Got ideas for a clever 3-Dimensional design? Want to create something that will cause your customers or clients to do a double take at your piece rather than just tossing it in the trash? Afraid these ideas are going to empty your pocket book?

They don’t have to.

Thanks to the remarkable design software we have available today and the sheer limits of  imagination there is very little you can’t accomplish with a simple postcard design.

If you have a great idea, don’t write it off simply because it would cost too much money. Instead look for alternative design tricks to accomplish the same thing.  Let’s look at my favorite 3 approaches for ‘faking’ an expensive die-cut or 3-D design:

1. Layer. For that 3-D design you want to create but don’t have the budget, all you need is some creativity to create a 3-D design that will be looked at and then looked at again.

An example of this was a recent client that approached me about designing a  “invitation” for an upcoming event.   She wanted something that would be noticed and reminiscent of a traditional invitation. The catch? She wanted it to be a mail-ready postcard.

No problem? As you can see, I created a layered effect to simulate the the actual postcard was peeking out of an envelope.  The client loved it! And the campaign has been very well received.

2. Add Texture. This may seem like a no-brainer and it is indeed one of the oldest tricks in the book, but adding nice textures and grains to your design pieces will create the illusion of either a linen type of stock or perhaps something more earthy like these wood grained business cards for a woodworking shop I designed recently.  There are no ends to the types of textures you can use, to jumpstart your creativity, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Rust
• Metal
• Wood
• Fur
• Grunge
• Dirt
• Aged Paper

3.Think Outside the Proverbial Box. As we mentioned earlier, when your client approaches you with big ideas and a small budget help them think outside the box. Sometimes creating even “traditional” pieces with a twist can be huge attention grabbers. This happened with a project I worked on for some friends that were getting married. They wanted to be ‘different’ and sent out their ivitations as postcards.

So we did. After a photo shoot in a rose garden we had everything we needed to make a striking invitation that kept them under budget. Rather than the traditional light flowery colors, we went with bright and bold blacks, reds and whites.

The guests loved them. And these ‘wedding’ postcards received a lot of attention with other clients.

The bottom line is, regardless of your budget, a simple printed piece with the right design techniques can be astounding. Don’t be afraid to try something new (or something old!) and explore your options. Remember that you do not have to be confined to the 4 straight sides of a postcard, business card or other flat piece, you can use these sides as a platform  to boost your design to the next level.

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If you’re new to typesetting it can be very overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. I’ve recently been asked by several student designers to elaborate a bit more on Typesetting procedures and best practices.

Overview:

• All books should be typeset and gathered using InDesign’s “Book” feature. (No books that contain “chapters” (including Slims and Minis) should be set up as a single flowing document).
• All books should follow a standard “style” labeling schema for both Paragraph and Character styles as detailed below.
• All elements within a document SHOULD be utilizing paragraph styles.
• Master pages should be utilized as much as possible.

File Name Standards:

• Before you can utilize the “book” feature in InDesign you must first have a set of documents to work with. Ideas for naming these book Documents would include the following file names:
  • FrontMatter.indd (Include Title pages, Copyright, Table of Contents)
  • Acknowledgement.indd
  • Introduction.indd
  • Preface.indd
  • Foreword.indd
  • Chapter1.indd
  • Chapter2.indd . . . and so forth until the end of the book
  • Appendix1.indd . . . and so forth as needed
  • AboutTheAuthor.indd
  • Ads.indd

  Creating A Template
  To create the appropriate “design” of the book. You will want to start designing with Chapter 1.

  • Create a new document (apple + n)
  • Set document page count (just guess at this point)
  • Set document margins (remember to allow thumb room and interior gutter)
  • Set document bleeds

  

  Screenshots from CS4 but the process is the same

  Number and Section Options:
  Number and Section Options are found under the “Pages” panel flyout menu:

  

  Numbering and Section Options

  For each document set the “Number and Section Options” to “automatic page numbering”. Front matter will be set to “Roman Numerals” styles, but all others will be set to “Arabic Numerals”.  When this is set up, the page numbers will automatically update throughout the entire book as pages are added or subtracted to a single document.

  

  Tip! Use this document to set up your master pages, paragraph styles and character styles. When finished save it as a “template” for the rest of the book.
  
  Using Styles:
  To maintain consistency, I often use a specific naming scheme to be used when creating my paragraph styles.

