Design & Layout Tips for the "Visual Novice"

This article is based on Robin William's book, "The Non-Designer's Design Book".

One of my goals when working with my clients is to make them look good in print. For a lot of people the first impression they may have of a business is what they see in print - a professional bio, a price sheet, a letter of introduction. Although I can do the work for them, many like to do things for themselves (why not isn't that what that computer is for). So these tips are for those who Robin William's calls the "visual novice" - those who just need some basic guidelines for design.

There are four basic principles:

*Proximity (organization) - Group related items together to visually show their relationship and organize your information. You know in your mind what items may relate, but when you put it on paper can your reader identify their relationship? Where does your reader start reading; what path does their eyes follow; and did they end up where you wanted them to end? HINT: Squint your eyes slightly and count the number of visual objects on your page by counting each time your eye stops. If you have more than 3 to 5, you might want to see if you can group some of the items together.

*Alignment (unity) - No item should be placed on a page arbitrarily. There should be a visual connection with something else on the page. Think of an imaginary line connecting items on a page. HINT: Get away from centered alignment which tends to give the impression of a formal, sedate (dull?) look (okay for wedding invitations, but not for that business plan). Flush right or left alignments or combination of the two create a more sophisticated impression.

*Repetition (consistency) - Repeat some design aspect throughout your page(s), i.e., bold font, a thick line, a bullet, color, format, etc. Repetition works to unify and add visual interest to your page. HINT: Remember not to repeat an item too much you want to accent your design, not be garish and lose the focus.

*Contrast (interest) - If two items on a page are not exactly the same, then make them really different. This principle keeps your reader's eyes interested in what you have to show. Contrast also often helps in organizing your information for your reader. HINT: Try contrasting your typefaces (headlines sans serif, body serif) or add lines of contrasting thicknesses, or use reverse type (white letters on black background) for a headline.

Well hope these tips make you take a look at that next presentation package to see if you can make any improvements. I highly recommend Robin's book, "The Non-Designer's Design Book". She gives great examples for everyday projects. I also would like to suggest keeping a file of pages, brochures, ads, etc. that have caught your eye. This way next time you have to create you have a file of ideas.