Five things that you can do to create designs that look more professional – even if you’re using Microsoft Word!
This month I’m running a design workshop for beginners, teaching the delegates the principles of graphic design so that they can make sure that the collateral they produce in house has the impact they’d like it to. Now I’m not suggesting for one moment that in five points I can show you how to create the impact, engagement and wow factor that professional graphic designers can produce for you – I can’t. There’s a good reason that designers study fonts, colours and the impact of images for years at both college and in their professional lives. I’m not about to undermine that!
But something constantly frustrates me. Small business owners simply don’t have the funds to get everything produced professionally. Oh, you might think that you’ll always call in the pros when you need to. But what about that proposal? The 30 leaflets you dashed out in time for that networking event? The blog that you threw together?
And this is where things start to fall apart.
You know you need to invest in a decent logo. And if you’re smart you make sure you have a strong corporate identity, pulled together by a brand manual which shows you how to use your lovely image. But just how often do you refer to that? No, more often than not, the stuff you produce yourself bears no resemblance to the shiny brand image of which you’re so proud.
I’m a realist. I know that you need to produce your own documents in house. But what I’d like to do is show you how to produce them in a way that doesn’t break that corporate identity you’ve invested so much time and money in! So without further ado (and I realise that there’s much ado above, but it is important that you realise why I’m sharing this with you…) I give you the top five things that you can do to improve your design.
1. Think about what really matters. If you’re designing a promotional leaflet or flyer it certainly isn’t your logo. So remove your logo from that prominent position and place it somewhere discretely. Done? Right, now let’s focus on making the headline and striking image the centre of attention!
2. Colour affects. You probably have a palette of colours that you should be using to support your brand (and if you don’t, speak to us and fast!). Walk away from the default blue (so downmarket) and the “oh so noticeable” red and go back the colours that say the right things about you to your clients.
3. Fonts matter. Arial, Verdana and Times are only acceptable for the web and emailing. Use them on anything that you’re going to PDF or print out and it’ll scream “homemade”! (and not in a good way either…). Consult your brand manual for a list of the fonts that say the right things about your business – and use them.
4. Create a strong layout. Graphic designers start by creating a “grid”. This adds style and makes things easier to read. One column the whole width of the page yells amateur. Consider using multiple columns. If you can, also try and place your images across two columns to break up the grid and create a more professional look.
5. A picture paints a thousand words. Which means that cheesy stock photo you had your eye on probably needs to go! There’s nothing wrong with stock photos per-se, but beware the over-used cliches. Particularly avoid road signs and anything that shows a chart with an arrow shooting through it. Eurgh! Beware also of the colour of these stock photos. When I review clients designs I often notice a dominance of grey – not nice or inspiring. Be careful to think as much about the colour as you do about the content.
And there you have it. Five simple things that you can do to improve the look of the work you produce in house. There’s plenty more info on my blog (see below) and if I’ve got you thinking, then I’d love to see you on my workshop on 23rd April.