  Paragraph Styles Naming Standards:
  Chapter Number
  Chapter Title
  Chapter Opening
  Body Copy
  Scriptures
  Pullouts

  Opening Your Paragraph Styles:
  Window  > Type and Tables  > Paragraph Styles

  

  From the Paragraph Styles panel click the flyout and select “New Paragraph Style” or from the bottom of the panel window click the “New Style” icon.

  
  

  Creating the Style:
  When creating a new style there are really only 4 of the Paragraph Styles option panels you need to deal with:
  1.    “General” you will name your new style (one of the names above) and be sure to set your “Based On Style” to “No Paragraph Style”. Why? If your style is “Based” on another style and the other style changes it will alter this one as well. That is something you do NOT want to happen.

  

  2.    “Basic Character Formats” you select your typeface, weight, size and leading height.

  

  3.    “Indents and Spacing” choose your alignment (normally left justify for body copy) and extra spacing. i.e. First line indent for body copy, space after and before for subheads or scripture text, etc.

  

  4.    “Hyphenation” Set your hyphenation options as seen below:

  

  Now your new style is complete.

  Tip! To apply a paragraph style to an entire paragraph it’s not necessary to highlight the entire paragraph, you can simply click within the paragraph and select your style to alter the entire thing. Also try clicking with the formatting eyedropper tool for a quick fix.

  When to Use a Character Style?
  Character styles should be used anytime an “override” needs to take place for a paragraph style. For instance a bold word, a bold number, etc.

  Opening Your Character Styles:
  Window  > Type and Tables > Character Styles

  From the Character Styles panel click the flyout and select “New Character Style” or from the bottom of the panel window click the “New Style” icon.

  Creating a character style is the same process as a paragraph style but with more selective options. And applying them requires that you click within the WORD or highlight the character that you would like to change.
  
  Master Pages:
  Your master pages will need to include:
  •    Page Numbers
  •    Running Heads
  •    Chapter Opening Art
  •    Any other graphic elements that are consistent chapter to chapter

  Adding Your Content:
  As long as you have created your margins and columns within your InDesign document, you can flow all the text in for your first chapter automatically. To do this, choose File > Place and then select the document you’d like to flow in.

  Your cursor will change showing you that there is content to place. You can flow this content in with several different options. The quickest and most efficient way is to “auto-flow” the text throughout the document. Using this option will automatically place the text for you, allowing you to go back in and fine tune the layout and add your paragraph styles as needed.

  

  
  

  Creating the “Book”:
  Once your main document is set up you will want to use the template you saved to create each subsequent chapter.
  
  To create the “book file:
  File > New > Book
  1.    Name the book as needed. This creates a new “book” panel in your workspace.
  2.    Click the “+” to add documents to your book.

  

  3.    Load all your documents into your book panel.
  4.    Your page numbers will auto adjust and you can now edit each document by simply double clicking it to open make your changes and then save the documents.
  5.    When you’re finished with the book file, you can save and close the book panel, export the entire book to digital additions (more on that later) or package the book for printing!

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Each day it seems technology changes. For the professional designer these changes must be embraced or your profession will soon move on without you. Lets think for a moment about the eight track tape. Depending on your age you may not even know what I’m talking about. and let me assure you they were before my lifetime as well.

Chances are you’ve at least heard of the over-sized cassette tapes. Cassette tapes? Oh yeah. That was next and finally in my lifetime. I remember as an elementary student when those flat Frisbee looking discs came out for music looking proudly at my cassette collection and thinking happily, “No, those things will never catch on. I’ll be fine.”

How wrong could I be? Now years after CDs finally became popular our newer way to listen to music are intangible MP3 files. We buy them, but we can see them. We can’t feel them. And yet we think nothing of it.

Hopefully by now you catch my drift. As a designer a lot of the mediums we’re used to are being replaced. Direct mail is often substituted by email campaigns. Newspapers are replaced by interactive and user driven Web content. And now with the introduction of Amazons Kindle and Apples iPad devices we know that traditional books will soon be going the way of the buffalo.

So what do we do about it? How do you handle seeing pieces of your job security being transferred to intangible prices of technology?

the answer is simple. You LEARN and EVOLVE or head for home. There really isn’t another option. While I’m not preaching doom on those of us that love the smell of a new ream of paper I do think it’s important to learn WITH the changes rather than struggling against them. As such I have embarked on becoming an expert at eBook conversion.

For the past six months I have read every article, every trend forecast and every bit of information I could grasp to be ready for the revolution.

In the next few weeks as my busy work and client schedule allows I will begin to write yips for ebook and typeset beginners that I’ve picked up along the way! See you on the other side of technology!

