creation and design of documents

Creation and design of documents

Contents

1. Design Principles

2. Creation of document

1. Design Principles*

* This section is revised representation of “The Non-Designer’s Book About Design (Design and Typographical Principles for Newbies)” by Robin Williams

Four Basic Design Principles:

Proximity

Aligning

Repeat

Contrast

The four basic Design Principles

Proximity Items related to each other should be grouped close together. They represent one visual unit

rather than several separate units. This helps to organize information and reduces voids.

Aligning Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrary. Every element should have some visual

connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, sophisticated and freshlook.

Repeat Repeat visual elements of design throughout the piece. You can repeat colors, outline, ships,

sizes, and ruler, etc. This increase the whole organization and strengthens unity.

Contrast: This principle is to avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. If the elements: type,

color, size, line thickness, shape, space, and etc. – are not the same, then make them verydifferent. Contrast is often the most important visual attraction tool to make a reader look atthe page.

According to proximity principle, related items should begrouped together and should be moved physically close to eachother, so items related to each other are seen as one cohesivegroup rather than a bunch of unrelated bits.

Proximity (1)

Proximity (1)

Take a look at this business card as an example

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How many times does your eye stop to look at the business card? Five times?

Proximity (1)

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PR-director


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Let’s confuse the issue even further

What has happened?

Proximity (1)

Now group them

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When several elements are in close to each other, they become one visual unit ratherthan several separate units.

As in life, when proximity, or closeness imply a relationship.

Proximity (1)

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Kazan, Tatarstan

LLC «KommandCore»

By grouping related elements together, you make the page more organized. You knowfrom what to start reading information, and know when to finish. And spaces (thespace around letters) also become more organized.

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Proximity (1)Example with the list

Proximity (1)The example with the list

Proximity (1)

Summing up

The proximity principle doesn’t mean that basic elementsshould be closer one to another.

It means that semantic elements, those that have some sort ofcommunicational similarity, should also be visually connected.

Proximity (1)

The basic purpose of proximity is to organize.

Other principles come into play as well, but simple grouping related elements together intocloser proximity automatically creates organization.

If your information is organized, it is more likely to be read and more likely to be remembered.As a by-product of organizing the communication, you also create more appealing (moreorganized) white space (designers’ favorite thing).

Proximity (1)

What to avoid

Avoid too many separate elements on the page

Don’t stick things in the corners or in the middle

Avoid leaving equal amount of white space between elements unless eachgroup is part of a subset

Avoid even a split second of confusion over whether a headline, subhead,caption, graphic, etc. and its related material. Create a relationship amongelements with close proximity

Don’t create relationships with elements that don’t belong together. If they arenot related, move them apart from each other

Aligning (2)

Principle of Aligning states, that nothing should be placed on thepage arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection withsomething else on the page.

The elements on this card look like they were just thrown on this card

Take a look at this business card as an example

Damir Zakiev

PR-director


+7 (927) 404-64-47

Aligning (2)

Damir Zakiev

Kazan, Tatarstan

LLC «KommandCore»

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This example has a nice arrangement with the text items grouped into logicalproximity.

The text is centered on the page.

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Aligning (2)


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This example has the same logical arrangement, but now it is right-aligned.

There is an invisible line connecting visually these two groups of the text.

Aligning (2)


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Aligning (2)

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There are two coverage examples

Compare these two pieces of coverage – what do you feel??

Aligning (2)


This is a typical report cover. This standard format presents a dull, almost amateurish look, which may influence someone’s initial reaction to the report.

Aligning (2)


The strong flush-left aligning gives the report cover a more sophisticated impression. Even though the author’s name is far from the title, that invisible line of the strong aligning connects the two text blocks.

Aligning (2)

Summing up

Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily.

Every element should have some visual connection with anotherelement on the page.

Aligning (2)

Unity is an important concept in design. To make all theelements on the page appear to be unified, connected, andinterrelated, there needs to be some visual tie between theseparate elements.

Even if the separate elements are not physically close on thepage, they can appear connected, related, and unified with theother information simply by their placement.

Aligning (2)

The basic purpose of aligning is to unify and organize the page.

It is often a strong aligning (combined, of course, with theappropriate typeface) that creates a sophisticated look, or aformal look, a fun look, or a serious look.

