Gradients For Visual Impact

I recently did a couple of ads for Cerro Coso, one highlighting the campus of the college, and one with showed the service are of the Kern Community College District. Knowing that these ads were going to be included in a publication with lots going on around the ads I wanted the ads to really stand out. To give the ads that extra impact with color I used gradients as a background fill. This allows the photos and graphics to really pop on the page, and allowed for the similar ads to be differentiated by the primary color scheme of each ad.

While these ads would have worked on a white background, the richness of the color really makes them stand out. These are pretty large ads, being 9.5”x12” and 9.5”x6” so the color will have added impact due to their size, really adding to the drama of the design.