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If you’ve been asked to create a newsletter for your club, group or business and aren’t sure where to start, look no farther. Today, rather than just “telling” you about the principles I’ve decided to do an in-depth tutorial to help you create a cohesive and concise newsletter design.

In this tutorial we’ll layout a basic newsletter using InDesign, but keep in mind that the same principles of good newsletter design could be used in any program.

Step 1: Set Up Your Document

To get started, first open a new document in InDesign (Apple + N). This basic newsletter will be 1 page front and back so set up your document as shown below:

Step 2: Save

I never go farther without saving my document (Apple + Shift + S). Get into the habit of saving early and saving often.

Step 3: Create Your Header

Depending on how design-savvy you may already be you may already have an adequate header to place at the top of your newsletter, if so, simply place the file in and skip to step 5, if not, we’ll create your header now.

The amount and types of things you want to include in your newsletter header may vary from what you see here, but we’ll stick to a simple rule of thumb. To create your newsletter header, we want to add your logo and some simple graphics that represent your branding to the top of the page.

If you’re not sure where to place your logo, try right-aligning it to add visual interest. In this example, I’ve simply added a blue background behind the logo to anchor to the newsletter name, volume and issue numbers and date. Next, I created a basic 3 pt white line straight across about 2/3” from the bottom.

Step 4: Add Your Newsletter Name

Since we created an anchor point for our headline, we can now add our text and the title of our newsletter. Again, to add visual interest try a few different arrangements. If you’re still not sure what to do, remember that simple is probably better in most cases.

Step 5: Adding Intro Text

With any newsletter you will have a main article or headline story. To create visual interest add this story in full width across both columns of your layout.

Remember, when working in print design you want to use serif fonts as a general rule because it’s easier for the readers to quickly scan and absorb. When working with a multiple column layout also keep in mind that the eye can decipher left justified lines of text quicker than ragged right alignments.  For this example I’ve used Garamond 12pt text with 16 pt leading as shown below:

Step 6: Format Your Headline

To maintain consistency in your newsletter try to use a headline font that closely matched the fonts in your logo and/or newsletter heading. This will visually give your newsletter a polished feel. Your article headline should be larger than an author by line. I’ve used Brody, 24pt to match the branding of the Web company.

Step 7: Add Your First Photo

What good is a newsletter without photos? Add your first one here and be sure to include a text wrap as shown to tighten up your design.  Keep in mind that depending on which direction your audience reads from you will generally want your image to lead the eye into the article. For my audience images on the left will do just that.

Step 8: Adding an Article Divider

Now that our first article is in place we should add an article divider before switching to our two-column layout. Your horizontal divider can be as simple as a 1 pt line or more complex such as a specific design element.

Step 9: Adding Your First Column Article

Repeating steps 5-7 you are now ready to add your first columned article with the following exceptions:

• Rather than extending the width of the page, you should only fill the first column with this text.
• Your headlines, bylines and image should be proportionately smaller than those in your main article.

Step 10: Adding Other Column Articles

Repeating step 9 you can now add the rest of your column articles. For a small newsletter I would suggest using the columns as needed on the second page as well as shown here.

Step 11: Adding a Pullout or Significant Fact

By now, those reading your newsletter may be drifting off to sleep. Once more, to provide visual interest we need to add another design element. Adding a pullout or significant fact for your readers that is set apart in larger text and spans the whole width again is a great way to vary your layout without creating chaos. Using the horizontal lines in Step 8 and your headline font, add something of interest to pull your readers back into your newsletter.

Step 12: Adding A Closing Article

The last article in your newsletter can be added to the left column following the same steps listed above. This article should give the reader a feeling of closure or include a teaser about what’s in store for the next issue.

Step 13: Adding Contact Information

Perhaps the most vital part of the newsletter is the contact information for the organization. I’d recommend including your logo again as pictured here along with any information or special instructions for your readers to get in touch with you.

Hopefully, the principles applied in this tutorial can help you in your next Newsletter adventure!

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I have just realized that I posted the WRONG bookmark on the wrong day, meaning this one is actually labeled, Number 19 though I’m posting it on today, the 20th. I was inspired to design this one after attending a recent literary event where several authors were discussing their enjoyment of reading! I TOO love to read, and write, and design and market. . . ok, I’ll stop.

This particular bookmark was designed with another one of those FREE textures I discussed last night, with a burgandy color overlay later and some simple photoshop shapes. Nothing very fancy. The font is one of my current favorites, “Windsong” from Dafont.com.

