Designed press releases

Do I care if a press release is graphically designed or not? It’s something a PR pal recently asked me, as someone who receives a lot of them. She was trying to advise a client who had been told by previous agencies that pro design for a press release was “a must”.

Does design – or lack thereof – make me think twice about the positioning of a brand? Or am I just interested in the content? Well, as with most of these things, it depends.

Here were my thoughts:

Certain commodities, and topics, benefit from visual tone. A fun nail collection, a quirky fragrance, or innovative make-up, for example, could be amplified by some colour – metaphorically if not literally. Others might not. Industry news, ‘serious’ skincare, exclusive spa offerings, or medical injectables don’t strike me as things that need graphic design (beyond inclusion of company logos, etc).

I’d also question whether the press release is to be shared in a primarily print or digital capacity. Because there’s something intrinsically impactful about a beautifully designed printed press release (which mostly accompany product mailers nowadays); they can seduce like a striking magazine cover might on a news stand. However, that impact can be lost via email attachments that may be equally well designed. In ‘head down’ work mode, I’m happy to receive facts, figures and quotes from a press release that I can forward, file or follow up for a feature.

Though beyond the subject and medium of a press release, the question surely depends on the brand’s DNA. If design is something that’s important to your client’s brand codes, and to its target audience, it should aim for distinctive visibility across all lines of communications.

But does one make me want to feature something over the other? I can’t say it does. So no, graphic design is not “a must”, though it might make it more memorable.