Typography

		Computer page-layout programs offer an astonishing variety of downloadable type fonts. With so many choices, selecting a typeface for an ad may seem difficult. Adhering to these basic principles will ensure that the typeface you select will complement your copy and layout.

		General

		1. Limit the number of typefaces throughout. Just because it's easy to incorporate a variety of typefaces into a layout doesn't mean you should. Using one or two typefaces will make the ad more unified and aesthetically pleasing. It will also be less cluttered and less busy.

		2. Use serif and sans serif type appropriately. Serif type is easier to read, but it takes up more line space. Designers like to use sans serif because it uses less space, but it can be harder to read, particularly in long body copy. (Exhibit 11-1 shows serif and sans serif type.)

		3. Use captions under pictures. Always try to use captions and cutlines with pictures. They are read much more often than body copy.

		4. Use normal punctuation. The purpose of typography is to help communicate a message. This can't be accomplished effectively with unfamiliar and confusing punctuation (such as leaders, multiple exclamation points, etc.)

		5. Use italics emphasis. Don't use them so often that their benefit is lost!

		6. Choose typefaces that reflect the mood or quality of the product without sacrificing readability. Typefaces can set mood and atmosphere, and help attract a certain kind of customer. But they must also communicate. Evaluate typefaces in terms of readability and legibility. If you have any doubts about these two areas, select a different face.

		Headlines

		7। Think twice before setting headlines in all capital letters. You can create impact by using initial caps small caps instead. Type set in all capital letters can be hard to read. Body Copy 8. Set body copy in 10-point minimum. Anything smaller is too hard to read. Remember many readers wear glasses. Help them. 9. Break up long copy. Use frequent paragraphs, windows, subheads, or illustrations to break up long sections of copy. 10. Don't set lines too wide. The eye will get lost in a paragraph if copy is set too wide. The smaller the point size of the body type, the narrower your copy column should be. Larger type can be set in wider columns. 11. Be careful when body copy is set in reverse. Text matter set in reverse was once a no-noand still should be approached with caution. It is almost always very difficult to read. It is better to mortise a section out of the dark area and set it to be read black on white (or at least on a light background). If you insist on reversed copy, set it large and bold for easier reading. 12. Indent paragraphs. Indented paragraphs increase reading ease because they give the reader a continual starting place. They also work more white space into the type areas, increasing readability. 13. Use white space between lines. Rather than setting body copy ''tight," work in some white space between lines by adding a point or two of leading. 14. Exercise caution when running text over tint blocks or illustrations. The most readable copy is black on white. Any other color background reduces readabilitythe darker it is, the less readable it is. 15. Set text flush left. For easier reading, copy blocks should be evenly aligned at the left to give the eye a common starting place. If copy is justified, keep paragraphs short. Justified copy is harder to follow in long sections. 16. Keep related copy areas together. When there are several related copy blocks, it is more convenient for the reader to keep them aligned and close together. Otherwise the reader will be frustrated by trying to find related copy, and may stop reading. 17. Avoid "widows" but don't be upset by them. Widows are those very short (often one-word) lines that appear at the ends of paragraphs when copy blocks are set. Although one-word lines should be discouraged, they are permissible because they work white space into copy areas. However, never permit widows at the top of a column. The Finished Product Layout Stages The advertising layout passes through four stages before it gets into print: 1. Thumbnail 2. Rough 3. Composite 4. Reproduction proof Exhibits of the thumbnails, rough, and "repro" are shown in Exhibits 12-1, 12-2, and 12-3. Thumbnail Designers usually do their early thinking on miniature roughs, called thumbnails. Usually 2"× 3" or smaller, they help designers and writers quickly generate a variety of approaches. It's faster and easier to "doodle" with pencil and paper or on the computer than it is to juggle preliminary elements with mouse and paint program. Eventually, the designer chooses one or two of the most promising thumbnails to develop as a rough. Rough The rough shows the best thumbnail layouts in the exact size of the final ad. It can be produced with pen and pencil, like the rough shown in Exhibit 12-2, or it can be composed in a paint or page-layout program on the computer. A hand-drawn rough will include hastily drawn sketches, quickly lettered headlines, and lined copy blocks like those shown in Exhibit 12-4. A computer-produced rough may include actual illustrations and typefaces. This stage of layout is circulated to the retailer or client for approval before final production begins. Composite This stage is necessary to show clients with less imagination how the final ad might look, and to make it easy to catch and correct small errors. It is a perfect facsimile of the final ad. Headlines and copy are typeset, and artwork is close to the final quality. Reproduction Proof The printer shoots the final stage of artwork in order to reproduce it hence the name "reproduction proof." The "repro" can be a high-resolution printout complete with crop markstypically a film negative, a linotronic proof, or even a file on disk. If the ad was not composed on a computer, then the printer will need a paste-up or mechanical that includes all elements of the adtype, screened photographs, line art, logos, windows for negative, etc.carefully pasted into position for the camera. Newspaper Layout Effective newspaper advertisements emphasize one of four elements: simplicity, sequence, surprise, and sell. 1. Simplicity. An ad that is uncluttered and organized will be easier to see in a newspaper. In Exhibit 12-5, a dramatic headline captures attention and makes this ad jump out from the page. 2. Sequence. Sequence provides two elements: one, a focal point for the reader's eye to begin, and, two, flow that lets the reader move through the advertisement logically. In Exhibit 12-6, an arc of shoes leads the eye from the headline to the copy. 3. Surprise. This is "creativity": a dramatic, imaginative, or unexpected idea for presenting the information that will make the ad really stand out. A bald head and a cold can of beer cleverly dramatize the "smooth" taste of the product shown in Exhibit 12-7. 4. Sell. This approach emphasizes the benefits and urges the customer to actbuy now! Hatfields uses a 25% discount offer to attract customers in the ad shown in Exhibit 12-8. The following checklist should help you take an objective look at the layout to discover any weaknesses. It will also suggest ways to improve any weaknesses you find. 1. Is there a dominant illustration? The newspaper reader should be able to tell at a glance what your ad is all about. People read the ads because they're interested in what stores have to sell. A dominant illustration makes it easy for them to do just that. 2. Is the ad suitable for good newspaper reproduction? Will the illustration and copy print clearly or will they be blurred? Is the illustration style suitable for your newspaper, or should it be changed for better reproduction? One rule: Never run body copy in reverse or surprinted on a halftone. Such copy is very difficult to read. 3. Does the ad have a distinctive, recognizable format? Would your readers, especially the store's regular customers, recognize the ad even without the store name? Instant recognition is important, particularly for the store's small-space ads.

