The White Paper Designer Blog

Design as a white paper competitive differentiator in 2010

Published on 2009-12-28 23:05:39

At the close of this decade, many marketers have offered their predictions of marketing’s future in 2o10, and the white paper space is no different. Jonathan Kantor, veteran white paper crafter and principal and founder of The Appum Group, recently published his White Paper Predictions for 2010. His 5 predictions are all quite accurate, but his [...]

3 tools for creating white paper color schemes

Published on 2009-12-14 22:14:23

Effective use of color in your white paper can elicit powerful emotions in a reader, connecting your product or service with this emotional response. When the right color palette is chosen, then, your B2B marketing efforts have the potential for resonating on both mental and emotional levels. But choosing the right color scheme can be difficult. [...]

Tips for an Integrated White Paper Development Process

Published on 2009-12-10 22:52:24

In many organizations, no formalized process exists for developing white papers, reports, and other thought leadership or  lead generation material. I imagine the lack of process is the result of overworked marketing teams fighting to keep their heads above the water; teams who don’t have the time (or the leadership?) to step away from the [...]

Interesting Example of Data Visualization

Published on 2009-12-05 18:10:30

The content of your B2B white papers often necessitates the presentation of complex facts and figures, and the success of your white paper often depends on clear communication of that data. But who wants to look at vanilla charts and graphs when you can present your data in compelling and interesting way? Wired Magazine demonstrates creative data [...]

Thoughts on Developing a Compelling Point of View

Published on 2009-12-05 17:11:55

While the volume of white papers produced by B2B marketers seems to increase each year, the quality of most of these papers fails to inspire the reader to act. On this blog, I emphasize the importance of clear and inspiring design as a major factor in the success of a white paper. However, while design is [...]

Using Custom Charts in Your White Papers

Published on 2009-11-30 21:53:29

In addition to setting the overall tone and structure of your white papers, custom design can impact every detail of your content, including the way you present your B2B marketing data. Those automatically generated pie charts and bar graphs you created in Excel may communicate your information, but a well-designed white paper contributes to a [...]

White Papers and Marketing Automation: the Killer Combo

Published on 2009-11-29 15:51:06

Online marketing offers B2B marketers the opportunity to reach millions of potential clients around the globe, but the early phases of your online efforts can feel a bit lonely. Working online will often make you feel like you’re standing in the middle of an empty field yelling about your amazing service. Everything you say is both [...]

Great Design Starts With Great Content

Published on 2009-11-22 12:14:39

In design world, clients of mine often want to put the cart before the horse in the sense that the desire for an attractive document precedes the creation of thought-provoking content. It’s as if many people feel that nice design will somehow mask weak ideas and poorly written copy. This is wrong. Josh at the blog [...]

Why Are Your White Papers So Ugly?

Published on 2009-11-20 00:36:28

In almost every aspect of life, people value good design. Obvious examples include Apple products, which have set the standard for sound design over the past several years. But good design is emphasized in other places as well: when you buy a car, when you choose items for your home, when you’re buying  a new [...]

The Impact of Design on Your White Paper’s Influence

Published on 2009-11-19 20:45:36

Did you know that the presentation of your content has a major impact on the influence of your white paper? This point is probably obvious to most, but as B2B marketers, we must ensure our gut instincts correlate with measurable reality. In their 2009 Report, Eccolo Media researched the importance of white papers as a B2B [...]