tools to use in your school graphicdesign. symptoms your design doesn’t look or feel right

Tools to Use in Your School

GRAPHIC

DESIGN

SYMPTOMS

Your design doesn’t look or feel right

DIAGNOSIS

Identify common design mistakes

PRESCRIPTION

Find a solution to make the design better

People are reading for a reason:

necessity, curiosity, business, pleasure

Do they want to read or do they

have to?

Are they going to be reading

every single word or jumping

from topic to topic?

WH

Y ?

Parents, Students, Staff, Community

Different designs for different groups

Simple & easy-to-read for adults;

fun & engaging for children

Knowing who your reader is

will immediately help focus

your approach.WH

O ?

You know the “why” and “who”…

now you can determine what type of

document you will create

Goal: inform students of an assembly

Document: poster

Goal: inform parents of yearly events

Document: tri-fold brochure

Also consider the budget:

mailing and printing costs

WH

AT ?

Consider the location of your message

and proximity of reader

Poster – hanging on wall – large text

Brochure – reading in hands –

smaller text

Online – save in correct format

If displayed next to others, make

yours STAND OUT!WH

ER

E ?

Last minute projects

Create a timeline

Print in office or send to Print

Shop

Number of copies

Mailed or posted

immediatelyWH

EN

& H

OW

?

space

Give the eye a visual rest.

Create ties between elements.

Highlight an element.

Use white space.

Make a layout easy to follow.

Make type as legible as possible.

WHITE SPACE Don’t fill up every inch of the page.

Space provides a greater emphasis on the

message.

White space around key elements can make

them stronger and easier to read.

USE A GRID The size, spacing & placement of objects on the

page should look intentional, not random.

Line things up. Your page will look polished.

Create guidelines on the page & use margins.

Thin columns of text are easier to read.

PRIORITY What do you want the reader to see first?

The headline or main image should be the largest

element on the page.

Sub-headers can show the reader where to look next.

Group similar items together and leave space

between things that don’t go together.

FONTS

Choose the appropriate font.

Never use more than 4 fonts

in one document.

Don’t overuse display fonts

Consider size, weight & legibility

of the font

FONT FAMILIES

more formaleasier to read in

paragraph formmore legible in

book format

more casualeasier to read in

titles & headingsmore legible on

computer screen

serif sans serif

serif sans serif

Bookman Old Style Century Schoolbook Courier New Garamond Goudy Old Style Palatino Linotype Times New Roman

Arial Century Gothic Franklin Gothic Gill Sans Lucida Sans Tahoma Verdana

COMMONLY USED FONTS

DISPLAY FONTS

BroadwayBrush ScriptChillerComic SansCurlzEdwardian ScriptJokerman

MistralPapyrusPlaybillRavieScriptSnapTempus Sans

CHOOSING FONTS No more than 4 fonts per document.

Best option: ONE serif font & ONE sans serif font.

Use only ONE display font per document &

only use it as a title or accent font.

TitleThis is the body text. Only use a serif or sans serif font here. Do not use a display font.

TitleThis is the body text. Only use a serif or sans serif font here. Do not use a display font.

YES

NO

FORMAT

Use bold, italics &

underline separately

Consider font size

Don’t overuse ALL CAPS

Align text properly

FONT SIZE All fonts are NOT created equally.

Check legibility of specific font to determine size.

Remember the amount of text that needs to fit on

the page. Decrease or increase font size accordingly.

In general, titles range from 20-36 point size,

and main text ranges from 9-12 points.

FONT FORMAT There is no need to bold, italicize AND underline

text. Only choose ONE.

Consider using a different font instead of making

an item bold or underlined.

AVOID TYPING IN ALL CAPS – it’s hard to read.

ALIGNMENT Align text LEFT is the most common & easy to

read format.

For a clean look, consider Justify. It aligns text to

both left & right margins, adding space between

words when necessary.

Avoid centering an entire page of text.

COLOR

Highlight important elements

Signal the reader where to look first

using blocks of color.

Create an image or a mood.

Tie a layout together.

Group elements together or isolate them.

COLOR PALETTE Select two or three complimentary colors that work

together – or use your school colors!

Consider using shades of the same color

Dark & muted colors = sophisticated & classy

Bright & light colors = young & fresh

IMAGES

Cut the “clip art clutter”

Consider style & theme

Avoid using images to fill empty space

Remember the grid when placing

images on a page

Use images to draw attention to headings

THEME & STYLE Avoid using different styles of clip art

Consider the feeling/mood of the document

YES

NO

IMAGE OVERLOAD Instead of many small images, use one or two

large images.

Avoid scattered clip art, decorative bullets, boxes or

borders, and lines all over the same page

Choose one or two key images that complement the text

and use them to focus attention or provide visual interest.

STEP-By-STEP

Analyze the audience. Determine the purpose of your message. Decide where and how your message will appear. Establish goals & timeline. Organize text and graphics. 

Choose an appropriate format and layout. Select appropriate typefaces, type sizes, type styles, and spacing. Add and manipulate graphics. Organize text and graphics. Proofread & refine. 

NEED HELP?

Print it out – it will be easier to spot mistakes & get a different perspective Get input from someone else Walk away, and come back with fresh eyes