print issue 46

Issue 46 | 2007 www.bamagazine.com $10.50 How to design cool stuff®

In this issue:0654 Pix Trix 3: Scrapbook-style photos | 0655 Design Talk 10: Five Postcard Ideas

0656 Design Talk 11: Five Design Ideas | 0657 Big, bold, beautiful 0658 Focus your presentation | 0659 Design Talk 12: Five Design Ideas

0660 How to set a text-only logotype | 0661 Design a catalog of rectangles

Why settle for flat? Add some realism to your digital photos.

Scrapbook-style photos

Select Cut

Corner tabs Curled edges

Shadow Clamp

Before&After | www.bamagazine.com

1 of 5

Pix Trix 3: Scrapbook-style photos 06540654 Pix Trix 3: Scrapbook-style photos

Dexter and Leilani are making a Web site for their upcoming wedding and have 10 years’ worth of photos to share with family and friends. They want their images to convey the warm, lived-with quality that you’d find in a scrapbook or photo album. Yet digital photos are by nature cold, flat and hard-edged, so they’ll need a little help. Here are six techniques to add borders, shadows, fasteners, the illusion of a curl and so on to turn those computerized pix into ones that you can almost touch.

Scrapbook-style photos

PixTrix3Here are six easy ways to add depth and realism to your digital photos.


2 of 5


Open your photo and increase the Canvas Size enough to accommodate a border and a shadow.

Apply a white stroke to the outside of the photo. Its pixel width will depend on your resolution.

Add a shadow. Click the layer, and add a very thin drop shadow to make the photo appear to be on the page, not floating above it.

Add a border

The easiest thing to do is simply add a white border, which will make your photo look like a traditional print. Widths vary; older photos generally had wider borders. In Photoshop . . .

Look for points of interest. Your upper photos will crop the lower ones by covering some parts. Look for artistic parts. It’s obvious with portraits that you want the people to be visible (above), but other images will have different possibilities. Also, skew your photos only slightly—between two and four degrees. Much more than that and they’ll look strewn, not stacked (right).

Save file size. One photo can look like a dozen! Save file size by substi-tuting a solid color for the underlying images (right) and flattening the file.

Stack ’em up

A stack of photos slightly askew looks naturally casual; two or three in a stack is usually plenty. Technically, upper photos would have softer shadows, but in practice this usually isn’t necessary.


3 of 5


Clip it! Photo of a binder clip is cut from its background (left), shadowed and simply set atop the photos. (iStockphoto.com image: Binder clip | Push pin | Paper clip )

Use a decorative element An object that you’d find in the scene makes a lifelike ornament. A cast shadow (not a drop shadow) makes the pine cone appear to be sitting on a tabletop. (iStockphoto.com image: Pine cone )

Select

Shadow

Cut

Add an object

Clips, pushpins and other photographic objects add realism—and they’re fun. When looking for an object photo, pay attention to its lighting, which must match your shadows (or vice-versa).

Draw corner tabs What says photo album more than those little corner tabs? Just draw, fill and apply a very thin shadow. Make all the tabs in your album the same size.

ShadowFillDraw a triangle. Reduce its opacity and apply shadow.

Fill with white.Draw a shape. Note serrated ends.

Draw your own fasteners

Triangle scrapbook corners and translucent tape are easy to draw and look great.

Draw translucent tape In real life you’d rarely tape your photos like this, but hey; it looks good, and you can use a lot of variety—white tape, beige, thin, wide, long, short and so on.


4 of 5


Curved shadow creates the illusion of the photo curling without distorting the image. Drawing a freehand shadow is about as effective as any mechanical technique and yields shadows that are slightly—and naturally—irregular.

Draw a shape with corners like these.

Fill, then blur the edges.

Place the image. Lighten the shadow.

Add some curl

Paper photos are rarely perfectly flat. Create the illusion of a slight curl by drawing a curved shadow.

Lift three corners by enlarging the shadow and offsetting it horizontally.

Lift the top by shortening the shadow as shown.

Lift more. The larger and softer a shadow is, the further above the surface the photo appears to be. To modify an existing shadow, enlarge it more, then in Photo shop select the eraser tool, a soft brush, and start erasing (above). A slight tilt (left) makes it more dynamic.

Try different curls

Modifying the shadow slightly “lifts” the photo higher off the page. Note in all cases that only the shadow is altered; the photo remains untouched.


5 of 5


No old photo collection would be complete without a Polaroid-looking print that has that characteristically wide bottom margin. Image-to-frame proportions vary; just get close.

Great America ,98

The classic snapshot No photo looks more informal than an old-fashioned, self-developing Polaroid print. Just draw a white field and lay the photo atop it; the wide margin leaves room to add a scrapbooky note. Below, apply styles from the previous pages.

3 1/2”

4 1/4”

Image: 3” x 3 1/8”

Stacked Tacked Taped Curled

Make your own Polaroid

Select one style and repeat it.

