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Chapter 02

The document discusses various graphic design techniques including: 1) Using bleed areas of at least 3mm on all sides of documents for printing. 2) Experimenting with overprinting and limited color palettes to add depth. 3) Thinking beyond the edges of the page and using borders creatively. 4) Prioritizing optimal readability for textual content over visual design elements.

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Kasun Nirmal
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68 views3 pages

Chapter 02

The document discusses various graphic design techniques including: 1) Using bleed areas of at least 3mm on all sides of documents for printing. 2) Experimenting with overprinting and limited color palettes to add depth. 3) Thinking beyond the edges of the page and using borders creatively. 4) Prioritizing optimal readability for textual content over visual design elements.

Uploaded by

Kasun Nirmal
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 02 | Graphic Design Technics

02Graphic Design Technics


Remember to bleed The bleed is the part on the side of the document that gives your printer that small amount of space to move around paper and design inconsistencies. No matter what guidelines they have on their site, the printer will use anything you throw at them. A 3mm bleed on all sides is a safe standard for the work. The settings in InDesign are right there in the new file dialog but hidden! You need to hit the more options button before they become visible. If you already have a document open you can find them in the file > document setup dialog.

Bleed settings in Adobe InDesign

Overprint is fun Is your budget limiting you to only 2 Pantone(PMS) colors? No problem. Try to experiment with overprint options to get a look with more depth with a limited color palette. You can even work with photographs with only 2 Pantones, just do them in duotone or monotone. Think outside the paper The human mind fills in gaps and will see the bigger picture if you aim for it. Using the border of your paper can be great fun and another tool to work with.

Thinking inside

Thinking outside

Obviously, this is not the final solution to all your design problems. It should help you to see that your work doesnt end at the edge of the paper. SAHASRA COMPUTER ACADEMY | Certificate in Graphic Design 03

Chapter 02 | Graphic Design Technics Paper size standards are great, but dont let them hold you back Square booklets, for instance, make for a more interesting reading experience, while smaller sizes (A5 for example) are much easier to take with you. Fly away from that standard A4 and take some risks. People read In conflict with some designers of the last 5 years I still think form follows function. This means in print design: If youre working on something that contains textual content concentrate on the content. You should use typography as a element in your design, however you should always aim for optimal readability. Amount of content: less is more If you have some kind of idea that theres too much on your page; there is indeed to much on your page. Define whats really necessary and remove any visual noise. It may sound cliche but its true: less is more. If the client makes you cram too much content on one page, tell them. Stick to the grid Working with grids is the key to good design. Using its proportional relations, composition guidelines for the base of your design is a good idea.

A simple but well excecuted 3-column grid in a magazine

Dont always go for the standard 3-column setup. A 7 column setup offers a lot of playful combinations 2 column overlaps, a 3/3/1 setup with a sidebar and so on

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SAHASRA COMPUTER ACADEMY | Certificate in Graphic Design

Chapter 02 | Graphic Design Technics Typography is king If the typographical setup is bad, no amount of lines or other elements will fix it. The fonts you use the most in your project set the voice for its overall feel: dont pick the first font you like; think about what voice it should have and the best way to communicate this to your target audience. You can have a lot of fun with the basic well designed fonts: Helvetica, Swiss or Akzidenz Grotesk will save you from the worst typographic horror-scenarios. It takes a while to get to know a font. A good way to get good with a particular font is to pick a list of 5 to 8 fonts you think could work for you and concentrate on those. Thats also a good way to find out which fonts mix and which wont. Invert Need to give a bigger impact to a quote or logo? Invert it. White on black (or on any dark color for that matter) will always give your design or typography more strength.

Normal

Inverted

Be careful with smaller type sizes (8pt. and lower) as these will be possible problems for your printer as ink always flows around a little when just printed. This effect is called trapping. Of course this all depends on what kind of paper youre printing on, printing speed and other factors. Ask your printer about exceptions. Be demanding about photographic content You should always demand high quality source material to work with. When working with photographic content for example the trash in, trash out rule applies. A good photo can take your work to another level, a badly lit low resolution photo will ruin the work. Most clients will send you what they have for grabs most of the time they dont understand quality or image resolutions. Bug them a bit and theyll magically come up with better material.

SAHASRA COMPUTER ACADEMY | Certificate in Graphic Design

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