Aligning (2)

What to avoid

Avoid using more than one text aligning on the page (that is, don’t center sometext and middle-align other text)

And please try very hard to break away a centered aligning unless you areconsciously trying to create a more formal, sedate (often dull) presentation.Choose a centered aligning consciously, not by default.

Aligning (2)

Repeat (3)

The principle of repeat states that you repeat some aspect ofthe design throughout the entire piece.

The repetitive element may be a bold font, a thick line, a certainbullet, color, design element, particular format, and spatialrelationships, etc. it can be anything that a reader will visuallyrecognize.

Repeat (3)

Repeat is some kind of “consistency”.

As you look through an eight-page work report, it is repetition ofcertain elements and their consistency, that makes each ofthose eight pages appear to belong to the same document.

The principle of repeat goes beyond just being naturallyconsistent – it is conscious effort to unify all parts of design.


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Repeat (3)

Take a look at business cards as examples


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Repeat (3)

Text design of the document is a good place to start when you need to create repetitiveelements. That is why try to make this element stronger.

Repeat (3)

Consistencies: bold type of headlines thin type inside the divisions square blue tokens space between blocks if information aligning

Summing up

The purpose of repeat is to unify and to add visual interest.

Don’t underestimate the visual interest of a page: if a piecelooks interesting, it is more likely to be read.

How to do it?

Repeat (3)

First find existing in the text consistencies and then make themstronger.

For example, you use a 1-point rule under the each page andeach heading. How about using a 4-point rule instead to makethe repetitive element stronger and more dramatic?

Now think about is it possible to add elements whose purpose isto create a repeat?

Do you have numbered lists in your text? How about using adistinctive font or reversed number for numeration? And thenrepeating that treatment throughout every numbered list of thedocument?

Repeat (3)

Repeat is like accenting your clothes with accessories.

Repeat (3)

What to avoid

Avoid repeating the element so much that it becomes annoying or overwhelming.

Repeat (3)

Contrast (4)

Contrast is one of the most effective ways to add a striking visualinterest to your page, that makes a reader want to look at thepage, and to create an organizational hierarchy among differentelements.

The important rule to remember is that for contrast to beeffective, it must be strong.

Contrast is created when two elements are different. If twoitems of the text are not exactly the same, then make themdifferent.

Completely different.

Contrast (4)

Contrast can be created in many ways: to contrast large typewith small type; a graceful oldstyle font with a bold sans seriffont; a thin line with a thick line; a cool color with a warm color;a smooth texture with a rough texture; a horizontal elementwith a vertical element…

But don’t be afraid.

16-point type cannot contrast with 18-point type.

Blue color cannot contrast with dark-blue color.

Contrast (4)

This document is nice and neat, but there is nothing that attracts eyes to it.

Agree, that your eyes are drawn to this page, rather than the previous one.

Contrast (4)

Summing up

Contrast draws your eyes on a page, your eyes like contrast.

Contrast pursues two purposes, and both purposes are inextricable from each other.

The first one is to create an interest on the page: if a page is interesting to look at, it’s more likely to be read.

The second one is to aid in the organization of the information. A reader should be able to instantly understand the way the information is organized, the logical flow from one to another.

Contrast (4)

What to avoid

– Don’t be afraid! If you’re going to contrast, do it with strength

– Avoid contrasting a sort-of-heavy line with a sort-of-heavier line

– Avoid contrasting brown text with black headlines

– Avoid using two or more typefaces that are similar

– If the items are not exactly the same, make them completely different

Contrast (4)

Short review of four principles

A rather dull but typical front page of thebusiness plan: the text is centered to fill page’sspace, white spaces are evenly divided amongthe lines.

Proximity

By putting the title and subtitle close to eachother, we now have one well-defined unitrather than four apparently unrelated units. Itis now clear that the title and the subtitle areclosely related to each other.

When we move the by-line and date at the footof the page, it becomes instantly clear thatalthough this is related information andpossibly important, it is not part of title.


Aligning

Even though the author’s name is far from thetitle, there is a visual connection between theelements because of their aligning.


Repeat

The distinctive typeface in the title is repeatedin the author’s name, which strengthens theirconnection even though they are physically farapart on the page.

The small triangles were added specifically tocreate a repeat.

The color of the triangle is also a repeatedelement.