Enjoy! Download it here.

Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

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As a designer, you should ALWAYS have several staples in your design arsenal. Among these is definitely a nice assortment of textures.  Don’t despair! You can find some really NICE and FREE high quality textures such as the one I’ve used for tonight’s “Going Green” bookmark on a variety of sites. Download Today’s bookmark here.

I’ll share some of my favorite finds with you here:

Texturez

Smashing Magazine

Texture Lovers

Image After

Free Textures.org

Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

Bookmark This!

Continuing our series of “What Is It’s Purpose?” this post will deal with the Purpose of Letterhead and Letterhead Design.

As we’ve mentioned before let me recap by saying, every design we create serves a purpose. Is it up to us to determine that purpose? Or does each piece innately have a purpose? I think there is truth in both. Our job is to amplify the innate purpose for each piece. Confused? Don’t stay that way, let’s examine one of the pieces we create on an everyday basis and the function they should serve.

Letterhead.

In today’s digital society does letterhead even still have a place in the industry? I believe so. A traditional formal letter still has it’s importance and uses. Businesses use letterhead for Thank Yous and other otherwise “form” letters that they must send out. It’s also useful for subtly reminding your customers or constituents that you still exist and what services you offer. Wait? Can it really do this? Yes.

Let’s jump ahead and look at some of the things you might want to include on your letterhead:

Remember, you can’t possible include EVERYTHING. So you’ll have to pick and choose:

Letterhead Checklist

Here are some of the many details you might include on your next letterhead design.

PEOPLE
Name of person (Nickname)
Title
Affiliations
Professional/academic designations

PLACE
Pronunciation of unusual names
Department/division name
Organization street address
Floor/suite/mail stop
Alternate P.O. box address
City/state/state abbreviation
Zip+four/postal code
Country
Home street address

COMMUNICATION
Voice phone/extension number
Toll-free phone number
Mobile phone number
Pager number
Fax phone number
Home phone number
E-mail address
Web site address

DETAILS
Office hours
Time zone
Map/directions

ORIENTATION
Name of organization
Mission statement/business description
Product/service categories
Resource info
Special offer
Invitation
Illustration/photo
Logo
Organizational affiliations
Sponsorships

Once you’ve determined WHAT you’re going to include, try to think about ways to include it that will make a statement!

Have you designed Letterhead you’re proud of? Email them to me, and I’ll showcase them in an upcoming post with links back to your site!
For today, let’s look at some recent letterheads I’ve designed for clients and personal use:

Download Today’s BookMark. Don’t miss my #365 Design Everyday. Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

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The Poster.

Part advertisement. Part display piece. All information. The poster when created correctly can accomplish all these tasks in a single stroke. Sometimes the most overlooked piece in a marketer’s arsenal, posters are often assumed to be present but denied the forefront of attention. Why? Maybe because they ARE common. But if you’re a designer working with a client you want to push the limits of your poster design while STILL providing the basics that are required.

As the designer it’s not always up to you to decide which information should be included but it IS up to you to determine HOW it can be included to best represent your client and provide as the Heath brother’s (Author’s of “Made To Stick”) would phrase it, “Stick-Ability” in the mind. (You want the customer to remember it!).

Let’s examine some of the basics that will need to be included SOMEWHERE on your poster for it to be informationally effective.

Poster checklist

EVENT

Name of Event

Date of Event

4 of the W’s  (Who, What, When, Where)

PEOPLE
Name of person ( or Nickname) (Especially if the “event” is personality centered).
Title
Affiliations

PLACE
Pronunciation of unusual names
Department/division name
Street address
Floor/suite/mail stop
City/state/state abbreviation
Zip+four/postal code
Country

COMMUNICATION
Voice phone/extension number
Toll-free phone number
Mobile phone number
Pager number
Fax phone number
Home phone number
E-mail address
Web site address

DETAILS
Office hours
Time zone
Map/directions

ORIENTATION
Name of organization
Mission statement/business description
Product/service categories
Resource info
Special offer
Invitation
Illustration/photo
Logo
Organizational affiliations
Sponsorships

• By now, your head is probably reeling from the options that MAY be required for your poster design. But, hey, don’t forget— you can always include a URL that can contain MORE information.
• The poster I have included here, is a generic poster that is used for a public speaker. When a venue books him to attend, he sends the poster. Notice that the bottom portion is left blank? That’s so the venue can print the date, time, and location on the posters as needed. Just one example of getting the job done, without boxing yourself in!