Create a Photoshop Action Actions save time by recording repeated steps. In the Actions pal-ette, click on the Create new action button (above). Specify a name (and, optionally, a shortcut Function Key), and click Record. Stylize your image, and click Stop when you’re finished. To apply the Action to another image, simply open that image, and either click the Play button or your speci-fied shortcut Function Key. (Note: You will need to create separate actions for your portrait and land-scape images.

If you have many photos from different years, you can bring them together beautifully by using just one style. To minimize making repetitive steps, this is a good time to use Photoshop’s Action feature.

Fill the page


1 of 5

Design Talk 10: Five Postcard Ideas 06550655 Design Talk 10: Five Postcard Ideas

FivePostcardIdeasDesignTalk10

$560,850

The ArtSchool

Fresh Shapes Big Image, Small Type

Big Type, Small Image

Front, Back Centered Design

Big image, small type

Forget high tech. An ordinary, 6 9 x 49 postcard is a perfectly efficient way to get your message to a local audience. It’s an easy space to design, and you can print it on your desktop. Key to effectiveness is to be simple and bold—one image, a few words, strong colors, big contrasts, like this . . .

1

Two-thirds image, one-third text. Divide your space into thirds (left), and fill two thirds with a simple, bold image, which creates a huge focal point. Fill the remaining third with a short paragraph of descriptive text. The two fields work together beauti-fully because their size and texture are so different. Works with photos and also clip-art (above).

Image Type

Save 20% on any purchase at any area location from January 1st through May 30. Satensulus otam avere tabultui publicio hum. Git; nondacips, sedierium nos resimus ertere publii prarit Cuppl. me hocaeque es nont. Ciem, cae quiumhus, se dem publin terenamtm.

BALDWIN PAINTSBALDWIN PAINTS

Save 20% on any purchase at any area location from June 1st through July 31st. Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it the snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast the thin chack. It has larch to say fan elesara end and order.

BALDWIN PAINTS

Save 20% on any purchase at any area location from June 1st through July 31st. Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it the snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible silk.


2 of 5


Big type, small image

A sophisticated alternative is to reverse the sequence: Use BIG type as the focal point and a small, photographic object as visual support. Juxtaposing words and images can have very interesting results; you’ll enjoy experimenting. Carry color and typestyles to the descriptive back side.

Big type, tight letterspacing. (Right) Letter-spacing that’s correct at small sizes, where you don’t notice it, is too airy at large sizes, where you do. Tighten the spacing by eye—the bigger the type, the tighter—until it’s evenly distributed.

FAIRE OAKS FurnITURE GALLERY 150 Faire Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95628

Dining Rooms • Bedrooms • Living &

Family Rooms • Handmade Ironwood

& Rosewood Furniture • UPHOLSTERED &

LEATHER SOFAS • CUSTOM art Accessories

Interior Design Service

Daisy Ave.

Turner Rd.

Faire Oaks Blvd.

Pac

ific

Lane

85

N

Airy, text-size spacing

SALETight, display-size spacing

SALE

SALEFAIRE OAKS FurnITURE GALLERY

2

Shape it

The lifespan of the average postcard is very short—out of the mailbox, onto the table and into the trash—which is why simple and bold is effective. But here’s another approach; design a postcard that’s meant to be kept—in this case, a yummy recipe. Rectangles make a fresh, easy-to-draw look.

Fast Meals.com

10–Minute Meal Garden-Fresh Chicken Wraps

The number 1 resource for the culinary enthusiast

1 Pre-roasted chicken (shredded)1 Cup ranch dressing1 Yellow bell pepper (diced)1 Cucumber (diced)1 Tomato (diced)1 Can olives (sliced)1 Pack spring greens3 Wrap-size tortillas

Lay out the tortillas, and coat with a thin layer of ranch dressing. Next, layer on the chicken, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and spring greens.Then salt and pepper to taste. Finally, roll like a burrito, and enjoy.

Color connects

3

Divide the page. Simple shapes—in this case, round-corner rectangles—make the look; headlines, text and photos go inside the shapes. The first step is to figure out how much material you have, then divide the space into shapes big enough to hold it (above left). Place the image inside one shape (above middle). Sample two or three colors to fill the other shapes (above right), which ties all the parts together. Like colors connect; note that green “bookends” the card.

Use different sizes and shapes to suit your content.

Carry shapes to the back.

Fast Meals.com1527 Valley Oak Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93101


3 of 5


Center it

The center of a space is its strongest visual position (like a target). This card takes advantage of that. Reduce the rectangle by about half, center it, then center the text within it. An indistinct background—here, an abstract painting—keeps all attention on the message.

