Tools to Use in Your School

1. GRAPHIC DESIGN Tools to Use in Your School

2. Your design doesn’t look or feel right SYMPTOMS

3. Identify common design mistakes DIAGNOSIS

4. Find a solution to make the design better PRESCRIPTION

5. WHY ? • 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?

6. WHO ? • 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.

7. WHAT ? • 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

8. WHERE ? • 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!

9. WHEN & HOW ? • Last minute projects • Create a timeline • Print in office or send to Print Shop • Number of copies • Mailed or posted immediately

10. 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. space

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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 FONTS

15. FONT FAMILIES • serif • sans serif • more formal • easier to read in paragraph form • more legible in book format • more casual • easier to read in titles & headings • more legible on computer screen

16. COMMONLY USED FONTS • 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

17. DISPLAY FONTS • Broadway • Brush Script • Chiller • Comic Sans • Curlz • Edwardian Script • Jokerman • Mistral • Papyrus • Playbill • Ravie • Script • Snap • Tempus Sans

18. 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. YES NO Title This is the body text. Only use a serif or sans serif font here. Do not use a display font. Title This is the body text. Only use a serif or sans serif font here. Do not use a display font.

19. Use bold, italics &underline separately • Consider font size • Don’t overuse ALL CAPS • Align text properly FORMAT

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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 IMAGES

26. THEME & STYLE • Avoid using different styles of clip art • Consider the feeling/mood of the document YES NO

27. 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.

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

29. 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.

30. 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 NEED HELP?