Graphic Design from Start to Finish Series: Steps 13-16

Graphic Design from Start to Finish Series: Steps 13-16

The famous graphic designer, Milton Glaser is quoted as saying, “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.” In our series on Graphic Design from Start to Finish, we have been offering suggestions that we feel can take your design to ‘WOW.’ Think of these as a way to lay a foundation for designing graphics in your business. Steps 13-16 in this series include some final, essential thoughts on preparing your graphic design like a pro. These include design considerations such as alignment of text, the structure of the body copy, using line breaks to create order, and implementing the same design throughout your campaign.

Our previous articles on graphic design steps can provide further information for starting your design (Steps 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) and seeing it to finality. These articles contain resources to assist taking design from concept to creation, even for someone a bit intimidated by the process! Being able to access a few simple tricks can truly impact the way that a company’s graphic design is received by your audience and create for you and your customers that feeling of “WOW.”

Graphic Design Help for Your Business

You can learn anything with the right kind of education and practice. Graphic design skills are the same. Quality design is not reserved solely for people considered to be prolific artists or designers, such as Milton Glaser. By applying the suggestions we have been presenting in our series, we guarantee your design will see noticeable improvement. Here are some things to consider when looking over your design project:

13. Alignment Matters – Poor text alignment in graphic design is like having a gigantic bag full of stuff…when you’re trying to find your car keys, it is almost impossible with all the clutter. The same goes with a piece of graphic design that has various alignments, it becomes too difficult to find the meaning of the piece and can create frustration for your viewer.When choosing the alignment of text in your design, opt for one alignment for your entire body of text. Choosing to left, right, center, or justify your text is often a designer’s preference, but once you choose—keep it consistent. However, a header or title can be in alignment with your text or it can be centered to stand out more. Keeping alignment consistent will ensure that your design maintains flow and visual appeal by creating order and displaying a professional appearance. Alignment of text creates balance with existing images on a design, can create a visual connection between related elements, and can take the viewer naturally throughout a work.

14. Structure of Body Copy – When creating copy (the written content of your design) keep the characters to 30-40 across a line of text, including spaces. If you use more than the suggested 30-40 characters, the design can be tedious and difficult to understand making it difficult to get through. But it is a balance! If you use a smaller amount of characters per line, the design runs the risk of looking choppy. The rule of thumb for the characters at 30-40 has been set by designers and remains a safe choice for smooth design. When creating copy, communicate in concise language as to not confuse or overwhelm your readers. Keeping copy concise ensures a clear message to potential clients and can lead to a business success!

15. Line Breaks Create Order – A line break is a place within a paragraph or copy where the text breaks off at the end of one line and then continues onto the next line of the paragraph. When used thoughtfully, line breaks can look neat, intentional, and provide emphasis. However, when these line breaks are used without consideration of the entire design, the design will look ragged and create distraction for your audience. Line breaks, lines, and line shapes can be utilized to carry design further. The use of lines, the most basic of the elements of art, helps anchor items in an image and create overall order. Line and line breaks can be used as separators, breaks between elements in an image, or as part of the design.

16. Rinse & Repeat – If you are planning an entire company branding project, ad campaign with multiple parts, or a website, use the same design by resizing to fit a specific area and use this design consistently. Keep color, typography, visual treatment of images, videos, and illustrations the same throughout your campaign. The uniformity will showcase professional graphic design concepts, keep your message clear to your audience, and highlight your business. The format of your entire campaign will remain consistent throughout your design work, even if the content changes. This again

In House Graphic Design Assistance from Start to Finish in East Tennessee

At Acme Printing, we love graphic design, and we love even more helping you see your ideas go from inception to finality. If you have an idea, but do not have the time to put your concept together, we have the experience and talent to design whatever you need.  Reach out today by phone at (423) 581-8528 or contact us online.

No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.