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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Unfortunately, not paying attention to the details is one of the fastest way to lose a client. It only takes one print job that gets cut off, or messed up for you to lose good business. So how can we avoid this?

1. Use templates. Hang on now. When I say templates I do not mean for the design but rather for the document setup. For each printer I use I have a folder on my machine filled with Photoshop, indesign and illustrator documents that include the bleed settings and trim sizes. By doing this, not only do I insure that my designs will be the right size but additionally it saves me the time of gathering specs for every basic job.

2. Use master files. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating. When working with a file that contains multiple pages take advantage of the master file feature in InDesign. By using those master pages you can easily set up running heads ( the chapter titles that appear on the top of each page) that will be uniform, consistent and best of all quick!! Again keep in mind that paying attention to the details DOES not mean that your design time will be increased.

3. Know your color space. One of the biggest issues I see with student designers work is print files that are built as RGB files and web files built in CMYK. When this occurs they are often upset with the quality of the end result when the price is finalized. Pay close attention to your colorspace. If you need to use a filter that is only available in RGB you can convert using the option ” do not merge”, add your filter and then convert back to CMYK. As you do this you may realize that the RGB version appears more vibrant. You’re right. It does BECAUSE YOU ARE VIEWING IT ON A SCREEN. Avoid the temptation to assume that those colors will print properly.

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What can you do to continue your standards of superior design on a tight budget?

1. Faux finishes. If you can’t afford it, fake it. Finishes that is. I recently attended an excellent print show in Tulsa, put on by CP Solutions. There were several paper vendors there with many exciting papers and finishing options that had all us designers ‘oohing’ and ‘aaahing’. But what if you’re client cant’ AFFORD a clear varnish or laminate finish?

Try this– adding a simple layer of partial opacity can make a dark design shine with extra sheen creating the illusion of a varnish or laminate.

2. Cut it out. Wanna create an awesome die cut effect without the cut? Try placing the design on a dark background (preferably black) when viewed at a distance in dark card holder the card will JUMP off the table and trick the viewer with the illusion of being die cut.

3. Simple arrangements. Nothing screams “CLASS” like something simple. Sleek. Elegant. On your next card project, convince the client to go with the “less is more” approach. The card will look sophisticated and expensive without the extra price.

Got some special design tricks of your own? I’d love to hear them!

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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.

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This new trend actually features columns set it different widths. Let’s face it, symmetry is BORING. By creating a two column layout of varying widths, you can add visual interest to otherwise stuffy content.

Look at these examples below:

Equal Column Layout

Split Columns

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A margin is the area around the outside edge of the page in terms of graphic design. This area can be from top to bottom or left to right. The amount of white space you leave in your margins will determine the overall feel to your layout.

Designers should see margins as one of the most important elements on the page. How is that possible? Though one of the elements of the “subconscious”, a well placed margin will lend a tone to the rest of the layout.  The tone? A wide spacious margin will make the layout feel open and airy. A narrow margin will cause the page to seem heavy and dense.

Let’s examine this theory visually. If you are creating a magazine layout for a client, how do you determine how big your margins should be?

While it may seem like keeping  a small margin gives you more active room to work with, is it really better for the reader? Can their eyes take in all the lines, graphics and movement without the “break” of whitespace?

Let’s look at an example.  The following two layouts are composed of the same elements and basic design. However, I’m sure you can immediately tell a difference between the 2 compositions. Which are you more likely to stop and look at? Which one is more comfortable on the eyes?

Chances are, the second layout will appeal to you more as a reader. However, as you can see, the downside of the extra margin is less active area which means the full layout may require more pages as a result.

Tight Margins:

A little looser:

Is there middle ground? Absolutely. If space constraints are an issue, and for most clients they will be, try to compromise. Add an extra margin on the left and right or top and bottom but not all the way around.

This will not only give “space” to the reader, but it will spruce up your design and lend a creative flair to your work!

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Design continuity for a specialized marketing piece, specifically one that only makes an appearance quarterly or annually is incredibly important. Because the piece will only be in the viewers hand a few times a year, it’s important to make a visual impact that the reader can easily remember.

How is this accomplished? When creating such a piece, it’s important to keep some "theme" of consistency throughout the magazine. The theme will usually consist of similar graphic elements that appear on each spread, every page or at regular intervals within.

