Before&After ®

Continued

XiBAmagazine.com U

One-line design 0621

LineOne-

DesignMake expressive designs easily and quickly with just a line. Continued

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

2 of 9 One-line design 0621

One-line designIt can look classy, it can look festive, and it’s always inexpensive. Here are nine easy ways to make good designs with just a line.

Simple, low key, effectiveA credit-card-size rectangle is all it takes to convey exactly what’s inside (if you miss it, the word card backs it up). Black card color extends to fill the cover powerfully.

THE BANANA REPUBLIC CARD

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE - NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNEDBy using this card, the holder agrees to all terms and/or agreement under which it was issued or as may be amended from time to time. To protect your account, do not write your Personal Identification Number (PIN) on this card. This card belongs to the issuing institution and must be surrendered upon demand.

IThere you are, shopping again at Banana Republic, when beside the cash register this credit-card application catches your eye. How did it do it?—it’s basically just a black page. Its strength is in its simplicity—one powerful color, one line of text, one familiar shape. That’s all it takes; anything more—photos, graphics, borders and so on—would weaken it. What’s nice for the designer is that this technique is so easy. Have a look.

THE BANANA REPUBLIC CARD

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

3 of 9

One-line design 3 of 9

One-line design 0621

Use a dingbat Not handy with the pen tool? Dingbat fonts are full of interesting images; just convert to outlines, and adjust the line weight.

2

Value difference creates depth (Right) On a dark field, the lightest object will always come forward even when it’s smaller in size, (lower right).

Emphasize leaf or name (Above) On a middle-value background like the green, both white and black type show equally well; the leaf, with reduced opacity, recedes. (Right) Translucent name recedes; white leaf comes forward.

Start by tracing Many images can be traced with the pen tool; all you need is a clear outline, which you’ll find in stand-alone objects (above) or as part of larger images.

1

MAPLE WOODS NATURAL AREA

Diana’sHAIRST YLESGladstone Parks Department

P.O. Box 16819, 5510 N. Holmes, Gladstone, MO 64188, 816-123-4567

MAPLE WOODS NATURAL AREA

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

4 of 9

One-line design 4 of 9

One-line design 0621

Use letterforms as art Letters can do more than just make words—at large sizes, they can be used as artwork. Find a beautiful typeface, set it BIG, and convert to outlines.

WINE & ROSES

WINE & ROSES

Trace part of an image When working with a more detailed image, find its most descriptive edge; here, it’s the skyline. The line technique is a great way to get value from blurry or otherwise unusable photos.

4

Draw a single line (Above) A single line sends a clear message; trac-ing the other lines (right) adds complexity and turns design into a mere effect.

3

Eliminate conflict To keep overlapping lines from clashing (right, top), reduce the opacity of the less detailed one, in this case the outline (bottom).

WR

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

5 of 9

One-line design 5 of 9

One-line design 0621

Crop for clarity Because the one-line technique elim-inates details such as color and texture, concentrate on contours. In this simple example (right), it’s the curve that tells the reader this is an arch.

Crop an image It’s not necessary to show a whole image to convey what it is, especially if it’s an iconic shape like Gate-way Arch in St. Louis. Examine your image, determine its most descriptive line, and crop out the rest.

Create distance (A) Same-size and value objects have no depth. (B) Shrink one, and it appers to be further away. (C) Reduce its opacity, and it recedes even further.

65

❄

A B C

Christmas Party

You’re invited to a

Repeat an object Get more out of your image by repeating it several times. Create difference and depth by rotating, changing size, or applying a unique color to each.

GATEWAY ARCHRiverFRONT

SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI

SIGHTSEEING | FINE RESTAURANTS | LIVELY NIGHT LIFE | FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

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One-line design 6 of 9

One-line design 0621

Lighting angle is key The key in determining the ideal shadow is when it becomes very descriptive. Note, right, how the light source from 45° above describes the H better than straight from the side.

Exaggerate the line Both silhouettes (right) say pepper. However, to con-vey the feeling of what it’s like to eat one of these, a more animated, jagged line is an appropriate choice.

Hot & excitedMild & calm

Draw only the shadow side Another way to convey dimension is to outline only an object’s shadow, which creates the illusion of light.

