Reviewing C.R.A.P.

Be bold.  Leave plenty of blank space for a place for the eyes to rest.  Be asymmetrical,  it typically makes your efforts stronger.  Don’t be afraid to make text or images big or  small.  Proximity is where related items should be grouped together.  Separate items that are not directly related.  Alignment: make sure to keep pieces unified and keep alignment with other elements on the page. Repetition is the stronger form of being consistent,  see what you already consistently use and make one of the elements stronger.  Contrast draws the eye to the page, the strong black versus white space.

Extra Tips & Tricks

Identity Packaging - the most prominent features of an identity package are cohesive repetition throughout.

Business Cards – Use second colors sparingly. Talk to the print shop on how to set up your business cards on a page.  Standard business card size is 3.5 inches by 2 inches (vertical or horizontal).  Some pitfalls to avoid on business cards are to keep things out of the corners,  avoid using Times, Arial, or Helvetica typefaces.  They’re dated. Try to avoid using 12-point size font business cards. Typically, 10-point or smaller is used.  Finally, don’t feel like you have to use the entire space. There’s no need to have the words email or website on the card. A left or right alignment gives a more professional look than a center alignment.  Use periods instead of dashes or parentheses, it gives a much cleaner look.

Letterhead & Envelopes – Use a similar format on the letterhead, envelope and business card.  Make one element dominant, but avoid having the boring center aligned across the top layout.  If you make a second page take a small element from the first page and use it alone on the second page.  Since you’ll invariably be faxing or copying your letterhead avoid dark or speckled paper.

Flyers - With flyers the sky is the limit. You want your piece to stand out because it has to compete with all the other readable junk out there.  Most of all you want to call attention to your headline.  Some pitfalls to avoid: boring typefaces, putting characters in boxes, instead of hyphens or bullets try zapf dingbats instead, don’t center everything (boring),  avoid  ho hum gray contrasts, watch your line breaks so there are no unnecessary hyphens. Try using interesting new typefaces. Use a big graphic element or typeface in a huge way.  If you draw the reader in with interest they will read the text.  Try to use subheadings that contrast so the reader can scan,  make a strong focal point,  use repetition for typefaces even if the typeface is bold or different.  Finally, make sure to choose one kind of alignment.

Newsletters - The main element when designing a newsletter is consistency. Each pages should look like it belongs.  That doesn’t mean everything needs to look exactly the same, though.  Also don’t forget your white space. Your flag or masthead sets the tone for the rest of your newsletter. It should tell your readers who you are.  Use contrasting type, but use your type consistently throughout the newspaper.  Make sure to have your headlines and sub heads bold and contrasting so the reader can skim.  Avoid using a sans serif typeface for the body text as it’s hard to read.

Brochures – Before making a brochure you should sit down and fold a piece of paper to determine how you want your brochure to look.  Choose the style for the front and back panel and how it will open.  Be careful though, the fold measurements aren’t the same on the front as they are on the back.  Be aware of the folds. You don’t want information getting lost in the folds.  You will need a “gutter” to keep you from losing text in the folds.  On the other hand, feel free to have graphics flow from panel to panel. As always keep alignment consistent throughout the whole brochure and keep the text size under 12-point.

Postcards – Postcards are a great way to grab attention.  Be different.  Use an odd sized postcard to make it stand out.  Be specific with your message but keep it brief.  Use color to attract the eye. The guidelines for business cards can also be applied to post cards.  Be brave in your design and don’t forget your white space.

Newspaper Ads -  White space is a must. It gives the reader something to land on.  Be clever with your headlines, be clear on your purpose, and be brief.  Readers want simple and to the point.  Avoid reverse type (white type on black background).

Websites – As always repetition and clarity are important. Websites must be inviting and easy to navigate. Consistency is also a key factor is designing websites.  Line lengths of text are actually shorter than what is used on paper.

What now?

If you’re still confused or need help please don’t hesitate to call NuRelm 724.430.0490!

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How to design with typefaces and make them work effectively.

proximity shows how the text is related to the rest of the layout, contrast is the difference in text weights used, alignment is how all the text is left aligned at the same margin, and repetition is how the color is used throughout the layout.

The Four Basic Principles

As taken from Robin Williams’ The Non-Designer’s Design Book, there is an awkward yet memorable acronym to recall the basic design principles. The four principles are Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity, or C.R.A.P for short. Very rarely will only one of these principles be used, since all are really interconnected with one another.

Contrast

The point of contrast is to avoid putting multiple elements together that are considered similar. Contrast is one of the most effective ways to put visual interest into a page. The most important rule in order for contrast to be effective is that it must be strong. To add contrast, you can use your typeface choices, line thickness,  colors,  shapes,  sizes,  space, etc. By adding these elements into your piece, it draws your reader in and aids in the organization of information for the reader.  Some things you should avoid when using contrast are to stay away from the “too similar.”  Brown text against black visual elements is an example. Another example is using two similar typefaces.  Make each different and it will create a much more pleasing piece.

Repetition

When you repeat visual elements of a design throughout the whole piece, you create unity, which makes a stronger, more organized piece.  Elements such as a bold font,  thick line,  color,  formatting,  spacial relationship, etc.  are some things you can use to tie your piece together.  The visual element can be anything the reader will visually recognize. Another way of thinking about repetition is consistency.  When you keep all your headers the same size and use the same font,  you are implementing repetition.  One point to avoid with repetition is that you don’t want to be overwhelming and overbearing. “For instance,  if the woman is wearing a black evening dress with a red hat,  earrings, red lipstick,  a red handbag,  red shoes and a red coat – the repetition would not be a stunning and unifying contrast -  it would be overwhelming and the focus would be confused,” says Robin Williams.  The point is to make the piece look interesting.  Once you do so, the more likely it will be read.

Alignment

It has been stated that with alignment, nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item on the page should have a visual connection with something else on the page. With alignment,  even if certain elements are separated by space,  there’s an invisible line that connects them.  Just by using careful alignment,  you can create a sophisticated, serious,  funky,  or formal look.  So when laying out your work,  be conscious of where things are placed and aligned,  as  it can make a huge difference. When using alignment try not to use more than one alignment for text,  such as centered and right aligned,  in one layout.  Also, try to  break away from using the standard center aligned text unless  you want a formal and sedate feel.

Proximity

The idea behind proximity is the grouping of related elements together.  This is so that the items can be seen as one cohesive group. Organizing is the primary purpose of proximity.  Some points to consider when using proximity: avoid too many separate elements on a page, don’t put items in the corners or the middle of the page, avoid leaving equal amounts of white space between elements unless each element is part of a subset, don’t let a split second of confusion occur with the relationship to a headline, and finally, don’t create relationships with elements that don’t belong together!  Using this principle will give your readers a logical progression defining a beginning to a logical end.

Pulling it all together!

So when it comes down to making a newsletter or sending out a memo, take your time! Remember to use your C.R.A.P. principles. Everything should be placed where it is on a page for a reason. If you still need help,  please don’t hesitate to call NuRelm – 877-268-7356.

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A brief review of our previous content combined with many tips and tricks to help with all of your design projects.