of Lights!