Friends often ask: what makes for good design? How do you
make something look cool? Design is something PR pros heavily emphasize, but
hardly talk about. The reason being that design is usually something innate that’s
hard to put into words. That being said, this is my attempt to put into words
the basic elements of design that seem to work best.
Don’t complicate
things. Think of your favorite brands. Logos are probably coming to mind.
It is amazing what simplicity can do for design, no? The Apple logo, for
example, seems quite obvious— it’s an apple. We know it’s an apple, not a
tomato, because of the bite mark. But people who are not necessarily design
oriented, maybe potential clients, might want to embellish or add detail and
color to something that already speaks for itself. As cliché as it may sound: sometimes
less really is more. The simple silhouette of an apple creates a more
sophisticated, forward thinking look, which is the image that Apple wants to
portray. Apple wants consumers to feel like they are sophisticated and forward
thinking when they buy or use their products. You’re probably reading this on
your MacBook or iPad screen right now—feeling pretty cool, huh? The simplicity
and intuitive quality of their products’ design is part of what has made the
company such a success.
Say what you mean to
say and say it over and over. To go along with simplicity, clarity and consistency
are key. In everything you do, be true to your brand and your brand’s voice. If
your company’s image is quirky, have a witty voice to go along with it. It’ll
help you stand out. Consumers should know as soon as they look at your product
or promotional item, like a flyer or even business card, what the message is
and who it’s coming from. The more you see a logo, a font or a color, the more
you associate it with that brand or product. Burn that logo image into the
consumers’ head. Well, not literally, of course. Also, don’t get too font- or
color-happy— 3, max, is effective. This fosters brand awareness. After a while,
consumers will begin to recognize your logo the way we now recognize the beloved
Starbucks logo without “Starbucks Coffee” spelled out around it. Be clear in
the messages you relay to your consumers. Copy should be concise. Get to the
point, fast. In a world where we might barely skim over a 150-character tweet,
we don’t have time to read through dense copy. Know exactly what you’re trying
to say and what you’re trying to convince your consumers of. The language
should be conversational and easy to understand. It should be visible and
legible from a distance. Copy and design go hand-in-hand. White space is good;
we like white space. The less copy, the better looking the design will be and
the more likely consumers will be to actually stop and look at or, if you’re
lucky, actually read it.
Choose the right
colors. Black and white is always a classic combination. It creates a
striking contrast that’s easy to read. Yellow and black are also eye-catching.
Complimentary colors (red and green; blue and orange; yellow and purple) look
good, but can irritate the eye if used in copy and make it difficult to read.
Red can make for an intense and attractive background. Blue is appealing to
most people, but should be avoided for food products or restaurants. It doesn’t
do much for our appetites. We like edible colors (When was the last time you
had something blue to eat?). Warm colors and green are good. Green can be fresh
and cool color choice. It is important to understand basic color psychology
because consumers immediately associate colors with certain moods or memories.
It’s also important to understand cultural differences when it comes to color
and shapes or symbols, whether you’re trying to appeal to a diverse group of
young hipsters who are looking for something trendy to do, or a group of older,
grumpier immigrant women looking for groceries on their shopping list.
Know where we’re
looking. Our eye is immediately
drawn to certain places. One-third down the way of this sheet paper, for
example. Repetition, lines and frames can lead our eye in a certain direction.
One basic and easy rule of composition is the “Rule of Thirds”. Draw an imaginary
tic-tac-toe board on your design and try to place what you want people to focus
on in the places where those imaginary lines cross.
The trick is that even if you didn’t get gold stars for your
artwork in elementary school, you can still learn the basic principles of good
design. Good design is about being smart, and if you’re trying to sell or
promote something smart design is important. You know what looks good. So, next
time you see something you like, really look at it and ask yourself why it looks good. Why were you drawn to it? And then go download yourself a free
month’s trial of InDesign and go bananas.
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