Design and Typography Chapter 4

4.1Designing a Publication Designing is the process of determining the format and layout, then creating Format: how and what a publication is made of Layout: the arrangement of elements on each page Elements: text, titles, pictures, symbols, lines, etc.

Steps to Designing a Publication Determine the purpose, audience, and format Draw thumbnail sketches Review the sketches in terms of the four design concepts: –Appropriateness –Balance –Focus and flow –Consistency Revise thumbnail sketches Create the publication Print and review Make any changes Repeat steps 6 and 7

4.2Purpose and Audience Purpose refers to the intent of the publication –Most publications have more than one purpose Audience is the people that will read the publication –Consider: Age, location, common interests, educational backgrounds, etc.

4.3Formats Binding: The method that keeps the pages together –Folds –Saddle-stitch –Side-staple –Wire –Plastic comb –Perfect –Three-ring Distribution: How the reader gains possession of a publication

4.5Concepts of Design 4 basic concepts –Appropriateness –Balance –Focus and flow –Consistency Directly related to the visual aspects of a publication

4.6Appropriateness How well the elements in the publication match the purpose and audience Fonts, graphics, layout See page 4-6 for an example

4.7Balance The relative weight, heavy or light, of each element and how they work together The thicker, darker, or larger an element is, the heavier it appears on a page. Heavy elements should balance with the rest of the design Placement also influences the balance –Top heavy vs. bottom heavy, for example Varying graphic placement makes a publication more interesting Readability: how easily the reader can understand the publication

4.8Focus and Flow Focus: where the reader’s eye goes when first looking at the page Flow: where the eyes travel around the page White Space: any blank area on a page –Shape of white space influences the directions that the reader’s eye travels Tension: an asymmetrical layout, not perfectly equal in every way; creates a sense of movement that is essential to successful designs

4.9Consistency The glue in a design –A publication is held together by elements repeated in the layout –Repetition creates expectancy in the reader Visual Cue: a pattern or object that the reader sees and identifies with an element –Rule: a line –Dingbat: small graphics The longer the publication, the more consistency is needed

4.10 Introducing Typography Refers to the arrangement, shape, size, style, and weight of text Crucial for conveying the desired message to the audience Typeface: a set of letters drawn in a specific style Font: a specific size and weight of a single typeface

Font Categories Serif: small extensions found on the ends of letters –Used for body text because they are more readable Sans Serif: Sans means without; no extensions –Used for headlines and titles Decorative: fonts that don’t fit into the serif or sans serif categories (page 4-12) –Used for advertisements and invitations

Parts of a Font Cap Height: the height of the capital letters Baseline: the imaginary line where the bottom of the letters sit Ascenders: the parts of lowercase letters that rise above the x-height Descenders: the parts of lowercase letters that hang below the baseline X-height: the height of lowercase letters, not including ascenders and descenders Counters: the empty spaces completely surrounded by a letter

More About Fonts Points: The measurement of a font –One point is 1/72 of an inch Point size is determined by the designer Type Style: the variations of the characters –Bold, italic, underline

4.11 Using Fonts, Sizes, and Styles Formatting: applying options to highlighted text Use the Type Menu in PageMaker Use the Character submenu to change several formats at once Subscript: Text that sits below the line Superscript: Text that sits above the line

4.13Leading The distance from one line of text to another Leading values affect the readability and weight of a publication The longer the line length of text, the more leading that is needed Leading is measured in points