The document discusses good design principles for desktop publishing, outlining three key steps: 1) ensure relevance by using headlines, photos, and captions to grab attention in under 7 seconds, 2) use confirmation techniques like subheads and pull quotes to encourage reading beyond 90 seconds, and 3) take action by breaking up long text and issuing a call to action using statistics, testimonials, or challenges. It also covers layout and balance principles like symmetrical vs. asymmetrical designs and the six rules for achieving visual balance.

1. What Is Good Design?
And How Do You Do It?
COM335

2. Desktop Publishing Defined

3. What is "good"?
• It’s a matter of opinion.
• What is “good” to one
person, may not be
“good” to another.
• It depends on your
specific objective and
your target audience

4. Step One: Relevance
• Time Available: 1-7
Seconds ~
4 words per second
• What’s in it for me?
• Headlines & Titles
– Maximum 28 words
– 9-5 is the best and
should be twice the
size of the subheads

5. Step One: Relevance
• Captions
• People will read
captions, no
matter how long,
before reading
body text

6. Step One: Relevance
• Photographs
– Inspire curiosity and
involvement
– Help readers imagine
themselves there
– Vary size, shape
alignment, layering,
isolation

7. Step Two: Confirmation
• Time Available: Up to
90 seconds
• Was I right?
• Looking for a reason
NOT to read.

8. Step Two: Confirmation
• Short Body Text
– Increase
comprehension
– Every 2-3 Paragraphs
• Use Sub-heads, sidebars,
pull quotes, summaries,
teasers
• Unfinished statements
will get 30-60% more
people to keep reading

9. Headlines

10. Layout

11. Layout

12. Step Two: Confirmation
• Numbers & Outlines
– Use bulleted lists
– Call-outs
– Quizes – get people
involved (helps establish
the need)
– Table of Contents

13. Step Two: Confirmation
• Non-photographic Art
– Charts
– Graphs
– Tables
– Clip Art
– Illustrations
– Watermarks

14. Step Two: Confirmation
• Graphic Devices
– Rules
– Drop Caps
– Dingbats
– Bullets
– Screens
– Boxes (use sparingly to
highlight items)

15. Step Two: Confirmation
• Decreased Readability
– ALL CAPS
– Underline
– Italics
– Color

16. Graphic Devices
• Pick two or three MAX Rules
per publication and use
consistently
• Do not intersect Rules

17. Graphic Devices
• Drop and Initial Caps
– Draw attention to the
beginning of the body
text
– Use large initial letters to
indicate the beginning
of a chapter, articles or
section of text

18. Graphic Devices
• Dingbats
– Bullet Points
– End-of-article markers to
create a visual end-point
– Highlight important
copy
– Can be custom

19. Graphic Devices
• Boxes and Bullet Points
– Indicate “This is the
primary point”
– Relate to one another
– Use boxes and bullets
like an outline

20. Step Three: Action
• Time Available: As
much as needed
• What do I do?
• Long body text
– Break up for skimmers
– Assume the general
public has a 6th grade
education
– Break up with graphic
devices

21. Step Three: Action
• Proof – Connects
message and reader,
creates memory
• Call to action
– Statistics
– Track record
– Testimonials
– Issue a challenge
– Visualization
– Impact Statement

22. Layout Design
Symmetrical Asymmetrical
• Copy is centered and • Unusual shapes, white
art is distributed evenly space and color
achieve balance

23. 6 Rules of Balance
• Anything located in the
upper left quadrant
(primary optical area of
the layout has more
optical weight

24. 6 Rules of Balance
• Large items are noticed
more, seen for a longer
time, and remembered
better than small items

25. 6 Rules of Balance
• Elements that are dark
carry more optical
weight than black and
white

26. 6 Rules of Balance
• Color conveys more
optical weight than
black and white

27. 6 Rules of Balance
• White space serves to
draw reader’s attention
to whatever is in the
“non-empty” space

28. 6 Rules of Balance
• Rectangles are
“expected”
• Triangles, ovals, circles,
cubes convey optical
weight