Not only does Apple make great products that are designed well, Apple has a vast array of well designed digital advertisements that they use in their campaigns. By just simply landing your eyes on the above masthead, there is a longing to run or at least get in shape. The Nike + iPod campaign has got to be one of the best adverts that I personally admire from Apple. With the release of the iPhone, MacBook Pros and hopefully soon to be released Mac tablets (or Mac Touch as the conspiracy theorist would have you call it) Apple has really stepped up their game in terms of digital art.

There is a notable difference in their present designs that have come a long way from the tasty, colorful iMacs that people once raved about. But through the ages, Apple has proven time and time again that they are the design thought leaders when it comes to ad campaigns.

But let’s take a real look at the above advert. There’s nothing to it really. If we look at the various elements of the page, we simply have 6 pictures, reflection, font and a dark color swatch with complimentary colors. So what’s the big deal? Simplicity.

Like the saying “Less is more”, there is a real sense of class and sleekness that is projected from any of Apple’s design pieces. Apple is widely known for their subtle gradients, reflective images, thin fonts and good looking people to advertise good looking products.

Personally, I think Apple strikes it rich with their use of light. It almost as if Apple puts on a photo shoot and all the web pages just show up and wait their turn to be snapped. What makes their use of lighting very effective is the way they cast a light source on an individual piece of the design, but yet manage to bring the whole design in unison towards that light source, and even out of it.

Another thing that Apple does well is the relation of information to the viewer (user). Apple’s message is short and sweet. For the Nike + iPod campaign, their message is simply “Meet your new personal trainer.” That’s it. They also have 2 following statements that state “Hear how you run” and “Hear the burn”. “Hear the burn” sticks out to me because the truth is how can we hear the burn? If anything, we “Feel the burn”. If Apple were to use the term “Feel” instead of “Hear” they know that they would be taking the emphasis off of the product itself and putting it back on to the viewer. Especially if a viewer is over-weight and out of shape, why would they want to “Feel the burn”? To that viewer, that would involve too much work, but to “Hear the burn” seems to be so much easier.

Apple then goes on to provide 2 great CTAs (call to actions), “Rock and run” and “Rock the gym”. These CTAs are exciting and also help the user to almost feel like they are taking action to getting in better shape while while applying their favorite kind of music to the journey.

With the release of so many great products and paving the way as industry leaders in computing, it is no wonder that Apple places so much emphasis on fine design that really connect to the end user.

If you have never paid close attention to Apple’s ad campaigns, I suggest you start observing. Watch the design closely and see what Apple is trying to say to their users, and where they are trying to take you with their designs.