Spec Ads and Ad Design: Artwork
Most likely, you'll want to include artwork in the ad having something to do with the products or services they sell. Now there are books and perhaps CD's full of general artwork of almost anything, but if you can, see if you can get your hands on actual artwork of the products from the business directly.

Almost all businesses have at least catalogs from the manufacturers they order their products from that show pictures of them. Many manufacturers get glossy product shots from the manufacturers (they're the best) or finished ad slicks with pictures in them made just for this purpose. I even know more than a few newspapers who are willing to lend out one of their photographers to take pictures for a spec ad at no charge. You might want to ask your manager about that.

Notice, by the way, that we didn't ask the advertiser, "what would you like in the ad?" That's for two reasons. The first is that the account hasn't agreed to run yet, and second, what he wants the ad to look like might not turn out to be the best ad for his business.

As you'll see, they all have their own theories on what works in advertising, and when their theories aren't sound and they don't get a response, many times they'll blame the newspaper. Instead, tell the advertiser you'll be back with an ad in a few days and that if he likes it, maybe he can run it and if not, that's fine as well.

So after this first informational meeting, return to the office at the end of the day and start working on the spec ad. Instead of just giving all the information you gathered to an artist and making them deal with it, you should sketch out a rough layout. Since it's not a live ad and since you're hoping that the artist who works on the spec ad will come up with some good design ideas, it doesn't have to be as specific as an ad you'd send through to production to go into the newspaper.

So let's talk about how to turn all this information into something your artists can work with most effectively.