Design Concepts

Good design relies on the specific project:

Purpose of the project Relative priority of each part

Consider

Audience Basic message Best or intended format Similarity to competitors Relationship to my other communications

Planning

Use pencil and paper first

Analyze

Find out what appeals to you

Analyze it according to design principles

Find out what annoys you

Dissect and identify what does not work

Clip File

Collect all types of print media that appeal to you

Continuously add items Choose based on specific design elements, such as use of bleeds or color. Use examples as inspiration

Qualities of printed documents

Relevance Proportion Direction Consistency Contrast The total picture Restraint Attention to detail

Relevance

Each element helps the reader get the message Watch out for software bells and whistles
Clarity Organization Simplicity

Proportion

Size does matter Importance determines size

Relative importance determines size and space

Include white space and adjacent elements when determining size Use the same concept when choosing rule thickness Crop photos, resize to fit importance

Direction

Guide the readers eye logically through your publication

Consistency

Be consistent from page to page

Text typeface, size, subheads Paragraph indents, white space between columns, margins Graphic elements borders, lines, columns

Contrast

Compare dark areas and lighter areas

Higher impact more contrast

Definite light and dark areas Lots of white space and illustrations

Text-rich low in contrast

Formal reports Press releases

The total picture

Consider delivery environment

News ad surrounded by stories/articles and other ads Brochure on rack or table Flyer sitting in the mailbox

Restraint

Strive for simplicity

Too much gimmickry looks cluttered Everything emphasized is nothing standing out Choose typefaces, styles, and sizes to fit the messagekeep to a few

Attention to Detail

One offending detail ruins the appearance and effectiveness

Rivers of white space within large blocks of text Widows and Orphans Proofreading spelling and grammar

Other Common Pitfalls

Trapped white space Too small column gutters Headlines too small Borders too close to text Jumping Horizons Too much detail on charts Isolated heads, subheads

More Pitfalls

Floating subheads Overused boxes and rules Unusually shaped text blocks Too little contrast between typefaces Overuse of rotated type Underlining Unequal spacing Too much gray

Still more Pitfalls

Too many hyphens Cramped logos/addresses Visuals too similar Too many typefaces Misaligned elements across pages Overuse of special effects, gimmicks Shoehorning