Desktop Publishing
CS 121
Concepts of Computing II
Ron Wallace
Design Principles
KISS
Know your audience
Consistency with variety
boring vs. chaos
Avoid templates
destroyer of creativity and originality
Consider the work of others
get ideas ... don’t steal or plagiarize
Ask for advice
proof by someone else & don’t explain
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
1 - How much time?
get the job done on time
enhance later
time?
money?
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
2 - Who is the audience?
age serious vs. humorous
reading level white-collar vs. blue-
collar
education level
ethnic background
conservative vs.
liberal understanding of
Two Real Life terminology
Examples:
- Gerber
- General Motors
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
3 - Why are they reading this?
Personal Interest
Need for Information
Required Reading
Casual Browsing
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
4 - How will they get this?
Direct Mail
Bulletin Board
Brochure Rack
Table or Counter
Person to Person
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
5 - What is our/their image?
fun vs. serious
young vs. mature
business vs. pleasure
contemporary vs. traditional
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
6 - Can I make the reader’s job
easier?
Important! Color?
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8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
7 - Are there limitations?
Always !
budget time
resources medium (type of paper)
size personal preferences
•dimensions of the •developer’s
page •client’s
•number of pages
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
8 - Is reader feedback desired?
contact information
•address
•phone
•email
•web site
coupons
forms
surveys
8 Things to Consider
(Before You Begin)
Time Image
Audience of Reading
Ease
Reader Motivation Limitations
Method of Delivery Feedback
Planning Your Layout
Think!
“Dummy” mock-ups
Several
Focal point
Normal eye movement
Optical VS geometric center
Type...
Must be legible and readable!
Legibility = How easily a reader can
decipher the letters on the page.
Readability = The document’s overall
appearance.
Fonts
Dictionary Definition
“A complete set of type of one size and
face.”
Includes Three Characteristics
typeface (shape of letters)
style (attributes)
size (height)
Types of Typefaces
Serif = easy to read blocks of text
Blue Mtn … Blue Mtn
Sans serif = clean look
Blue Mtn
Novelty = special feeling/affect
Blue Mtn
Symbol = non-alphanumeric
Appropriate Typeface?
Which of the following would be
better for a truck stop advertisement?
Good Food Good Food
Good Prices Good Prices
Good Services Good Services
How Many Typefaces?
One gives consistent look.
Two complementary typefaces is
common
Three is the max!
More makes the publication to
busy and confusing.
Style …
Adding Emphasis to Text
Boldface
Italics
Underline
CAPITAL LETTERS
Reverse Type
Spot Color
Size of Type
Measured in Points (72 pts = 1”)
Includes:
highest letter
lowest descender
space between lines
most programs add more to space the lines (leading)
Other Type Attributes
baseline
x height
ascenders (like t and b)
descenders (like y and g)
pitch
horizontally
characters/inch
for monospaced fonts only
Type Sizes in a Publication
body (base size) = x points
dependent on audience and medium
subheads = x + 2 points
headlines = 2(x+2) + ? points
captions = x-1 or x-2
Type: Other Considerations
Line spacing (leading)
Contrast w/ background
Margins (white space)
Captions
don’t insult reader
verify names
list names left to right
fit the graphic
Getting and Focusing
Readers’ Attention
White space
Sidebars
Pull quotes
Boxes
Rules
Page 1 of 3
Layout Mistakes
Poor column spacing
Claustrophobic pages
Whispering headlines
Misaligned elements
Improperly positioned headlines
Page 2 of 3
Layout Mistakes
Box-itis
Rule-itis
Too much copy
Rotated type
1/2” indents
NO
use1 em space
about equal to the point size
about 2 spaces
Page 3 of 3
Layout Mistakes
Excessive hyphenation
Too many fonts & sizes
Unnecessary special affects
Double returns and spaces
use paragraph spacing
Hyphens for bullets
Alt-8 (Win) or Opt-8 (Mac)
WP vs. DTP: Similarities
Create, edit, store, & print
documents / publications
Character & paragraph formatting
Graphics & other objects
inline & text wrap
WP vs. DTP: Differences
Document (WP) vs. page (DTP)
Margins (WP) vs. guides (DTP)
Paragraphs in margins/columns
(WP) vs. in text boxes (DTP)
Single layered (WP) vs. multiple
layered objects (DTP)
DTP Basics in PageMaker
New publication Text formatting
Pasteboard Linking text boxes
Rulers Spell check
Views Graphics
Master pages Control palette
Guides Other features
Managing pages
Text boxes