3DVIA Composer : : Home

3DVIA Composer : : Home

Design Theory

Design Theory can be seen as knowledge that can liberate the designer from preconceived notions and conceptions of how the design process can and should be performed.

Liberation is not enough, however. As a designer you might also need help in creating order and meaning in a complex world. This can be doneby making the comples less complex by organizing , structuring and categorizing. Hence we identify a second purpose of the design theory - to finction as a conceptual toolthat will help us create some kind of order in a chaotic world of practice.

Design Theory is also knowledge focused on creating new conditions for design, different patterns of thinking and acting , new design examples, and a general understanding of the conditions for creative and innovative work.

Well, there are many different definitions and understandings of what design theory is and what it should be.

Design

To design is to create something new. Design is not the same as problem solving in the mathematical or logical sense. Based on the actual menaing of the words problem and solving, problem solvimg implies that certain problems exist and that they are solvable. In most areas, ploblem solving also implies that it is possible to determine if a problem is solved or not. Most important, problem solving implies that a solution is either right or wrong.

However in design, there are no correct answers. Everyday design proposal is formulated in a close relationship with a changing and growing understanding of the situation (the problem). Since this is an on going process, it is never possible to determinewheather a design proposal is right or wrong. Still, we may note that a designer's current understanding of the designsituation is commonly referred to as athe "problem", and her ideas on how to proceed are called "Solutions."

The words mean different things in design that they do in formal logic, just to emphasize on it.