Basic Design

1
Basic Design

• Computer Graphic Design
• LAP 1.8

2
Objectives

• Match terms associated with design basics to
  their definitions
• Describe the three types of audiences
• State why good design is important to your
  publication
• Describe the most important concern when
  beginning your project
• Describe the importance of a persons education
  to your design

3
Objectives (continued)

• Describe the importance of where your publication
  will be read
• Recognize the questions you should ask to help
  define your audience
• Identify the questions you should ask before
  designing a piece for a broad audience
• Describe what is meant by making your piece
  useful, easy to read, and lighthearted

4
Objectives (continued)

• State the importance of breaking up information
  in your design
• Identify ways to make your design more appealing
• Practice and identify brainstorming techniques to
  help you prepare to design
• Recognize ways to make your design easier to read

5
Objectives (continued)

• Recognize how to help readers gain access to
  information
• Recognize the importance of proofreading
• Recognize your role as a designer
• Identify the steps in the design process
• Identify and use each of the four basic
  principles of design contrast, repetition,
  alignment, and proximity

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Design Terms

• Designthe manner in which type and graphics are
  gathered and arranged on your printed page
• Design elementa graphic that you build into your
  layout to make the pages more attractive and help
  communicate your ideas

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Design Terms (continued)

• Design solutionoverall design of a document or
  series of documents that meets all your
  communication and identity needs
• Graphica line, oval, rectangle, square, circle,
  logo, chart, diagram, graph, illustration,
  cartoon, drawing, or photograph
• Layouta basic sketch for the arrangement of type
  and graphics

8
Design Terms (continued)

• Graphic designera design professional whose work
  is produced in printed or electronic formats
• LogoAn emblem that is used for identification
• AlignmentLining up elements such as columns of
  type, rule lines, headlines, photographs and
  artwork

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Design Terms (continued)

• Artworkall forms of illustration used in design
  including drawings, photographs, graphs, maps,
  hand lettering, and charts
• Comprehensivea computer layout or drawing that
  is produced to scale showing how the finished
  piece will look

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Design Terms (continued)

• Thumbnaila small sketch, usually done in pencil,
  used to explore layout ideas during the initial
  design phase
• RoughPreliminary sketch drawn in color to scale
  that is taken from your best thumbnail idea
• Proofa preliminary copy of the design project
  used for checking accuracy

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Three types of audiences

• The universal audienceWith this audience your
  piece has only six seconds or less to capture
  their attention. The key word for this
  audience is simplicity come right to the point
  in very few words.

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Three types of audiences

• 2. The prospect audience This audience is
  pre-selected and may already be prepared to
  read what you have to say. Your design
  can be more elaborate for this audience and
  can contain more details about what you
  are saying.

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Three types of audiences

• The captive audienceThis is the must read
  audience. This is the audience for technical
  manuals and in-house publications. You can put
  maximum detail into these publications because
  your audience is prepared to receive the
  maximum amount of information.

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Why good design is important to your publication

• We are a visual societythe way your product
  looks is just as important as what it says!

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The most important concern when beginning your
project

• Who is your audience?

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Importance of audiences education to the design

• Vocabulary
• Length of sentences
• Literacy level
• Number of graphics

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Importance of where publication will be read

• Office? Home? Theater? Formal setting?
• How much attentionthey will be payingand what
  they will be looking forare they in a relaxed
  atmosphere, a busy subway terminal, or on a
  highway

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Questions to help you define your audience

• General description
• Male or female
• Living environment
• Income level
• Education level
• Skills and knowledge
• How are they like you

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Questions to help you define your audience

• How different from you
• Attitude toward your service or product
• Background
• Values
• Tastes
• How they spend leisure time

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Questions to help you define your audience

• What they read
• Their uniqueness
• When most likely to get their attention
• Where most likely to get their attention
• Desired impression
• Desired action

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More men or women?

• Feature what will appeal to the dominant gender,
  using colors and design elements for that
  gender.

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How old are they?

• Parents, teenagers, or elderly?
  Interests and tastes change at various
  stages in life.

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Where do they live?

• Geographical locations determine specifics and
  areas of local interest

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What is their income level?

• Is the target audience wealthy, poor, middle
  class, or everyone?

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What is their knowledge or skill level of topic

• Are they the experts or novices?
• Is further education needed to make it
  important to them?

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How are they different?

• Always have someone with similar interests,
  ethnic background, and knowledge level look at
  your design

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How are they like you?

• Draw on personal experiences to relate to those
  with similar interests and backgrounds.

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What is their attitude toward your topic?

• Will they view the topic as negative,
  threatening, or controversial in some waypresent
  it carefully!
• (drugs, alcohol abuse, child abuse, abortion or
  AIDS)

Be serious and honest enough to make an
impression, yet gentle and encouraging enough so
people will be willing to read the product.
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What are their values?

• Are they hard working? Loyal? From strong
  families?

• Emphasize what will appeal to them by using
  graphics and drawing attention to phrases or key
  words.

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What are their tastes?

• Bold, dramatic, or understated?
• Serious or upbeat and lighthearted?

Are they the glitzy, glossy paper group, or the
more textured paper types?Would brilliant jewel
tones appeal most, or soft pastel colors, or
subtle earth tones? Ornate, streamlined, or punk?
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How do they spend their time?

• Tinker with cars? Play tennis? Ski?
  Garden?Vacations?Hunting?

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What do they read?

• Ladies Home Journal?
• Business Week?
• National Geographic?
• Mad?
• MacUser?
• People?
• Readers Digest

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What makes the group unique?
O
U

• Geographic location
• Source of pride- such as a great sports
  team (OU)
• Positive connections

Go Sooners
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When can you get attention?

• What time of day?
• What day of the week?
• Short or long messages?

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What effect will you have?

• Dependable?
• Fast?
• Top quality?
• Cut rate?
• Efficient?
• Experienced? Professional?

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What do you want them to do?

• Keep for future reference?
• Throw it away?
• Pass it on?
• Make specific suggestions!

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Know Your AUDIENCE!
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Make your piece

• USEFUL

Make your piece something that is NOT just read,
but also carries a purpose.
39
Make your piece easy to use

• Convenient
• Easy to open
• Standard size
• Registration information in prominent place
• Page numbers are easy to find and read

40
Make your piece lighthearted

• Make it FUN!

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Break up information

• If it looks like it will take too much time to
  read, it wont get read
• Use just a few important points
• Small inviting bites of information

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Ways to make your design MORE appealing
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Ways to make your piece more appealing!

• Useful
• Easy to use
• Lighthearted
• Break up information

• Say it in more ways than one
• Easy to remember
• Positive message

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Why an Idea List?

• Help spark your imagination
• Help you answer all your questions about your
  audienceproduct.

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Make your design easier to read

• More headlines
• Short paragraphs
• Table of contents
• Include index when practical

• Use bullets
• Running heads
• White space
• Use CRAP I mean CARP!
• Page numbers

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Proofreading is IMPORTANT

• Mistakes can be embarrassing
• Errors make you appear unprofessional
• Could cost you credibility

STOP! Proofread your design before the public
sees it! Always run spell check last!
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So What is Good Design?

• Tasteful
• Interesting
• Memorable
• Attractive
• Triggers an idea
• Elicits a response
• Sets a mood

It has STYLE!
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What is the designers role?

• Make good decisions to keep people reading,
  capture attention, andget the point across.

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Design .Process

• Research/conception
• Application
• Feedback
• Adjustment
• Production

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NOW

• GO DESIGN!