Design Notebook

Emilie Zink-Wright

ENG-W321

Dr. Margaret Evans

30 January 2018

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Contents Alignment ....................................................................3

Weak Example

Proximity .....................................................................4

Weak Example

Contrast .......................................................................5

Good Example

Repetition ....................................................................6

Good Example

Typography .................................................................7

Good Example

Weak Example

Corporate Identity ......................................................9

❖ Please note, this design notebook is based on the design elements described by Robin Williams in her

book, The Non-Designer’s Design Book. All definitions and descriptions of the design elements are to

be attributed to Robin Williams.

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Alignment ❖ “Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every element should have some visual connection

with another element on the page. This creates a clean and sophisticated look” (p. 13).

The Problem

This business card

displays weak alignment,

which makes it difficult

for the reader to know

which information to pay

attention to. The card

contains three different

alignments: 1) the logo

and address are center-

aligned, 2) the phone

number and email

address are left-aligned,

and 3) the fax number

and website are right-

aligned. There is no focal

point to the card.

The Solution In order to create a well-aligned business card that retains the readability of the logo,

the contact information could all be moved to the back, with the logo and tag line

becoming completely centered on the front of the card. This would make the logo

stand out as the sole focal point of the card, so anyone looking at it would know

exactly which company the card belongs to and what their business is. The reader

would not have to try to differentiate between the logo/company information and the

contact information. On the back of the card, the contact information should be either

left- or right-aligned, and then grouped so that it meets Williams’ recommendations for

proximity as well as alignment. The phone number, fax number, and email address

should all be grouped together, since those are the possible ways a reader can contact

the physician’s office. The website should be in its own space, as should the address,

since those pieces of information are not connected with each other.

Figure 1: Business card from Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians –

portrays weak alignment

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Proximity

The Problem This document could

be a useful tool for

many people in the

Kansas City area who

are looking to find

events that match their

interests.

Unfortunately, the

proximity of the related

items in the document

make it difficult for a

reader to even want to

decipher the text,

much less easily see

which events are taking

place throughout the

year. The calendar

currently looks like it

contains four separate

columns, none of which

seem related to the

others.

The Solution As with any design

edit, there are many

possible ways to fix the

proximity issues in this

document. The easiest

would be to get rid of

the separate columns

that are keeping the dates and event descriptions from becoming related entities. The

months should head each section, with the dates of each event and the event

description in close proximity to each other underneath the month’s heading.

Figure 2: Calendar of Events from brochure of Kansas City Map 2017,

produced by ettractions.com – portrays weak proximity

❖ Items relating to each other should be grouped close together. When several items are in close proximity to each

other, they become one visual unit rather than several separate units. This helps organize information, reduces

clutter, and gives the reader a clear structure” (p. 13)

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Contrast

Why it Works This On the Border coupon is a good example of contrast. The light green on the dark

green background makes the letters pop out, and immediately draws in the reader’s

eyes. The white lettering on the dark green background is clearly defined, and even the

smaller font is easily legible. The various sizes of the font contrast sharply so it’s easy

to see which information should be grouped together. The script font in the center of

the coupon also draws in the reader’s eyes and is a good contrast with the sans-serif

font used for the rest of the lettering.

Possible Improvements The website in the center of the coupon is the only disappointing contrast on the

coupon. It blends into the background and looks like a piece of decorative border,

partially due to the font being in all caps, and partially due to the black outline that

obscures the individual lettering. The font should be changed to lowercase, and the

size should be decreased so it doesn’t stretch from one picture to the other. Having it

a little smaller will bring more attention to it and will serve its purpose of drawing in

the reader, especially if a warm color is used for the font that both complements the

green already on the coupon and contrasts with the existing lettering.

❖ “The idea behind contrast is to avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. If the elements…are

not the same, then make the very difference. Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on

a page—it’s what makes a reader look at the page in the first place. It also clarifies the communication.

Figure 3: On the Border coupon from ValPak – portrays good contrast

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Repetition

Why it Works

The BioLife Plasma Company has several repetitive elements running through their

donation guide. The top of each page consists of a colorful banner that gives the topic

of the page and contains the BioLife logo. Yellow text boxes with white lettering is

used to notify the reader of important information. A watermark with the company’s

logo is print on the lower half of each page. Each level of heading is designated by its

own particular style, which allows the reader to easily understand the organization of

the booklet. These elements give the booklet and the company an aura of

sophistication that would not be present in a more poorly designed document.

❖ “Repeat visual elements of the design throughout the piece. You can repeat colors, shapes, textures,

spatial relationships, line thicknesses, fonts, sizes, graphic concepts, etc. This develops the

organization and strengthens the unity” (p.13).

Figures 4-8: Pages from the BioLife Plasma donation guide – portrays good repetitio

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Typography: Good Why it Works As Williams discusses

in her book, readers

are often averse to

reading a document

that is saturated with

words, leaving behind

little-to-no white

space. The designers

at Time Magazine did

a good job of using

the types direction to

leave plenty of white

space on this page to

try to entice the

reader. The direction

of the type is very

creative, with the

vertical quote

standing out from the

otherwise horizontal

type of the first

column, and with the

shape of both

columns fluctuating

to create space for the

photo of Paul Ryan.

Adding a picture

draws the reader in as

well. The title of the article is printed in a slab

serif font and has a higher weight than the

typeface on the rest of the page. This allows it to

stand out, and helps the reader easily see that

it’s the title of the piece. The authors’ names

and a quote designed to attract readers are in

red ink so that they immediately stand out from

the black on the page.

Figure 10: Elliott, Phillip & Jenkins, Nash.

“House Speaker Paul Ryan has the worst job

in Washington—for now.” Time. 29 January

2018: 10. Print.

Portrays a good example of typography

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Typography: Weak The Problem In the last six

chapters of her book,

Williams drives home

the issues that arise

from writing in all

capital letters. This

document shows just

how correct she is.

The only thing about

this document that

stands out is the

bright orange color

of the paper. The

typeface is most

likely in all caps as

an attempt to draw

more attention to the

message, and it was

then printed on the

orange paper for the

same purpose.

Having so much

writing in all caps

makes it difficult to

pay attention to the

page long enough to

read the words.

The Solution Rather than using all caps and an orange sheet of paper, the person who wrote or

designed this document would have been more effective using plain white paper and

drawing attention to the words by using any of the type contrasts: size, weight,

structure, form, direction, and color would each have been more effective at catching

the attention of the targeted reader than this document is in its current state.

Figure 11: Notice from the packaging of an appliance—portrays weak typography

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Corporate Identity

Why it Works The company logo is prominent in all three of the examples. It is easy to look at either

of the documents or the website and clearly see the company that is being

represented. The color scheme is the same in the documents and the website, which

keeps the design flowing.

Figures 12, 13, & 14: Business card, letterhead, and

website for S & C Claims Services, Inc.