We’ve already talked a little about ebooks and the new opportunities emerging for designers in this area. But, I realized that we can’t talk intelligently about ebook design until we really get the basics of book typesetting down.

Today we are going to cover frequently asked typesetting questions. Feel free to leave comments below with your own questions about the trade and we will address those as well.

What program should I use to typeset a book?
To create a professional book typeset you will need to use a page flow software. These softwares will give you optimum results and do in fact take a lot of the ‘grunt-work’ out of typesetting. The top three typesetting softwares are:

1. Adobe InDesign
2. Quark Express
3. Microsoft Publisher

If you are looking to do this long-term I personally recommend Adobe InDesign. having worked with all three InDesign is by far the most powerful and most widely accepted software there is. The basis of my course here on typesetting will be focused around using InDesign.

Can I use Microsoft Word to typeset a book?
Technically, yes you could. Would I recommend it? No true designer has ever recommended designing in Word. Be aware that Word will not have the features and functionality that professional typesetting software has.

What are the parts of a typeset page?
Your basic typeset page will include at least three elements:

1. A running header
2. Body copy
3. A page number

Optional elements will include:
A. Subheadings
B. Images

Unsure what some of these items are? Check out my ‘typesetters’ glossary.

Got more questions? Comment them here or email me at jp@insearchofdesign.com.

Bookmark This!

Well, because of this, I’ve done some research on stress relief and everyday things you can do to eliminate or expel stress. Yesterday I took a day off work both formally and client side for the most part and spent the day treating myself to recovery. And today, I can honestly say the results have paid off big time! I feel amazing!

So here are some of the things I did  . . .

1. Take a vacation day just FOR YOU. That’s right, try to make minimal plans so that you can simply do what YOU want to do. For me, this was a little difficult, as when I finally decided to do this, I already had scheduled 2 client meetings and an oil change. The oil change I was able to reschedule but I went ahead and kept the meetings, they were with some of my favorite clients anyway.

2. Sleep in and then just lay there. I had no problem with the sleeping in part until my phone starting ringing off the hook and alerting me to new emails and texts. Yeah, unfortunately I actually had to get up. Take my phone to the other end of the house. Even on silent, the phone still vibrates ever so slightly and I realized even that sound of work piling up was NOT going to help me relax. By the time I got up at about 10 I had already received 4 phone calls, 3 client texts and 24 emails.  After I had finally decided there would be no more sleeping, I went back, found my phone and made some calls, chatting with family members and catching up on things that were happening. Snugly under the covers. For me, that in itself was relaxing as I’m normally talking on bluetooth or earbuds while accomplishing other tasks.

3. Take a long bubble bath with aroma therapy and spa supplies. Now, obviously if you’re a guy this is probably not on your list of “relaxing things”. If it is . . . well, don’t tell me . =P  But for me, I took the time to relax, gave myself a pedicure and a facial and treated my hair to a leave in conditioner as I was getting ready to go to lunch with a client and my business partner.

4. Enjoy the sunshine. Yesterday in Tulsa was a beautiful Spring day, at 71 degrees and sunshine I was able to drive my convertible. The sunshine made such a difference on my outlook! Days like that certainly make a difference. If you don’t have a convertible, consider opening your windows, sunroof or just go for a nice long walk out in the sun to get the right chemicals awakened in your brain.

5. Sing at the top of your lungs. This was something that I read during my research last week, but singing at the top of your lungs, whether in the car or in the shower, will actually alleviate stress! Try it . . you’ll be amazed how much better you feel.

6. Wash your car. Did you know that a seemingly simple task, such as washing your car can be very relaxing and rewarding? It can. Not only will you be subconsciously proud of how your car looks afterward when you’re driving, but there is something about “cleaning” that affects our brains. We expect things to be clean and when they are we have peace. Between errands I spent about 45 minutes washing/waxing and vacuuming my car I felt so good

7. Express yourself. As an artist, it had been a really long time since I’ve done any traditional art. So I bought some new small canvases yesterday and spent the evening painting. It was not only therapeutic and relaxing but also used an entirely different skill set for me.

8. Drink hot tea. Yeah, it may seem strange. But if you’re not normally a tea drinker take the time to slow down and enjoy a good herbal tea or something a little stronger like a nice black tea. Yesterday I picked up Chamomile and Earl Gray.

I’m sure the list could go on and on, and we all have things we “do” to get ourselves back on track, but don’t overlook the little things you can do to really set yourself right. Not only will your designs show that you are relaxed, but I’m sure your customer service will improve as well.

Bookmark This!

Over the next few days I’ll take opportunities to share some tips with you. One of the time savers we learned today was how to make quick and sleek product ads. That idea led to tonight’s bookmark!  I would also like to share one of the millions of tips I learned today.

This one may be  something that may be obvious and you may already know, but I actually didn’t, so I was happy to have it pointed out to me.

1. Unlocking layers. To unlock a layer in Photoshop, it is no longer necessary  to double click the locked layer. Now, you can simply “drag” the lock icon to the trash. Simple, huh? Yet, totally overlooked!

You can today’s bookmark  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.

