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As a society, we are changing. Previously, we lifted our papers and magazines physically and loved to watch traditional TV. Younger generation has changed its media consumption habits. It is consuming media on its phone. They do not read news papers or watch TV. Advertising follows people’s behaviour. It follows what people do. A massive number of people has gone digital. Advertising catalyses this digital exchange. It fuels and funds it.

In digital space, there are ads, but some are just mediocre. There is a choice in digital — consumers may block the ads by using ad blocker. Advertisers thus have to raise the bar on the advertising they offer. On some sites, they intrude and one feels like getting out of there. Thus, we have to find a bettter way to approach the consumers.

In digital space, measurement has to be independint and run by a third party. Historically, it is done by companies such as  is Google which also has a media presence. Though in India TV penetration is 60 per cent, there are 300 million smart phones. If the young consumers are to be reached, there is no alternative to mobile advertising. Buying digital video is not the same thing as buying TV time. Once you realise this, the media decisions are different.

Colours and shapes are the two things to which we respond immediately. Letters and numbers are to be processed by the mind . The order of visual elements for remembering them is colour and shapes first and letters and numbers later. We all are familiar with Pepsi’s blue, Coke’s red and Kodak’s yellow. Colour association acts as a mnemonic device. In the clutter of a multi-product environment at the retail outlet, colour facilitates easy selection. Colour scheme of retail outlets of gas stations does help drivers on highways. Colour also evokes positive qualities and attributes of a brand.

Colours also affect us psychologically. They can be warm or cool . Colours are perceived in the cultural context. Our experience also affects our perception of colours. Yellow, orange and red are associated with the sun . Blue is associated with the skies and waters. Green is associated with the plants.

Cool colours are remote from us whereas warm colours are closer to us. But vivid cool colours when juxtaposed with subtle warm colour do dominate . Colours also affect our perception of depth. Some colours arouse us too much, e.g. red whereas some don’t, e.g. blue and green. The brightness or darkness of colour alters the psychology of the message.

Colours affect our physiology also, e.g. they affect our blood pressure, heart-beat and the senses.

The short for logotype is logo. Logotype comes from two Greek words, logos meaning word and typos meaning impression. The word logo became par of marketing lexicon by 1937.

Logotype is a particular kind of typeface that represents the character and personality of the brand. Some logos consist of just logotype or wordmark with no accompanying symbol, e.g. Coca Cola, Dunhill or Kit Kat. Brands like Raymond, Usha and Indica have logos that only consist of just lettering. Typeface has another name — a font. Typography itself is a full-fledged subject, and has a wide array of typefaces to choose from . It is necessary to understand where the brand will stay before choosimg the typeface. If it is to appear on a miniature device, it should be extremely readable. Even outdoor types should be extremly simple so that they can be read from a distance quickly. In general, the faster the comprehansion of the typeface, the better are the chances of their recognition and recall.

Typefaces have two styles — serif and sans serif.  Serif typefaces have extra strokes, say small feet or stems on the letters. Sans serif is without these embellishments.

Serif is preferred for the body-copy as they are easily readable when set in paragraph form. Serif typefaces in logotype are considered conservative, elegant, authoritative and sophisticated. Banks and financial institutes generally use them, so do CA firms, solicitor firms and traditional businesses.

San serif find use in newspaper headlines and signage as they stand out. Logos preferably use sans serif for their clean, friendly, simple and contemporary look.

The character can be changed by changing the case of the font, say all caps, to small caps, to initial caps, to lower case.

Capitals show strength and power. They look authoritative. Lower case looks accessible and simple.

We can select a primary typeface for the logo, and can repeat it elsewhere, say promotional material and signages. Or else, we can have a secondary typeface to complement the typeface of the logo. It enables an apt juxtaposition of the typefaces. One can have a serif typeface in wordmark contrasted by a sans serif typeface in the descriptor or tag line. One must be consistent in one’s approach.

The Mumbai Samachar is a popular Gujarati daily newspaper which sells 2 lac copies everyday. It has retained its old masthead and layout. It is accessible and affordable to a vast majority of people. The front page ads are small. The editorial style is not literary. It has a good reach amongst cash-rich urban Gujarati population. It was started in 1822 as a Gujarati weekly. Then 10 years later, it became a daily. Muncherjee Cama, the grandfather of the present director bought this paper from Belgamvala. It has an existence of almost two centuries. The Camas emphasize value for money. It is reasonably priced and the Camas are averse to to raise its price. The production process has been modernised, though not the layout and the editorial style. Its commerce section is its greatest attraction.