Transcript Design Elements of DTP - Day One

Design Principles:
Keys to DTP Success
So What Is Good Design?
 There are certain qualities that every printed
document must have, regardless of its
purpose or form
 Use what we learn over the next two days as
a safety checklist, not rules
 I’ll also expect you to start explaining items
using the terminology and design skills we
discuss
Design Concepts
Proportion
Contrast
Balance
Rhythm
Restraint*
Unity
Detail*
* Not in Lichty
Proportion
Design Principle #1
Proportion
 How well does each piece of
the puzzle relate to the other pieces
 Hold the layout at a distance and concentrate on
the Total Picture
– is it pleasing to your eye?
 Proportion Obtainers
– Importance
– White Space
– Margins
– Grids
Proportion - Importance
 The size of an element should be
determined by its relative importance to its
environment.
 The larger an element, the more important it
seems to the reader
– Works with graphical or textual elements
– Stair-stepping elements
• Like this
– Or even this
Proportion – White Space
 Areas of a page without text or graphics
 Structured Order White Space
– gutters, leading, indents, etc.
 Less Structured White Space
– drops, empty left/right column, bands of white
 White Space is very inexpensive to use
 Readers welcome it as a place to rest their
eyes (or a place to take notes)
Proportion – White Space
 Too little
– Can look hard to read
– Overwhelming & confusing
 Enough
– More inviting
– Less intimidating
How to attract readers
HOW TO REPEL READERS
Proportion – White Space
 Plan for it - Treat white space as an element
on the page
– equal in importance to text and graphics
– shouldn’t be seen as “leftover” space
– should be organized
 Use it along the outside edges of a page
 Use it in unequal concentrations
– Margins, drops, etc.
Proportion – Trapped WS
 Space trapped on all 4 sides
– Fails to realize its potential
 One of the biggest no-no’s in DTP
 Distracts the reader’s eye
 Seems to push away other
elements on the page
 Looks like a mistake
How to avoid creating
trapped white space
Proportion – Equally Divided WS
 When you have an item that doesn’t fill the
space, don’t “float” the item by splitting the
space evenly
 Group WS together
White space,
White space,
White space
White space,
White space,
White space
Proportion - Margins
 Defined by the grid, which describes the
proportion and placement of the margin
 Should occupy about 50 percent of the page
 Margins should always be unequal – equal
margins breed monotony
– Should use progressive margins
Proportion – Margins (Simplex)
Proportion – Margins (Duplex)
Proportion – The Grid
 A series of non-printing horizontal and
vertical guidelines on the page.
– Guarantees consistency throughout the
document
– Identifies margins
– Determines orderly placement of columns and
illustrations on the page
 Using the golden section
Proportion – The Grid
Birds of Paradise
Polly the Parrott
The
Norwegian Blue
Proportion – Page Structure
 Laying out various text columns that
account for appropriate white space
 You can interchange the page structures, but
remember to keep consistent margins
throughout a document
 Roughly 8 ways to structure a page
Proportion – Page Structures
Proportion – Page Structures
Proportion – Columns in Grids
Balance
Design Element #2
Balance
 The weight of the objects on the left side of
the page equals those on the right
 Unbalanced objects make us uneasy
 Balanced objects look proper and secure
Balance – Optical Center
 To obtain balance, you
work with the optical center
 The spot the eye sees when it first
encounters a page
 Slightly above the mathematical
center of the page
 Similar to where we look on the
face when we talk to others:
the eyes
Balance – Formal Balance
 Symmetrically formatted
 Balance is evident along
the optical center
 Provide feeling of formality,
precision, and reserve
 Examples: wedding invitations, title pages,
business cards, etc.
Balance – Informal Balance
 Asymmetrical format
 Balance is dynamic instead
of static along the optical center
 Reader adjusts the balance in own mind
 More energy, more vigor, more enthusiasm
 Adds interest to the page and sparkle to the
presentation
Restraint
Design Element #3
Restraint
 Strive for simplicity in design
 DTP gives you so many tools
 Straight-forwardness is a virtue
– Effective design is invisible to reader
 Restraint is achieved by sticking to a few
carefully chosen typefaces, styles, and sizes
 A good carpenter doesn’t use every tool in
his kit on a single task; neither should you
Restraint
 If you draw attention to too
many items on the page,
the result is nothing will
stick out
 Excessive use of emphasis weakens your
publication to the point of losing all impact
 Overuse of graphic gimmickry results in a
cluttered look
That’s all for today…
More to come on Thursday
Quiz on Tuesday
References
 Looking Good in Print, Roger C. Parker
 The Non-Designer’s Design Book, Robin
Williams
 Desktop Publishing Design, Kristine Moore
 Design Principles for Desktop Publishers,
Tom Lichty