Brand Ad Guide 2026

Tips for creating a successful first ad with City Lifestyle

We recommend creating a Brand Ad for your first appearance in our publication. This is a straightforward design created to establish your business with our readers.

Creating a Brand Ad for your first appearance in our publications allows the design to be used at any time during the calendar year.

Do’s and Don’ts

Tips for a successful first ad.

Simplicity is key:
- Use clear and concise messaging
- Keep the layout clean and simple
- Use Eye-Catching Imagery
- Utilize brand fonts & colors to clearly brand your ad
- Include a simple and compelling call-to-action

Things to avoid:
- Seasonally-based messages and imagery
- Long paragraphs and overly technical language
- Layouts cluttered with tons of photos

Tips for providing high-quality assets:

Logos:

We recommend uploading a vector version of your logo if possible. These are based on mathematical paths rather than tiny squares of color, meaning they can be scaled to the size of a billboard or shrunk to a business card without losing any quality.

Preferred Vector File Types:

.svg (Sccalable Vector Graphics)

.ai (Adobe Illustrator)

.eps (Ecapsulated Postscript)

.pdf (Vector Portable Document Format)

For raster logo files, we recommend files with a resolution of 300 DPI (dots per inch) at the actual size it will be printed.

Accepted Raster File Types:

.jpg (or JPEG)

.png (Portable Network Graphics)

.gif (Graphics Inerchange Format)

Copy:

The biggest mistake in print is trying to tell the whole brand story in one ad. Brand ads are intended to provide the reader with a clear sense of your brand and the scope of your business within three seconds.

Use powerful imagery to assist in conveying your message
Limit headlines to 5 words or less
Provide a clear and concise Call-to-Action
If the Headline and the Call to Action (CTA) aren't the two most prominent things, the layout needs a rewrite. You want a clear path: See image → Read headline → Follow CTA.

Photos in Ads:

Prioritize authenticity over "Stocky" imagery

Modern readers have "stock photo blindness." They can spot a staged, overly-perfect office scene from a mile away.

Less is more: Every great ad has a hero, or in this case, a hero image. Utilizing 1-3 striking photos to draw readers into your message is often the best course of action.

Fewer photos helps to avoid “visual fatigue” many readers encounter when presented with a multitude of imagery. If the reader only remembers one visual from this ad, which one represents your brand best?

Resolution Requirements

Resolution is the degree of detail in an image, measured in dots per inch (DPI). For City Lifestyle ads, images must be 300 DPI. Enlarging images lowers resolution, which can make them blurry. Images found online or used for the web (72-96 DPI) are typically too low-quality for print. Upsampling low-resolution images does not improve their quality. To avoid issues, ensure all images meet the 300 DPI standard before submission.

Examples of Successful Brand Ads