Desktop Publishing
Design
for
Effective Communication
Design to enhance communication
We write to communicate.
Pretty does not help this if the document is not read.
Are you Communicating
or just making pretty shapes?
You won’t recognize a Joshua Tree if you don’t know what it is.
Design Principles
Contrast
R epetition
A lignment
Proximity Link to
Using CRAP
Proximity
Refers to how close together items appear on a
page.
Group
• Keep
Related unrelated items
further apart.
I tems
Together
Consider
David Roberts (618) 8262 1468
Enfield High School
David Roberts
Enfield High School
Grand Junction Road
Enfield 5085
Grand Junction Road(618) 8262 1468 Enfield 5085
The grouping (Proximity) adds sense to the words.
Consider this
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE GUILD
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THEATRE COOPERATIVE
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
SIR ROBERT HELPMANN MEMORIAL THEATRE
SIR ROBERT HELPMANN MEMORIAL THEATRE
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE GUILD
THEATRE COOPERATIVE
DECEMBER 2001
DECEMBER 2001
Lists can be difficult
Children’s CDs Children’s CDs
Educational CDs Educational CDs
Entertainment CDs Entertainment CDs
DVDs DVDs
Early learning
Language arts
Science
Early learning Proximity
(grouping)
Language arts
Maths
Science
Books
Maths
Teacher tools
Videos
Cables
Input devices
Books
Teacher tools
adds sense.
Mass storage Videos
Memory
Modems
Printers and supplies Cables
Video and Sound Input devices
Mass storage
Memory
Modems
Printers and supplies
Video and Sound
Proximity
Close objects - single visual unit.
Logical path through a document.
The purpose of proximity
Organisation
More likely to be read and remembered
Better use of white space
Using proximity
Avoid too many elements on page
Avoid the 4 corners and middle
Avoid equal spacing
Strengthen relationships that exist
Don’t create relationships between unrelated
elements
Alignment
Place nothing on the page at random
All items should have a visual connection to
other items on the page.
Consider
The elements on this card were all aligned with each other.
David Roberts (618) 8262 1468
Enfield School
Enfield HighHigh School
David Roberts David Roberts
Enfield High School
Grand
Grand Junction Road Junction Road
Enfield 5085 Enfield 5085
Grand Junction Road 8262 1468
(618) 8262 1468 (618) Enfield 5085
Improving Proximity improved the connections.
A stronger invisible line connects all elements.
Alignment
Typical report cover – all centred
Report Report
On On
History of Desktop Publishing
History of Desktop Publishing
By David Roberts
Enfield High School
By David Roberts
Enfield High School
Hard left alignment – more sophisticated.
Invisible line connects two distant elements.
Aligned Centre
Centred – dull and boring
You You
are are
You are warmly Make the centring obvious
warmly
warmly
invited to attend!
invited
invited
to to Try setting the centred off-centre
attend!
attend!
Experiment with making centred
text more dramatic
Alignment
Every element on a page has a visual
connection with some other element.
Provides unity on the page
The purpose of Alignment
Organisation
Unification – the elements look as if they belong
together
Can determine the ‘look’ of the page – sophisticated,
formal, fun, serious.
Using Alignment
Be conscious of where an element is being placed.
Always look to align each object with another object.
Try to avoid multiple alignments.
Centre consciously – not because it is the easy way out.
Repetition
Repeat some aspect of design throughout the whole
document.
• Bold font
• Thick line (rule)
• A bullet
• A colour
• A particular format
• Spacial relationships
• Repetition leads to Consistency.
Remember this list
Children’s CDs Originally there were
Educational CDs
Entertainment CDs
CD ROMs
CD ROMs
CD ROMs
.
some headings.
DVDs
Children’s CDs
Children’s CDs
Early learning
Educational CDs
Educational CDs
Language arts
Entertainment CDs
Entertainment CDs
Science
Maths
DVDs
DVDs
Educational
Better use of Proximity
Books
Teacher tools
Educational
Educational
Early learning . improved readability.
Early learning
Early learning
Language arts
Videos
Language
Language arts
Science arts
Cables
Science
Maths
Science
Input devices
Maths
Maths
Teacher tools
Mass storage
Memory
Books Repetition of bold
Teacher tools
Teacher tools .
