Print design
www.LTScotland.org.uk/sustainabledevelopment/climatechange
Desktop Publishing (DTP)
DTP involves laying text and graphics on pages. As well as being
able to use DTP and graphics software you need to know:
1.
The names of various page elements
2.
Some basic typographic ideas
3.
Some simple principles for attractive page design.
Page elements
The Scotsman front page , 3 October 2006
Page elements
Logo
Masthead in
serif caps
Slogan (Scotland’s
National Newspaper)
Puff in sans serif
reverse type
Cutout
Strapline in serif
Headline in
sans serif
Caption
Mug shot
Splash (lead story)
headline in serif
Body text
Jump line
Index
Rule
The Scotsman front page , 3 October 2006
Sidebar
Basic typography
Font Type
Examples
Usage
Serif
Times, Century
Serifs are the small strokes at the ends of the
letters. Serifs make small body text readable
as the strokes lead the eye along the line;
serif fonts can connote tradition, the past,
authority
Sans Serif
Arial, Century Gothic
Sans serif is French for ‘without serif’. Sans
serif connotes modernity in mastheads; often
used as subheads within serif body text
Script
Comic Sans, French Script
Connotes personalisation – use sparingly
Display
Broadway,
Impact
Use sparingly for particular connotations
Simple design principles
•
Print and web designer Robin Williams provides simple page design principles
inThe Non-Designer’s Design Book (2rd ed.), Peachpit Press, 2003.
•
When you design a page of a magazine or a print advertisement you should
consider four aspects:
1. Contrast
2. Repetition
3. Alignment
4. Proximity
•
These are illustrated in the following slides which analyse the design of the front
cover of New Scientist, 19 May 2007.
Contrast
•
Contrast makes different elements
look different
•
Magazine information: the title is the
largest textual element in the top
section of the page.
•
Story puffs: The puffs for the three
stories are differentiated by font size
and colour.
•
Modules: the top and bottom modules
have their elements left and right and
aligned. The central module has text
and image centre aligned.
Repetition
•
Repetition gives a unity to page
design
•
Typography: the typefaces are all a
modern sans serif which also connote
the up-to-date nature of the content.
•
Colour: Note the repetition of the
colours: dark blue and orange text;
turquoise in the background of the
puff top-right, text bottom left and in
the image background.
Alignment
•
Alignment leads the eye around the
page
•
Almost every element on the page
has been aligned with one or more
elements. There are three vertical
lines and 3 horizontal lines - all
invisible - which have been used to
line up page elements
•
Centre-alignment is often regarded as
‘boring’ but here the axis of symmetry
of the bear is used as a line to centre
the lead story puff on climate change.
The centering visually links image
and puff.
Proximity
•
Proximity places related elements
together
•
The page uses a modular layout with
three horizontal modules:
•
Top: this contains magazine information:
title, date, frequency (weekly), types of
content (news, ideas, innovation,
careers).
•
Centre: Puff for lead story above an
appealing polar bear picture.
•
Bottom: Puffs for two more stories plus
price and bar code.
Planning advertising content
•
•
•
We need a method of planning the content of print
advertisements
One of the best-known methods goes by the
name AIDA - the initial letters stand for attention,
interest, desire and action
The method is also useful in planning front page
of any print publication as this acts as an ad for
the content.
Attention
•
How are you going to attract people’s attention?
•
You will need to consider aspects such as:
–
–
–
choice and treatment of main image(s)
choice of words, font, size, colour for main text
where the ad is placed to maximise the chance of it
being seen by the target audience.
Interest
•
Once they have noticed the ad their interest must
be gained
•
You will need to consider aspects such as:
–
–
choice and treatment of supporting image(s)
choice and treatment of body text.
Desire
•
They must be encouraged to desire the
product/service/campaign aims
•
You will need to consider :
–
–
what benefits will the reader gain by spending money
and/or time and on the product/service/campaign?
perhaps posing an intriguing question which is only
answerable by reader action.
Action
•
The advertisement should provoke the reader into
the desired action
•
You will need to consider if the advertisement
includes information such as:
–
–
where to purchase/access/join the product/
service/campaign
where can the reader can find out more (e.g. address,
phone number, email, website).
AIDA analysis
•
Examine this cover from New
Scientist (19 May 2007)
•
How does it try to attract the reader’s
attention?
•
How does it try to gain reader
interest?
•
How does it encourage the reader’s
desire to buy the magazine?
AIDA analysis
•
Examine this poster for An
Inconvenient Truth (2006)
•
How does it try to attract the reader’s
attention?
•
How does it try to gain reader
interest?
•
How does it encourage the reader’s
desire to see the film?
•
How does it try to provoke reader
action?