Embellish a line Every line, whether fat or thin, curved or jagged, communicates a feeling. Here, exaggerate the smooth line to convey hotness and excitement.

87

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

7 of 9

One-line design 7 of 9

One-line design 0621

Diana’sHAIRST YLES

Typefaces

1 Centaur MT | 12 pt

2 (a–b) Vectora Roman | a) 9 pt b) 8.5 pt

3 Baileywick Happy Grams | 82 pt

4 Avenir Medium | 6.5 pt

5 Bickham Script MM | 30 pt

6 Adobe Jenson Light | 202 pt

7 (a–b) Adobe Jenson Semi Bold a) 16 pt, b) 9.5 pt

8 Adobe Wood Type Ornaments 1 | 22 pt

9 Coronet Bold | 13 pt

10 Broadway D | 11 pt

Images

11 Photos.com

12 iStockphoto.com

Article resources

Colors

C30 M15 Y100 K60

C30 M15 Y100 K40

C30 M15 Y100 K5

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C0 M0 Y0 K22

C15 M80 Y0 K5

C30 M20 Y50 K0

C25 M90 Y95 K25

C0 M35 Y100 K7

13

14

15

16

17

19

20

21

Gladstone Parks Department

P.O. Box 16819, 5510 N. Holmes, Gladstone, MO 64188, 816-123-4567

MAPLE WOODS NATURAL AREA

13 14 15 1 16 4

20 21 9 12

2a 2b 5

10

18

SAN LUIS OBISPO’S MOST ROMANTIC LOCATION

WINE & ROSES

18 19 7a 8 7b 6

1711

3

Before&After ® XiBAmagazine.com U

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One-line design 0621

Typefaces

1 Futura Medium | 10.5 pt

2 Aldous Vertical | 48/18 pt

3 Verdana | 8.5 pt

4 Vectora Bold | 14 pt

5 Atlas | 26 pt

6 ITC Zapf Dingbats Medium (Set in various sizes and tints)

7 (a–b) Salsa | a) 28 pt, b) 16 pt

8 (a–b) ITC Franklin Gothic Heavy a) 9 pt, b) 11 pt

9 ITC Franklin Gothic Medium | 5.5/10 pt

10 Texas Hero | 148 pt

11 (a–c) Baskerville | a) 16 pt b) 17.5/9 pt, c) 17.5 pt

Images

12 (a–f) iStockphoto.com | a b c d e f

Article resources

Colors

C70 M38 Y5 K12

C3 M3 Y40 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K60

C0 M100 Y80 K15

C65 M40 Y0 K0

C50 M0 Y90 K20

C0 M100 Y100 K0

C0 M65 Y100 K0

C0 M30 Y90 K0

C25 M80 Y95 K45

C0 M20 Y30 K60

C40 M35 Y65 K25

C0 M20 Y32 K58

C1 M2 Y3 K0

13

14

15

16

17

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

16

17

18

45

26

19 20 21

12e

13

14

15

12f

18

The Complete Illustrated reference to the ingredients, equipment, terms, and techniques used in the kitchen

THE SIMPLE LIVING SERIES

KitchenBy Angela Payne

Milk please! A comprehensive guide to over 200 hot sauce reci-

pes around the world, with detailed profiles and heat levels, plus

funny stories about the makers.

HOT SAUCE RECIPES

BY MARIBELA GONZALES

7a 8a 8b 9 7b 10 11a 11b 11c

22

23

24

25

26

GATEWAY ARCHRiverFRONT

SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI

SIGHTSEEING | FINE RESTAURANTS | LIVELY NIGHT LIFE | FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Christmas Party

You’re invited to a

12a

6

12b 12c 12d

21

3

Before&After ®

9 of 9 | Printing formats

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One-line design 9 of 9

Before & After magazine Before & After has been sharing its practical approach to graphic design since 1990. Because our modern world has made designers of us all (ready or not), Before & After is dedicated to making graphic design understand-able, useful and even fun for everyone.

John McWade Publisher and creative directorGaye McWade Associate publisherVincent Pascual Staff designerDexter Mark Abellera Staff designer

Design advisor Gwen Amos Before & After magazine323 Lincoln Street, Roseville, CA 95678 Telephone 916-784-3880 Fax 916-784-3995E-mail mailbox@bamagazine.com www http://www.bamagazine.com

Copyright ©2005 Before & After magazine, ISSN 1049-0035. All rights reserved

You may pass this article around, but you may not alter it, and you may not charge for it. You may quote brief sections for review. If you do this, please credit Before & After magazine, and let us know. To feature free Before & After articles on your Web site, please contact us. For permission to include all or part of this article in another work, please contact us.