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Sample Student Business Card

A reader recently asked me for advice on creating a business card as a student. Still in College and finishing up a degree, but ready to start the ever present process of networking she wanted tips and ideas for creating business cards and identity as a student that will be taken seriously in the workforce.

A specific question that came up was whether or not to use the University provided service of business cards with the University branding. While there may be some pros for the students, there are also some serious cons to this approach.
First of all, it doesn’t brand you as an individual, but rather as an extension of your University. Without knowing how your University may be perceived to your potential employer or networker this may be a negative thing. Let’s suppose for a moment that this employer recently had an employee that graduated from the same University and they were fired for poor job performance. Waltzing in as an extension of that same University can possibly backfire on you. On the upside, if a recent employee from that University was a star, it could help. However, by creating your OWN brand you eliminate this risk.

So, let’s discuss. If you’re a student, chances are you haven’t established a brand. So then what? How can you create a business card that will promote YOU and not some fictitious business or alter ego. What if you’ve not really “done” anything yet so to speak?

No problem. Keep in mind that the primary use of a business card is to CONTACT you. So all you HAVE to include is valid contact information. Let’s look at some ideas of things you CAN include on that card to give you credibility.

1. Your name. This may seem obvious, but as a student, with no “business” to be prevalent on a business card, Your NAME is the most important asset you have. Display your name predominantly on the business card to take the place of a business name.

2. Your field of expertise. Again, as a student you may not feel that you have yet established “expertise”. But what did you study for? If you are a PR/Ad major then that’s your field. If you’re a Journalism major then obviously you write. Determine what your niche is and claim it on your cards. If you’re still trying to find your exact niche, keep it broad. For instance, you might use “Communications” or “Marketing” as generic terms to avoid pinning yourself down too tightly.

3. Basic contact information. Be sure to include your city/state on the card as well as a current phone number. A word about phone numbers. Keep in mind that now that you are entering the employment pool you may need to change some of your previous habits. For instance, be very careful about your voicemail greeting on your phone. Screaming/singing into your voicemail message may have been cool in college, but once a potential employer tries to call you, it is an immediate turn off. Be sure to re-record your voicemaill message to something more professional. “Hello, you have reached So-N-So, I’m not available at the moment, but please leave your name and number and a brief message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible”.

4. Email Address. Again, in lieu of something that used to get you by and have personal meaning such as “goodlookin236564@hotmail.com” trade in your address for a new professional one. I strongly suggest Gmail accounts for a professional email address. Try to get something specific and relevant to you. Avoid numbers and make it as easy to remember as possible. When possible, use your name: “johncsmith@gmail.com” or “john.c.smith@gmail.com”. Creating a separate professional account will also help you to separate your professional contacts from your personal buddies.

5. Social Media contact information. Chances are a potential employer is going to look you up online. By including your social profile information on your business card, you show them that you have no skeletons in your closet and are beating them to the punch. Include your Twitter name and direct links to your LinkedIn or Facebook accounts. However, be sure that your content is employer friendly. Never use a social media outlet to bad mouth a previous boss or coworker. Keep your accounts clean and wholesome, understanding that you WILL be judged by what you allow to associate with your name on the web.

6. Blogs or Websites. Did you create a blog or Web site as part of a class assignment? If you did, and it’s good, and you update it frequently, then feel free to add that to your card. However, if you don’t feel that it’s a good representation of your best work, or if you never update the blog, then you are better to leave it off. In order for it to be effective it must be current.

Printing and Distribution.

So now you have your information and a basic idea of your card. The next step is getting them printed.

My personal favorite for printing great, professional quality business card at a low price is OvernightPrints.com. Overnight includes a web based card designer, so if you’r NOT a designer, or don’t have the software, you can use their Web site to still create a top quality card. And their quanities and prices are small and very reasonable. Staring at just 25 cards for $2.98 plus shipping.

Another option is Vista Print. A word of warning however, Vista Print’s cards are “free” with the exception of shipping fees, but the backside of the card is Vista Print’s logo and contact information. And the card quality is much cheaper and does not inlcude a UV gloss finish, like Overnight does.

So now that you have your card printed and designed, who do you give them too? In short: Everybody! 90% of business success is networking. Never despise even the smallest connections that you might make. Stay especially alert at conferences, seminars and learning environments.

All in all, put your best foot forward and establish your own professional reputation and you’ll go far!

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