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Tips for Good Design
An Article by Stephen R. Clark
I can almost always tell when someone has just discovered the
bells and whistles available to them in Word or some other application. Learning
that they have access to dozens of fonts, they use them all in one flyer or
letter. They add in lots of “neato” clipart images, even if they’re not relevant
to their message. They mix font styles and sizes and use lots and lots of color.
While they think they’re creating a really “pretty” printed
piece, the end result is virtually unreadable! And the image projected is very
unprofessional.
When you want to create a brochure or flyer on your own, it’s
fine to go crazy and experiment with all the neat little gizmos included in your
software just to see what options are available. But once you’re done playing,
then it’s time to get serious and focused.
Once you’ve developed your message and you’re ready to lay it
out, keep these tips in mind:
Limit colors.
Keep your color scheme simple. Include only 2 or 3
colors in addition to black. Use various shades (10%, 20%, etc.) of a color. In
fact, explore the possibility of grayscale for your piece. You can even create
the illusion of a color photo with only two colors of ink (black plus something
else) by using the duotone process.
Limit fonts.
Aim to use only 3 or 4 typefaces throughout. Pick one
for headlines, another for body text, and another for captions. Instead of
adding a different font, just use one of your selected fonts smaller or larger
and bolded or italicized. But use bold, italics, and underlining discreetly.
Limit visuals.
Clipart is a great way to inexpensively add a visual
to a printed piece as long as you don’t get carried away! Generally, one visual
per page is adequate. If you use more, keep them small. Be sure that each item
relates directly to your message.
Create your own clipart!
If you have a digital camera, take a picture of an object
or scene to create a unique visual for your piece. You can even use a scanner to
scan objects such as scissors or cassettes or other objects to create unusual
and unique graphics. You can modify clipart or stock photos by applying changes
using PhotoShop or any other graphics software. You can make a color image black
and white, or add color to a black and white image, as well as add a number of
other effects.
Use fonts as graphics.
You can create a graphic effect by using unusual fonts
carefully. For example, create a blurb quote in a box placed in the middle of
your page of text. Or, use a special font for main headings.
Don’t forget white space!
Let your printed piece breathe! Give it air in the form of
white space. White space is the area on a page that contains nothing. You can
create breathing room by increasing the space between your lines and the amount
of space surrounding images. This may mean editing down your message to reduce
the word clutter.
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