by Sally Hancox

 

This advice can be applied to any information you use to present your organization
to the public, including websites, brochures, and logos.

 

1) Who are you trying to reach?

This is the most important question. What does the audience already know about your
organization and the issues you address? You don’t need to tell them what they
already know; but equally, try not to make assumptions that they already know
stuff just because you do.

 

Also, think about the language you will use, and the
style of communication. Something formal might be more appropriate in
some contexts (such as a scholarly conference) but you might prefer something
informal for others (such as a blog).

 

2) What do you want to say?

Be clear about the purpose of your project before you start. Don’t get distracted,
or give unnecessary information. Decide
on a hierarchy of information, and let that dictate your design.

3) Be brief and keep it simple

Say what you want to say in the fewest possible words. If appropriate, use a
picture: it’s quicker. Clear, simple designs are more functional (ie better)
than complicated ones. Limit the number of colors, font types, and sizes of
text. It will make whatever you are creating easier to read. Leave space for
your text and images to breathe. Simple isn’t boring — it’s more effective
than something that is busy or messy.

5) Test it

Once you have a draft, ask people – that is, outsiders — what they honestly think
you are trying to say, and see if it matches with what you think you are
saying. Listen to their answers. They will see what you have created with fresh
eyes and they may be able to spot mistakes you cannot. And try not to take
criticism personally.

6) Be a collector

I find it helpful to collect examples of good design, text, color schemes and
images — not to copy, but just for my own reference. You can start a folder or
a box where you collect samples that you like. You should also have a bookmark
folder on your computer where you keep websites and images that have good
design, or design in keeping with what you want to say, regardless of the
content.

You can also think about collecting carefully chosen words, that relate to your
project. They can help you focus on what you want to achieve with your designs.
Here are some ideas for mood words:

Sophisticated, simple, rustic, clean, fresh, respectable , trustworthy, cutting edge,
expressive, factual, calm, invigorating, natural, modern, hand-made,
professional.

If you are working on a team, try and agree on your mood words, ideas for style
and your clear message before you start creating a design. This way no one will
be surprised by the outcome.

7) Photographs

If you are printing digital photographs on your document, make sure you use photos
that are big enough to print clearly (that is, at least 300dpi). Check with the
printer to find out what file specifications they want. Generally the color
mode of your file should be CMYK (not RGB) for print. If you don’t send files
that are CMYK, you might be surprised about how the colors print out, because
they may not look the way they did on your computer screen.

If your images are only going to be seen on a computer screen, your photographic files
only need to be 72dpi and can be in
RGB instead of CMYK.

If you are using photos of people, ask for their permission before you use them,
and make sure that the expressions on their faces are appropriate. If you
didn’t take the photo yourself, make sure that you have permission to use it.

8) Give clear instructions

If you are working with a designer or illustrator, be very clear about what you
want — especially making sure the designer knows who the finished product is for and what you want it to say. It is a good idea to ask for updates during
the design process, so you can keep track of how the project is going, and so
the designer doesn’t have to change everything at the end.

9) Be consistent

Once you have found a style, color, or typeface you like, continue to use it. It
will become associated with your organization, which means that people reading
the information will know what to expect the next time they read your stuff.

10) Look around you

Become more aware of everything that is designed and that you see in your daily life.
Ask yourself what you think is effective, what is not effective, and ask why.

Every time you are trying to extract information from something, and can’t because
the type is too small, the flyer is confusing, or the website is hard to
navigate due to annoying animations, make a note not to do those things
yourself.

Links/further advice:

Designing custom posters:

https://www.printplace.com/printproducts/designing-custom-posters.aspx

Five basic rules of web design:

https://www.grantasticdesigns.com/5rules.html

Fifteen signs you’re a bad graphic designer:

https://justcreativedesign.com/2007/12/06/bad-graphic-design/

The difference between good & bad graphic design:

https://elbowroomdesign.com/musings/69/part-3-the-difference-between-good-bad-graphic-design/

Sally Hancox is a graphic designer in London. Her website is https://www.sallyhancox.co.uk/.