Bookmark This!

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!

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.

Bookmark This!

Regardless of whether or not your client is an author, they may still be able to reach an interesting crowd with a bookmark that doubles as a promotional item. In terms of size it offers roughly double that of a traditional business card, giving you  more room to explain your services and options. If you go double-sided, you have actually created 4 times the space!

But how do you design a promotional bookmark effectively for your client? The answer is easier than you think! Much like traditional business card design, don’t limit yourself to the boundaries! Think outside the box and create something that will be remembered but don’t forget to include all the necessary contact information!

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!

There is no other single design piece I’ve found that offer’s so much flexibility. We’ve talked before about fake finishes design tricks and cheap ways to make a big difference, but let’s look at some ideas that you can use to display your text.

Text. We know that a business card HAS to contain information, and more often than not, it has to contain LOTS of information. Information that is ESSENTIAL to a strong business card. This alone, may sound like an overwhelming task, but what it REALLY is, is an overwhelming opportunity to do something great.

Let’s look at some inspiration for just such an occassion:

Orientation. Dare to be different. Change the orientation of your business card from horizontal to vertical. And don’t forget the front AND the back.

Right Alignment. Contact information right aligned is probably the most common of ANY alignment style for a business card. However, you can still pull it off with class:

Left Align. While the alignment may be common, this design is anything but. When you “create” a business card every detail is important.

Diagonal. These cards show a different kind of alignment– go DIAGONAL. Arrange the content and the text in such a way that it creates a design itself.

For more inspirational business cards visit Daily Poetics Flickr stream.

Bookmark This!

Iddy Awards

It’s almost that time of year! The 2nd Annual In Search of Design Student Identity competition will begin accepting entries on October 1st. Let’s go over the rules–if you’re currently a student or recently graduated and have STUDENT work you’d like to enter then you’re eligible.

Unlike many other competitions, that charge exorbitant competition entry fees, The ISOD Iddy Awards is a strictly STUDENT Competition designed to expose the best of the best Student Identity Designs. The best part is, because we understand the expenses of higher education, this competition only costs $10 per entry.
Now, the best part! Because the contest is for Identity packages, each entry must consist of a student-designed, Logo, Business Card, Letterhead and Envelope. These pieces can be actual pieces created for clients, self promotional pieces or concept pieces created for fake or imaginary clients. Entries are based on the following criteria:

Awards are granted for the following categories:

Grand Prizes:

1st Place – Overall Package

2nd Place — Overal Package

3rd Place — Overall Package

The Overall packages are judged based on the following criteria:

Clarity of Message, Piece Integration, Consistency of Design, Overall Use of Color, Overall Creativity

There are also Certificates awarded for the following criteria:

Logos: judged on the following criteria: Creativity, Use of Color, Uniqueness, “WOW” Factor, Scalability and Color Conversion to BW.

Letterhead: judged on the following criteria: Creativity, Use of Color, Logo Integration, Main Letter “Area”, Contact Info. Placement, Use of Whitespace, Overall Appearance
Envelopes: judged on the following criteria: Creativity, Use of Color, Logo Integration, Address Placement, Overall Appearance
Business Cards: judged on the following criteria: Creativity, Use of Color, Logo Integration, Placement of Elements, “WOW” Factor, Overall Appearance

Click here for a breakdown of rules and award information.

The Entry deadline for the 2009 Competition is January 1st, 2010, students, start your designs!

Bookmark This!

Enjoy!

Splinters

SliceOThePie.com

Collipsis Web Solutions

Southern Ladies Showcases

Paige1Media

Jeff Bardel

Life Triumphant Church

ECommerce For Beginners

Paige1Publishing

Graphic Illustrator

Bookmark This!

There are many keys to making your graphic design skills profitable. However I think without a doubt the most important is your speed as a designer. If you are fast enough at what you do you will not have to charge an exorbitant amount of money for each design that you produce.

At the same time as you enhance your speed, you will not be able go charge by the hour–because you’ll be producing multiple projects an hour. Instead as you charge by the project you will have the opportunity to make more money and touch more prices.

This may sound great but how do you actually increase hour design speed? We’ll look at some tips to help you get faster:

1. Learn your software. If you’re a designer using your software should be second nature to you. It should be so instinctive that you aren’t even thinking about your keystrokes.

2. Know what your software CAN do FOR you. As a designer, you will be severely limited by your knowledge or lack thereof of your software. You may be able to accomplish the same things but may be spending more time than necessary to complete a task. Having a thorough knowledge of your software will increase your speed abudantly.

3. Rough it out. You will save time in the long run if you create a draft of your design while the ideas are flowing before going back and fine tuning the details. If your typesetting- get the text flowed and them go back and align. You’ll see a big difference in your work time.

4. Time yourself. Having an idea of what you can and cannot accomplish in a given amount of time will make a big difference to you as you set deadlines and make commitments.

Each of these keys will help you to speed up the design process. However, you will need to be aware and walk the fine line between speed and sloppiness. Never let a client have to clean up your messes or pay for your mistakes. Do your work with excellence and understand that each project is different and will require different skills and time.

Bookmark This!