How do you know if what you or a designer created looks good or not? Sometimes we’re put in situations to make decisions or to create pieces that we may not be qualified for. Is there help in those kinds of situations?
I believe anyone on the street can learn to look at a business card or a brochure and recognize if it is a good / bad design. How?
I judge everything I create by 4 simple design rules. (Have you looked at Skala Creative’s portfolio?) I learned these rules over 10 years ago from a really awesome book called The Non-Designers Design Book by Robin Williams. (No, not actor Robin Williams, but another one.)
Robin teaches 4 rules that are easy to remember and apply. Her book is full of drawings and illustrations to help the reader gain a better understanding of the rules.
So what are her 4 rules?
- Contrast – Think big / little, dark / light, thick / thin.
- Repetition – Repeat certain elements to make a piece look cohesive. For example, use straight lines or circles on each page. Use the same font throughout the piece. Make sure headlines are identical in font, color, size, and weight.
- Alignment – This deals with left /right / center alignment. Don’t always rely on center alignment.
- Proximity – If it goes together, put it together. Don’t separate a street address from the city. Keep the person’s name and title together.
I know those rules may not make a lot of sense without seeing illustrations.
Do the rules work? Absolutely. My bachelor’s degree is in publishing, not graphic design. I had a very basic design class called “Magazine Production” but we really didn’t learn much about design. I read Robin’s book, and by following her rules, I’ve been awarded numerous West Virginia Press Association awards in advertising!
If you are in a position where you want to learn more about graphic design, I highly recommend Robin’s book. You can purchase it through Skala Creative’s bookstore if you’d like. (Note: The title in the bookstore is The Non-Designers Design and Type Book. The publishers combined two of Robin’s popular books into one book. The other part of the book talks about fonts and how to use them effectively.)
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