Here is a great example of how this is applied in a semi-annual magazine for the Alumni of the Communications Department at ORU. Knowing the advisor/designer personally I can clearly see her thought process as she carries the visual theme throughout the magazine.

Notice the "recording" lines around the dominant photo. These are repeated symbolically on the opposing page that begins the profile article. Later on, as we continue through the magazine, we again see the same elements repeat. The story is different and even the layout is different but the theme is the same.

To keep the magazine fresh and changing, we don’t want to simply repeat the exact same layout over and over. Between these main stories the magazine is filled with shorter articles, sidebars and photos. But once we come back to such a spread, there is an immediate visual connection to what we’ve already seen.

Ways this can be accomplished:

1. Repeat. Simply pull a previously used element such as a drop cap, a rule line, background graphics, etc.

2. Duplicate a photo effect. Add crop marks, frames, distress or elegant filter effects to dominate photos to create a unified effect.

3. Mirror. To mirror a spread simply re-arrange the elements in your layout to appear as if they would if you literally printed it out and held it up to a mirror. (If you can’t visualize the effect–print it out!) This is what has been done in the above example.

4. Reflect. What would your layout look like if reflected upside down? Please realize we’re not referring to the text or headline, but rather the arrangement of the elements on the page. If your dominant photo is a square on the bottom left, another layout within the piece could have it placed in the top left instead.

5. Rotate. If your original design is solid, you can rotate your layout of elements in a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion to retain the ‘feel’ of the other spreads.

Keeping these tricks in mind with assist you in creating a unified magazine piece.  To download the entire magazine to see the visual impact of repeating elements click here.

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Throughout the years I’ve had the opportunity to learn some great guidelines (some by example and some by trial and error) to creating a magazine spread that really "pops."

Column layout: Articles/Features should not be strictly subject to a standard "template" spread with set column widths and layouts.  Each issue should feel fresh even in the typeset design. By breaking free of those columns and creating interest with our typeset, we will deliver our message more effectively as readers will be drawn into an article that appears to be above the standard.

If we do this consistently, we can keep our readers looking forward to our magazine because they will not always know what to expect. As they flip through and look for subjects of interest the “fresh” look will also draw them in. Currently on the market, magazines are boasting a split column design, meaning the columns are not equal in width. This typeset has an interesting effect on the reader giving a feeling of newness as they peruse the article. Similarly it’s like driving down a road with constantly changing scenery. That’s what the reader needs to stay connected with the subject. When the columns are so strict and rigid, it’s easier to “drift” away from the subject and get distracted.

I recently ran across this magazine as a design resource. I loved the way they had tilted the layout just to add a little visual interest to the page.

Graphics/Photos: Big is better? Less is more? We have to find the balance and keep it constantly changing. For some articles a full page photo is the way to go, however, we cannot get stuck in that rut and never change it up. By making the photo horizontally span across the spreads occasionally we can maintain a fresh look. Thin horizontal pictures, wide vertical pictures and combinations of the two will help the reader stay interested in the magazine.
 

Here’s another great example of a spread.

 The better your magazine layout, the more likely your readers are to pick your magazine up again. And that’s the bottom line, we want to produce a piece that will be picked up and read, re-read and passed along to others. Mazda accomplished this with their Winter 2008 magazine. We can accomplish it too!

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So what is "necessary" on a business card? Personally I subscribe the the theory that less is more. Unfortunately, my clients don’t always subscribe to that same idea. In fact, I’ve dealt with just the opposite: the client that insists on a single-sided card with everything but their blood-type and social security number on there. (Seriously, they could use the thing as a second I.D.!).

Let’s see, if we just cover the basics, we need a BUSINESS NAME, CONTACT NAME, CONTACT POSITION, then contact information. I don’t put my mailing address on mine anymore, since I’m a freelancer, it’s not like I have a show room, or a studio that anyone can "Come By and Visit". So I just include my CITY, STATE, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS and WEB SITE.

I also much prefer 2-sided cards as they finally give you enough room to space out your elements. I suggest grouping your information in a logical arrangement to make it easy on any reader that wants to quickly scan the card. If someone has to struggle to find your contact information, they may move on to someone else.

In my next post, I’ll be uploading some cool business card examples. One thing I do everywhere I go is pick up a card. I store these in a 3 ring binder in trading card pouches for easy access and design inspiration.

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