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1 of 5

On

e-lin

e d

esig

n 0621

0621 O

ne

-line

de

sign Line O

ne-

DesignM

ake expressive d

esigns easily an

d

qu

ickly with

just a lin

e.

Sim

ple, lo

w k

ey, e

ffective

A credit-card-size rectangle is all it

takes to convey exactly what’s inside

(if you miss it, the w

ord card backs it up). B

lack card color extends to fill the cover pow

erfully.

TH

E B

AN

AN

A R

EP

UB

LIC C

AR

D

AU

TH

OR

IZE

D S

IGN

AT

UR

E - N

OT

VAL

ID U

NL

ES

S S

IGN

ED

By using

this card, the ho

lder ag

rees to all term

s and/o

r agreem

ent und

er which it w

as issued o

r as may b

e amend

ed fro

m tim

e to tim

e. To

pro

tect your acco

unt, do

not w

rite your P

ersonal Id

entification

Num

ber (P

IN) o

n this card. T

his card b

elong

s to the issuing

institution

and m

ust be surrend

ered up

on d

emand

.

IT

here yo

u are, sh

op

pin

g again at

Ban

ana R

epu

blic, w

hen

besid

e th

e cash register th

is credit-card

ap

plicatio

n catch

es you

r eye. How

d

id it d

o it?—

it’s basically ju

st a b

lack page. Its stren

gth is in

its sim

plicity—

on

e pow

erful co

lor,

on

e line o

f text, on

e familiar sh

ape.

Th

at’s all it takes; anyth

ing m

ore—

ph

oto

s, graph

ics, bo

rders an

d

so o

n—

wo

uld

weaken

it. Wh

at’s n

ice for th

e design

er is that th

is tech

niq

ue is so

easy. Have a lo

ok.

TH

E B

AN

AN

A R

EP

UB

LIC C

AR

D

Be

fore

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fter | w

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.bamagazine.com

2 of 5

On

e-lin

e d

esig

n 0621

0621 O

ne

-line

de

sign

Use

a d

ing

ba

t No

t ha

nd

y with

the

pe

n to

ol?

Din

gb

at fo

nts a

re fu

ll of in

tere

sting

ima

ge

s; just

con

vert to

ou

tline

s, an

d a

dju

st the

line

we

igh

t.

2

Va

lue

diffe

ren

ce cre

ate

s d

ep

th (R

ig ht) On a dark

field, the lightest object will

always com

e forward even

when it’s sm

aller in size, (low

er right).

Em

ph

asize

lea

f or n

am

e

(Above) O

n a middle-value

background like the green, both w

hite and black type show

equally well; the

leaf, with reduced opacity,

recedes. (Right) Transluce nt

name recedes; w

hite leaf com

es forward.

Sta

rt by tra

cing

Ma

ny im

ag

es ca

n b

e tra

ced

with

the

pe

n

too

l; all yo

u n

ee

d is a

clea

r ou

tline, w

hich

you

’ll fin

d in

sta

nd

-alo

ne

ob

jects (a

bo

ve) o

r as p

art o

f larg

er im

ag

es.

1

MA

PLE

WO

OD

S NAT

UR

AL

AR

EA

Diana’s

HA

IRS

TY

LE

SG

ladstone Parks Departm

ent

P.O. B

ox 16819, 5510 N. H

olmes, G

ladstone, MO

64188, 816-123-4567

MA

PLE

WO

OD

S NAT

UR

AL

AR

EA

Use

lette

rform

s as a

rt Lette

rs can

do

mo

re th

an

just m

ak

e

wo

rds—

at la

rge

sizes, th

ey ca

n b

e u

sed

as a

rtwo

rk. F

ind

a

be

au

tiful typ

efa

ce, set it B

IG, a

nd

con

vert to

ou

t line

s.

