Design plays a vital role in our day-to-day life, by providing a means of communication which goes beyond simple words and phrases. With design, elements such as signs, pictures, infographics and illustrations are used to convey information and ideas.
Now, you must be wondering, why does this matter to me as a real estate professional?
Well, visual designs are better retained by the human brain; using design to your advantage will help you build your personal brand, be a lead magnet and educate your audience.
In today’s day and age, designing your own visuals has never been easier! Platforms like Canva can help you create high-quality designs in minutes.
In this article, we share the six do’s and don’ts of design.
If you’re interested in learning more about design, make sure you attend our workshop on ‘Design Basics To Promote Your Real Estate Business’ at Bayut Academy.
Typography
Do: Use clean and professional fonts across all your design so that they are easy to read. Anything neat and modern is a good choice – have fun with it and choose a font which best represents you.
Ensure you use the same font on all your designs to build consistency. For example, all our articles in Content Corner use the same font. We increase the font size of our headings and make them bold to differentiate them from the rest of the text.
Don’t – Overload your designs with too many fonts, as it makes the design challenging to read. This can overwhelm the reader and may lead to them losing interest quickly.
Colour Schemes
Do: Take the time to choose a colour scheme which reflects you and your personal brand. You want to represent your authentic self with any design you create; therefore, select colours which resemble your personality and use them consistently. Then, your clients will associate your colours with you and your real estate business.
Don’t: Use different colours for different designs; this looks messy and is not memorable for your audience. Also, mixing up too many colours can overwhelm your viewers and prevent them from understanding your main message.
Images
Do: Use stock photos or professional photographs from your agency. High-quality images help bring your design to life and grab your audience’s attention. In addition, various websites offer free stock images and illustrations.
Although you can’t use stock images for your property listings, you can use stock images if you create a flyer for an Open House. For example, advertising your open house in Dubai Marina using a stock image of the area can take your design to the next level.
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Don’t: Use images which do not belong to you, your agency, or even worse, images straight from Google Images. These images may be copyrighted and using them may be illegal.
Also, photographs sourced from Search Results may be of poor quality; you don’t want your design to look blurry or pixelated.
Spelling And Grammar
Do: Check for grammatical errors or typos. Spelling mistakes can make your design look sloppy and unprofessional. If English isn’t your first language, we suggest downloading the Grammarly Chrome extension to catch any spelling mistakes or typos quickly.
Don’t: Share content without a spell check; this may come off as unprofessional and lazy. A spell check will only add 2 minutes to your design time and is essential when sharing posts with your clients.
Simplicity
Do: Less is more when it comes to designing. Use illustrations and icons to help clients better understand your message, but remember that using too many elements can do the opposite. Stick to a design theme and use these elements across all your designs. This can include gradients, patterns, illustrations or any text effects.
Don’t: While illustrations, icons and effects are great visual aids, using too many makes your design look crowded and diminishes the message you are trying to convey. Avoid combining too many elements in one design.
Audience
Do: Take time to identify your target audience and curate content that specifically appeals to their needs. Doing this adds value to your design and can help you attract prospects and future clients.
For example, if you’re designing a marker report, focus on your area of specialisation. If you are creating a social media campaign, ensure each post is exciting and engaging for your target audience. Families would want to see School Guides, Area Guides, and area amenities; young expats would like to see restaurants, bars and gyms in the area, and investors want to look at reports, transaction insights and market trends.
Don’t: Post random or generic content which doesn’t have a goal or audience behind it. It’s impossible to target ‘all property seekers in Dubai’. The agent an experienced investor would want to work with is very different from who a first-time home buyer would seek. Focus on your niche, and you will drive much higher results.
Contact Details And Call To Actions (CTAs)
Do – Remember to include a CTA and accurate contact details on all your designs. This will help you turn each of your designs into lead magnets and bring in business. Make sure you are easy to reach and always prompt action from your audience by using CTAs like “Call Now”, “Learn More”, “Invest Today”, etc. After viewing your design, it immediately lets the viewer know what you want them to do.
Don’t – Miss out on the opportunity to grab leads because of missing contact information. If someone wants to talk about property, they should be able to find your name and number immediately. When it comes to CTAs, avoid repeatedly using phrases like “Buy Now” or “Sell Today”. It is extremely unlikely for a property seeker to view your design and immediately buy property from you the same day. Instead of pitching for a sale, pitch for a meeting, a property viewing or invite them to an open house.
Design is an excellent tool for all estate agents, and platforms such as Canva make it quick and easy to use. Embrace your creativity and showcase your personal brand by following these basic dos and don’ts of design.
If you are interested in learning more about the skills needed to succeed in the UAE real estate market, register for one of our sessions at Bayut Academy, where our dedicated trainers are happy to help you learn everything you need to know. We also have a variety of articles on our Content Corner focused on tips and tools for working in UAE real estate.