Chapter 1 Before You Begin to Design Objectives

Chapter 1 Before You Begin to Design…

Objectives (1 of 2) • Learn how to define your design project. • Consider the importance of identifying your audience. • Appreciate the importance of tailoring your project to your audience.

Objectives (2 of 2) • Gain a basic awareness of copywriting and its use in page design. • Survey the design principles to boost understanding. • Review the design process. • Achieve familiarity with basic design elements and process terminology.

Before You Begin to Design • Need to know these four things: 1. What you want to say (the purpose) 2. Who is your audience 3. What is the best format (size, shape, and function of page) to communicate message. 4. Familiarity with the design principles

Decide What You Want to Say • Defining the purpose of the page helps you decide what copy (the words of the message) are needed. • Gives you an idea of what visual elements (lines, type, images) are needed.

Decide Who Is Your Audience • Know your audience’s demographics (age, gender, education, occupation, income, etc. ). • Choose images that appeal to your audience. • Try to appeal to their “what’s in it for me” instincts.

Pick a Design Format (1 of 3) • Knowing your message and audience helps determine the best format for the job. • Design decisions need to take into consideration the format’s parameters. • Layout (the design and placement of visual elements on the page) needs to work with the message and the format.

Pick a Design Format (2 of 3) • Formats are varied in size and function. • Formats may be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or fourdimensional.

Pick a Design Format (3 of 3) • Examples of two-dimensional formats are business cards and flyers (print design). • Examples of three-dimensional formats are shopping bags and packages. • Examples of four-dimensional formats are video, motion graphics, and interactive designs.

Copy and Copywriting • Clients often supply copy for projects. • Copy is all the words in a message (headlines, subheads, captions, body text etc. ). • Copywriters are professional writers who write copy.

Hints for Effective Copywriting (1 of 3) • At times the designer may need to write copy. • Following these steps will help with writing copy.

Hints for Effective Copywriting (2 of 3) 1. Brainstorm—figure out purpose of copy and write down any ideas. • don’t worry about grammar until last step 2. List features and benefits—how will your message benefit the reader? • Feature: We deliver office supplies 24 hours a day. • Benefit: So the reader doesn’t have to leave work to buy supplies. 3. Develop a rough outline—organize your information starting with headlines.

Hints for Effective Copywriting (3 of 3) 4. Flesh out the outline—get words on paper so you can edit later. 5. Edit your copy. • re-read your text • check for relevance • reading it out loud helps identify problems • put it aside for a day for a fresh perspective • check clarity, grammar, and spelling

Advantages/ Disadvantages of Writing Copy • Advantage: when designer writes copy ideally image and text may be tightly integrated. • Disadvantage: some designers have trouble writing copy so projects take longer.

Overview of Design Principles • Six major design principles: - Emphasis - Contrast - Balance - Alignment - Repetition - Flow

Emphasis • Draws attention to critical information so reader sees it. • Decide what is first, second, third in importance and visually emphasize them in that order. • Make important information prominent for clear communication.

Contrast • Adds visual variety to a design. • Based on the idea that visual elements should NOT all look the same. • Visual variety catches the reader’s eye.

Balance • Used to distribute visual elements in a pleasing way in the layout. • Unbalanced layouts makes a reader uneasy and slows down communication. • Balanced layouts convey a professional appearance.

Repetition • Repeating visual elements—lines, shapes, images, etc. —unifies a design. • Adds a sense of controlled sophistication to a design. • Too much repetition clutters up a design.

Flow • The visual and verbal path of movement that a viewer’s eye follows through a design. • Helps control the reader’s progression through a design.

The Design Process • Design is a creative activity that is made stronger by following a process. • A good process helps designer avoid the obvious solutions. • Following the design process does not ensure a successful design, but increases the probability that the design will fulfill its requirements.

The Six-Step Design Process (1 of 2) There are six main steps to the Design Process 1. Define the problem and conduct research. 2. Creative problem exploration – thumbnails. 3. Creative problem refinement – roughs.

The Six-Step Design Process (2 of 2) 4. Critical analysis—select best visual solution. 5. Create a comp to present to client—this is the last stage for students. 6. Prepare project for production—if a commercial project.

Chapter Summary • Planning your project and knowing the design principles will make the design task easier. • Determine early in the design process whether you will need to write copy. • Following the Design Process increases the likelihood of a thoughtful and successful visual solution.

MINI QUIZ #1 • formats • roughs • Thumbnail • Comprehensive or comp 1. is Billboards, posters, flyers, store banners, brochures, magazines, and business cards are all examples of different kinds of page ____. 2. List the six design principles. 3. _____ sketches are small, quick exploratory drawings that serve as a fast way to visually record your initial ideas on paper. 4. Designers take the stronger thumbnail sketches and develop them into _____ to better refine the layout, typography, placement and overall concept. 5. The final polished artwork presented to a client called a ______.