Page design
The evolution of printing, and its culmination in moveable types during the fifteenth century, caused changes in the way media was presented, and inevitably created a considerably larger audience of readers than had ever existed.
The first "mass" printing technology used the rules and techniques developed throughout centuries of calligraphic handwriting to create the printing industry that has remained in existence in various stages for more than four hundred years.
The revolution in design tools during the past few years has resulted in fundamental changes to these techniques. For some people the transition has been uncomfortable and they have been unable to accept the new tools; other people have been enabled by the power and ease of use of the new communication tools that have suddenly appeared.
The first major change to printing techniques was the introduction of hot metal type. Hot metal composing required careful planning, and tedious craftsmanship to create the finished media. Cold type composition, which followed, made the process a little simpler. Excellent work could be quickly and easily created; but so could poor quality work, especially when the temptation to produce communications inexpensively outweighed the relatively high cost of creating media carefully.
Prior to desktop publishing, writing, illustration and graphic design were separate disciplines. It was almost impossible to work in the industry without some form of education - an apprenticeship or degree of some description was the base requirement. Desktop publishing has removed the need for any of this formal training and increased the potential for both good and bad work.
Today, authors can function as writers, illustrators, and graphic designers simply by selecting a different tool on their computer, without the additional and ongoing expense of using skilled craftsmen. There has been a considerable swing away from these craftsmen to the easier and less expensive in-house productions.
One result of this is an increase in the quantities of poorly produced communications that happen when an unskilled person is faced with major decisions about which typefaces, layouts, illustrations and other graphic elements to use in the printed piece.
Communication overload
There are five basic parts to efficient communication:
- Sender {the person communicating)
- Message (what is being said)
- Medium (how the message is conveyed)
- Receiver (who the message is aimed at)
- Response (how the receiver reacts to the message)
The information age has brought with it an increase in all forms of communication - radio, television, traditional print media, and in the last few years electronic mail. Badly, or inadequately designed pieces in any of these media forms do not stand a chance of competing with professionally produced media.
Information is absorbed by everyone from the time they awaken to the time they go to sleep. Advertising, signs, newspapers, magazines, television, books, radio... the list is endless.
Competing with this kind of onslaught of information, in the hopes that your message will get across before anyone else's is difficult. Relying entirely on the content of the message is not enough unless the audience is especially interested.
Print communicators face a challenge: to make their piece stand out from the crowd of competitors. Not only must the piece capture the attention and imagination of the readers, it must hold attention until the message is conveyed. It must also elicit a response.
While some organisations can afford the services of professional designers, a number of people cannot or will not use their services. The decision to refuse to use any trained designers may have something to do with the extremely effective communication power of the companies selling desktop publishing equipment. A common message sent by these companies is that the software or hardware is "capable" of turning everyone into a "power user" instantly. Frequently, the message fails to include a warning that knowing how to use a tool does not necessarily make it easy to use properly. For example, you may read instructions for using a hammer, but actually using it, you may bash your thumbs, because the instructions do not advise you to move your fingers out of the way.
The list of potential typographic offences never seems to be reduced. No one is particularly to blame for these errors in judgement - unskilled desktop publishers simply need to learn the rules of setting type and graphics and then apply them with a measure of common sense.
The best way to start learning about effectively designing communication pieces is to look at the printed page as a puzzle with a myriad different pieces that need to be fitted together to create an attractive picture. Each design piece presents a different puzzle to be solved, creating an effective, distinctive piece of work that makes a reader want to look at and absorb the information.
Printed media must
- Attract the readers' eye Instantly and hold it for the duration of the piece.
- Be easy to read Language suitable for the audience; type and graphic styles attractive to absorb quickly and comfortably.
- Emphasise important points Unified to convey message and to make points stand out
- Be expressive
- Create recognition
Written by Geoffrey Fletcher
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