WIN

E &

RO

SES

WIN

E &

RO

SES

Trace

pa

rt of a

n im

ag

e W

he

n w

ork

ing

with

a m

ore

d

eta

iled

ima

ge, fi

nd

its mo

st de

scriptive

ed

ge

; he

re, it’s th

e sk

yline. Th

e lin

e te

chn

iqu

e is a

gre

at w

ay to

g

et va

lue

from

blu

rry or o

the

rwise

un

usa

ble

ph

oto

s.

4

Dra

w a

sing

le lin

e

(Above) A

single line sends a clear m

essage; trac-ing the other lines (righ t) adds com

plexi ty and turns design into a m

ere effect.

3

Elim

ina

te co

nfl

ict To keep overlapping lines from

clashing (right, top), reduce the opacity of the less detailed one, in this case the outline (bottom

).

WR

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fore

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fter | w

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3 of 5

On

e-lin

e d

esig

n 0621

0621 O

ne

-line

de

sign

Cro

p fo

r clarity

Because

the one-line technique elim-

inates details such as color and texture, concentrate on contours. In this sim

ple exam

ple (right), it’s the curve that tells the reader this is an arch.

Cro

p a

n im

ag

e It’s n

ot n

ece

ssary to

sho

w a

wh

ole

ima

ge

to

con

vey w

ha

t it is, esp

ecia

lly if it’s an

icon

ic sha

pe

like

Ga

te-

wa

y Arch

in S

t. Lou

is. Ex

am

ine

you

r ima

ge, d

ete

rmin

e its

mo

st de

scriptive

line, a

nd

crop

ou

t the

rest.

Cre

ate

dista

nce

(A) Sam

e-size and value objects have no depth. (B

) Shrink one, and it appers to be further away.

(C) R

educe its opacity, and it recedes even further.

65

❄

AB

C

Ch

ristmas

Par

ty

Yo

u’re in

vited to

a

Re

pe

at a

n o

bje

ct Ge

t mo

re o

ut o

f you

r ima

ge

by

rep

ea

ting

it seve

ral tim

es. C

rea

te d

iffere

nce

an

d

de

pth

by ro

tatin

g, ch

an

gin

g size, o

r ap

plyin

g a

u

niq

ue

colo

r to e

ach

.

GATEWAY ARCHRiverFRONT

SAIN

T LOU

IS, MISSO

URI

SIG

HTSEEIN

G | FIN

E R

ESTA

UR

AN

TS | LIV

ELY

NIG

HT LIFE

| FAM

ILY A

CTIV

ITIE

S

Ligh

ting

an

gle

is ke

y

The key in determining the ideal

shadow is w

hen it becomes very

descriptive. Note, right, how

the light source from

45° above describes the H

better than straight from

the side.

Ex

ag

ge

rate

the

line

B

oth silhouettes (right) say pepper. H

owever, to con-

vey the feeling of what it’s

like to eat one of these, a m

ore animated, jagged line

is an appropriate choice.H

ot &

ex

cited

Mild

& ca

lm

Dra

w o

nly th

e sh

ad

ow

side

An

oth

er w

ay to

con

vey

dim

en

sion

is to o

utlin

e o

nly a

n o

bje

ct’s sha

do

w, w

hich

cr e

ate

s the

illusio

n o

f ligh

t.

Em

be

llish a

line

Eve

ry line, w

he

the

r fat o

r thin

, curve

d

or ja

gg

ed

, com

mu

nica

tes a

fee

ling

. He

re, ex

ag

ge

rate

the

sm

oo

th lin

e to

con

vey h

otn

ess a

nd

ex

citem

en

t .

