Elements of an Effective Ad
Once you decide on an ad size, now it's time to put the various ad elements in. There are really only a few basic elements to any ad-a graphic, a headline, body copy, logo and other specifics like phone number/address/hours, etc.

The Graphic
The graphic should be at the top of the ad because most people who read a newspaper are used to focusing on the pictures first and then, if they're editorial pictures, reading the cutline underneath which describes the photograph. Use this habit to your advantage when designing an ad by putting the picture at the top. If the picture is halfway down in the ad, a reader might focus on the picture, read down, and miss all the information above the picture and possibly leave the ad without gaining critical information. Since the business you're making up the spec ad for most likely wants people in the market for their product to notice their ad, a picture of the product or service has proven to be a strong attention-getter. It should be instantly recognizable as the product the advertiser is selling and big enough that nobody glancing at the ad can miss it, perhaps even a third of the ad.

Refer to the two ads in this section. See how the first one doesn't attract people looking for a restaurant like the second ad does with shoes? This illustration will make a huge difference in response if a graphic is included. So, similar to the way you learned to layout a live ad earlier, draw a box on a layout sheet the size of the ad you want, and indicate where you want your graphic to go, attaching the artwork to a separate sheet and keying it up, or, if you don't have any artwork, ask the artists to find you some.