For some projects, the more time you put into them the better the results. Being very meticulous about how you paint your home can pay off in a much nicer looking place. And you definitely don’t want your radiologist just skimming through your test results. When it comes to ad banners, however, there isn’t such a clear correlation between how much time you spend crafting the ad and how it performs.

As a flash desinger, you could put 20 hours in creating a complex ad that only performs so-so. And even if you spent another 20 hours improving your ad, it might only perform a bit better. Yet for a different concept, you might only put in a couple of hours and that ad could be a rock star performer. It can be hard telling which is going to really do well. Yet, it’s not like you can just rub a magic genie bottle and have a great banner appear in a second.

So, how do you figure out what’s the right amount to spend on your ad?

1. Look at the concept (whether it’s one given to you or your own) and think about what different ways could you create this. Some ways may take significantly more time than others. Go for one of the ways that take significantly less.

2. Recycle when possible. If you’ve created something similar and never ended up using it, now’s the time to resurrect it.

3. While it technically has to be 100% perfect, there are often little cheats you can do to give a similar look and feel without painstakingly crafting every frame so it would be seamless if the viewer watched it very slowly. No one looks at ads that closely.

Now if you want to learn a new skill and feel like trying out something you’ve never done before, go ahead, learn away. In fact  it could be the nudge you need to start practicing the skills you’ve been reading about. Just remember when you’re not trying out new skills, look for shortcuts. Because the banner that takes you one tenth  the time to create might end up performing 10 times better.