87

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4 of 5

On

e-lin

e d

esig

n 0621

0621 O

ne

-line

de

sign

Diana’s

HA

IRS

TY

LE

S

Type

face

s

1 Centaur M

T | 12 pt

2 (a–b

) Vectora Rom

an | a) 9 pt b) 8.5 pt

3 Baileyw

ick Happy G

rams | 82 pt

4 Avenir M

edium | 6.5 pt

5 Bickham

Script MM

| 30 pt

6 Adobe Jenson Light | 202 pt

7 (a–b

) Adobe Jenson Sem

i Bold

a) 16 pt, b) 9.5 pt

8 Adobe W

ood Type Ornam

ents 1 | 22 pt

9 Coronet B

old | 13 pt

10 Broadw

ay D | 11 pt

Ima

ge

s

11 Photos.com

12 iStockphoto.com

Article

reso

urce

s

Co

lors

C30

M15

Y100

K60

C30

M15

Y100

K40

C30

M15

Y100

K5

C0

M0

Y0

K100

C0

M0

Y0

K22

C15

M80

Y0

K5

C30

M20

Y50

K0

C25

M90

Y95

K25

C0

M35

Y100

K7

1314151617

192021

Gladstone Parks D

epartment

P.O. B

ox 16819, 5510 N. H

olmes, G

ladstone, MO

64188, 816-123-4567

MA

PLE

WO

OD

S NAT

UR

AL

AR

EA

1314

151

164

2021

912

2a2b

5

10

18

SA

N L

UIS

OB

ISP

O’S

MO

ST

RO

MA

NT

IC L

OC

AT

ION

WIN

E &

RO

SES

1819

7a8

7b6

1711

3

Type

face

s

1 Futura Medium

| 10.5 pt

2 Aldous Vertical | 48/18 pt

3 Verdana | 8.5 pt

4 Vectora Bold | 14 pt

5 Atlas | 26 pt

6 ITC Zapf D

ingbats Medium

(Set in various sizes and tints)

7 (a–b

) Salsa | a) 28 pt, b) 16 pt

8 (a–b

) ITC Franklin G

othic Heavy

a) 9 pt, b) 11 pt

9 ITC Franklin G

othic Medium

| 5.5/10 pt

10 Texas Hero | 148 pt

11 (a–c) B

askerville | a) 16 pt b) 17.5/9 pt, c) 17.5 pt

Ima

ge

s

12 (a–f) iStockphoto.com

| a b c d

e f

Article

reso

urce

s

Co

lors

C70

M38

Y5

K12

C3

M3

Y40

K0

C0

M0

Y0

K60

C0

M100

Y80

K15

C65

M40

Y0

K0

C50

M0

Y90

K20

C0

M100

Y100

K0

C0

M65

Y100

K0

C0

M30

Y90

K0

C25

M80

Y95

K45

C0

M20

Y30

K60

C40

M35

Y65

K25

C0

M20

Y32

K58

C1

M2

Y3

K0

1314151617

192021

22232425

1617

18 45

26

1920

21

12e

131415

12f

18

The C

omplete Illustrated reference to the ingredients,

equipment, term

s, and techniques used in the kitchen

TH

E SIM

PL

E L

IVIN

G SE

RIE

S

KitchenB

y Angela Payne

Milk please! A

comprehensive guide to over 2

00

hot sauce reci-

pes around the world, w

ith detailed profiles and heat levels, plus

funny stories about the makers.

HO

T SA

UC

E

RE

CIP

ES

BY

MA

RIB

ELA

GO

NZ

ALE

S

7a8a

8b9

7b10

11a11b

11c

2223242526

GATEWAY ARCHRiverFRONT

SAIN

T LOU

IS, MISSO

URI

SIG

HTSEEIN

G | FIN

E R

ESTA

UR

AN

TS | LIV

ELY

NIG

HT LIFE

| FAM

ILY A

CTIV

ITIE

S

Ch

ristmas

Par

ty

Yo

u’re in

vited to

a

12a

6

12b12c

12d

2 13

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On

e-lin

e d

esig

n 0621

0621 O

ne

-line

de

sign

Be

fore

& A

fter m

ag

azin

e

Befo

re & A

fter has b

een sh

aring its p

ractical app

roach

to

graph

ic design

since 1990. B

ecause o

ur m

od

ern w

orld

h

as mad

e design

ers of u

s all (ready o

r no

t), Befo

re &

After is d

edicated

to m

aking grap

hic d

esign u

nd

erstand

-ab

le, usefu

l and

even fu

n fo

r everyon

e.

Joh

n M

cWa

de

Pu

blish

er and

creative directo

rG

ay

e M

cWa

de

Asso

ciate pu

blish

erV

ince

nt P

ascu

al Staff d

esigner

De

xte

r Ma

rk A

be

llera

Staff design

er

Design

adviso

r Gw

en

Am

os

Be

fore

& A

fter m

ag

azin

e323 Lin

coln

Street, Ro

seville, CA

95678 Te

lep

ho

ne

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