Contrast

Here the contrast was made with the help ofdark-blue triangle.


2. Creation of the document(presentation)

First step of creation

First step is to choose a background of presentation.

No way use ready templates of backgrounds. The most optimalis black or white background.

Here are typical backgrounds for presentations. What they have in common?

Any information is lost on their surface. They can’t be used.

There are the backgrounds by Keynote program. They are much better.

These backgrounds are the reflection of Steve Jobs’ experience of, who can prepare and hold enormously interesting presentations. He knows what he offers.

The first step of creation

Nevertheless, the most optimal backgrounds for presentation are simple white background or…

… or just simple black background.

The first step of creation

The second step of creation

The second step is to create the structure of your slide.

It is necessary to divide the slide into functional fields:

place for slide’s title

place for information location on the slide

slide’s margins

your other chips, e.g. place for location of different indicatorsof your presentation (logo, presentation’s section) and etc.

Place for information location on the slide

Place for main title

Place for subtitle

Logo (section)

Field for presentation’s identification and indicators’ location

Place for information location on the slide

Place for main title

Place for subtitle


The simplest way is to make boundaries of presentation.


Draw attention –the objects are accurately tied to lines. The title is tied to the left and on the bottom. The text is on

the left and below.


One more important thing –slide’s field should let through more air! In order

not to stick the information on borders.

The third step is to make a square of the slide.

It needs to divide place of information location into the squareto add order and harmony to the whole document.

The third step of creation

1х1,63

Further all objects being attached to this field should be tied tothese boundaries.

The purpose of this square is not only in elements aligning. Thesquare helps to make the objects proportional, namely, havingclear and noticeable proportions.

1х1

1х3

2х3


As a rule, if proportions are being held for objects on all slides,the presentation itself looks much better than if theseproportions are not kept.

2х2,62х3


Like this, for example


Or like this…


In our square for presentation each triangle is made by usingthe proportions of golden section.


Why does the golden section is so interesting?

It is because this natural constant is met in all natural objects.For example, the distance among three tree branches or aflower corresponds in full to the golden section proportions.

That is why this natural harmony is pleasant for man’s eyes. Itdoesn’t depend on age, sex, culture and race. An eye of everyman perceives such things as harmonic element of the world.

This proportion is figured as 1 × 1,618 in numbers.


That is why these proportions can be recognized in many greatmasterpieces of mankind.


It is possible to use frames for objects suitable for goldensection proportions instead of the square.

It can be comfortable because the square doesn’t consider thedistance between objects. And by moving such frames on slidewe always can align them relating to each other, and, at thesame time, set equal distance between them.


1х1,63 1х1,63

1х1,631х1,63

For example like this


The fourth step is to choose colors, to be used in presentation.

Example is here, for a title, main and subsidiary texts, lists(marked and numbered), tables, graphs and diagrams, etc.

What colors do you like?

The fourth step of creation

Here is the important principle – no more than one main colorfor text (e.g. white), one color for titles (e.g. with tins ofblue) and one-two subsidiary colors highlights in text or onschemes.

But no more!!!

The fourth step of creation

The fifth step of creation

The fifth step is to create the presentation style. Namely tochoose type, size and text’s color, which will be used then.

It is necessary to make titles and main text’s style, styles of lists(marked and numbered), tables, graphs and diagrams...

Main title

Main text (14-point Calibri type, white color), main text (14-point Calibri type,white color), Main text (14-point Calibri type, white color)

Subsidiary text (14-point Calibri type, grey color), Subsidiary text (14-point Calibritype, grey color), Subsidiary text (14-point Calibri type, grey color)

marked list

marked list

marked list

marked list

1. numbered list

2. numbered list

3. numbered list

4. numbered list

Styles of tables

Title Title Title Title

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Text Text Text Text

Styles of diagrams

0

1

2

3

4

5

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The conclusion

Using this knowledge it’s possible not just to make anydocument designed well and nice, be it a presentation, table orjust simple text.

First of all, by using these principles we can visually structureour information in the way to make it comfortable, interestingand joyful to any person perceiving it.

P.S. To be continued…

Lively management of projects

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creation and design of documents

Design

closer proximity

logical proximity

visual elements of design

basic elements

close proximity dont

design design

separate elements

basic purpose of proximity