Modems
Printers and supplies
Books
Books
Videos headings is better.
Teacher tools
Hardware & Accessories
Teacher tools
Video and Sound
Videos
Videos
Cables
Input devices
Repetition of bullets
Hardware &
Mass storageAccessories .
Hardware & Accessories
Cables
Memory
Cables
Input devices
Modems
Input devices
Mass and supplies
Mass storage
Printersstorage and rules is better still.
Memory
Video and Sound
Memory
Modems
Modems
Printers and supplies
Printers and supplies
Video and Sound
Video and Sound
Repetition
Use existing elements Strengthen headings
to improve consistency. and subheadings
Turn them and format them
into repetitive graphic symbols. using the same font and style.
Repetition
Repetition of visual elements throughout a
document
Provides unity on the page
Essential on multi-page documents
Also called Consistency
Repetition at work
What are repeated on all these?
The purpose of Repetition
Unification – the elements look as if they belong
together
Adds visual interest to the page
Using Repetition
Extend consistencies by emphasizing them.
Consider adding elements to create repetition.
Avoid overdoing repetition.
Be aware of the value of Contrast.
Contrast
Created when two things are different.
If two things are not the same …….
Make them…….
Really different.
• Don’t be a wimp!
Contrast – not a new concept
Contrast
How did we create the
R epetition
contrast?
A lignment
Proximity
Contrast
You
are
warmly
How did we create the invited
contrast? to
attend!
Contrast CD ROMs .
CD ROMs
Children’s CDs
Educational CDs
Entertainment CDs
DVDs
Educational .
Early learning
Language arts
Science
Maths
How did we create the Teacher tools
Books
.
Teacher tools
contrast? Videos
Hardware & Accessories .
Cables
Input devices
Mass storage
Memory
Modems
Printers and supplies
Video and Sound
Contrast
How did we create
contrast?
Contrast
How did we create contrast?
Something else which helps
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
SIR ROBERT HELPMANN MEMORIAL THEATRE
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE GUILD
THEATRE COOPERATIVE
DECEMBER 2001
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
Sir Robert Helpmann Memorial Theatre
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE GUILD
THEATRE COOPERATIVE
DECEMBER 2001
Where is the contrast greatest?
Block capitals are poor for contrast!
Contrast
For contrast to work, things can not be similar.
Different elements must be very different.
The purpose of Contrast
Adds visual interest to the page.
Helps with organization of information.
Using Contrast
Most often achieved through choice of typeface.
• Font
• Size
• Style
• Colour
• Weight of line can be useful
Improving Design Skills
Decide on the focus.
• Make it big and bold
• Set in upper/lower case
• Decide on the groups.
• Set the groups together (Proximity)
• Leave space between the groups
• Arrange elements on a strong alignment.
• Remove conflicting elements
Improving Design
Comment on the Design Principles
Contrast
All the same font
All block capitals
Reduces contrast
Reduces contrast
Heavy border
Reduces contrast Logos in corners
By reducing Reduces contrast
white space By reducing
white space
Repetition
All the same font
Good repetition
(Perhaps 2 fonts
would be better,
allowing
Contrast)
Logos in corners
Good repetition
But cause
problems by
reducing white
space
Alignment
Text aligned
Everything
with graphic
centred
top and bottom
Boring alignment
Logos all aligned
with each other
Proximity
They are
Little grouping
Theatre Supplies
of text
Poor proximity
Poor proximity
And belongs
with Professionals
Poor proximity
People mixed up
with objects
Poor proximity
Phone number Properties
poorly grouped hyphenated
Poor proximity Poor proximity
Quotes are
Obligation Free
Poor proximity
Improve Me
Decide on the focus.
• Make it big and bold
• Set in upper/lower case
• Decide on the groups.
• Set the groups together (Proximity)
• Leave space between the groups
• Arrange elements on a strong alignment.
• Remove conflicting elements
Bibliography
Tollett, J and Williams, R. 2001, Design Workshop, Peachpit Press, Berkeley
Williams, R. 1994, The Non-Designer’s Design Book, Peachpit Press, Berkeley
Weildon, C. 1990, Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes, Newspaper Advertising Bureau of Australia
Ltd, North Sydney