The strength of the center is that it’s where all of the axes—or lines of force—converge (above left). Reduce the rectangle by about half, and color it black or some other high-contrast color, then center the text within it. A rectangle has the added plus of being a repetitive shape. Add a small shadow to “lift” it away from the surface. Place the background. An abstract image, texture or pattern adds color and interest without distract-ing the eye (above middle). Create a series. This technique is excellent for a series of postcards; the background image and even the message can change without changing the look (above right).

4

The ArtSchool The ArtSchool

The ArtSchoolEnroll Today! Whether you’re looking for a stress-relieving hobby, to

express your love of nature, or to begin a new career, here at The ArtSchool you can learn tuat at vulluptat. Ut elisl utpatue dolor in ut praesto consectem

augiametuero et, quis alit amcortinit volore con velit, consectem in hent adionul luptatem autpat ilit lamet at. Utat nummodo luptat er iriuscilisit alis ea faccum

nis atummy nulla facilisc. For more information, phone 1-555-333-4697.

The ArtSchool

5

One-third text, two-thirds image. This layout is a complex version of our first card (page 2)—image on one side, text on the other; the sales-woman is a visual bridge (left). Note the contrasts: Sections are light and dark. Card and sections are rectangular; she’s organic. Her red sign stands out vividly. She also bridges front to back, effectively wrapping the whole card into a single package. Many images will have a similar effect; people pictures are especially strong.

Double it

When it comes to communication, repetition is a good thing. The rule is to tell your audience what you’re about to say, then say it, then tell them what you said. This design does that visually—the bubbly saleswoman delivers the message, the house supports it, then on the back she repeats it.

$560,850

$560,850

House Hunting?

Angela Payne, Realtor

Office: 209-370-1234

Cell: 209-640-5678

Fax: 209-333-9876

[email protected]

www.miromaxrealty.com

If you or someone you know is

interested in purchasing a home, I

have many homes available to view.

Texture flasp exating end mist of it

snooling. Spaff its forl isn’t

no cubular but is quastic,

leam is restart that can’t

prebast it’s tope thin.

Just Listed!

8590 Blackbird Place, Stockton • Offered at $560,850

Built in 2004 • 2405 Sq. Ft. • 9700 Sq. Ft. Lot

5 Bedrooms • 3 Baths • 2-Car Garage • Huge Backyard

Swimming Pool • Close to Shopping Center • Walking

Distance to New High School • Will Consider All Offers

$560,850

MIROMAX REAL STATE COMPANY665 East Brookside Way, Suite 250Stockton, CA 95207-6278

MIROMAX


4 of 5


Typefaces

1 Helvetica Neue 83 Heavy Ext | 9 pt

2 (a–b) Helvetica Neue 43Light Ext a) 14/16.8 pt, b) 27 pt

3 Helvetica Neue 55 Roman | 8/9.6 pt

4 Adobe Caslon Pro Reg | 18.3/19.2 pt

5 ITC Franklin Gothic Heavy | 7.5 pt

7 ITC Franklin Gothic Book | 7.5/10 pt

Images

8 (a–b) iStockphoto.com | a b

Article resources

Colors

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C30 M5 Y0 K5

C30 M0 Y100 K0

C0 M75 Y100 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K50

9

10

11

10

11

12

BALDWIN PAINTS

9

1312

13

Fast Meals.com

10–Minute Meal Garden-Fresh Chicken Wraps

The number 1 resource for the culinary enthusiast

1 Pre-roasted chicken (shredded)1 Cup ranch dressing1 Yellow bell pepper (diced)1 Cucumber (diced)1 Tomato (diced)1 Can olives (sliced)1 Pack spring greens3 Wrap-size tortillas

Lay out the tortillas, and coat with a thin layer of ranch dressing. Next, layer on the chicken, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and spring greens.Then salt and pepper to taste. Finally, roll like a burrito, and enjoy.

Save 20% on any purchase at any area location from June 1st through July 31st. Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it the snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast the thin chack. It has larch to say fan elesara end and order.

BALDWIN PAINTS

2b

2a

1

2a

3

4

8b

6

5

8a

Typefaces

1 (a–c) Trajan Pro Bold | a) 185 pt

b) 13.5/14 pt, c) 14/15 pt

2 Trajan Pro Regular | 7.3/15 pt

3 Helvetica Neue 45 Light | 9.5 pt

4 Helvetica Neue 65 Medium | 7 pt

Images

5 iStockphoto.com

Article resources

Colors

C5 M40 Y90 K18

C40 M85 Y100 K45

C0 M0 Y0 K50

6

7

8

6

7

6

8

SALEFAIRE OAKS FurnITURE GALLERY

FAIRE OAKS FurnITURE GALLERY 150 Faire Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95628

Dining Rooms • Bedrooms • Living &

Family Rooms • Handmade Ironwood

& Rosewood Furniture • UPHOLSTERED &

LEATHER SOFAS • CUSTOM art Accessories

Interior Design Service

Daisy Ave.

Turner Rd.

Faire Oaks Blvd.

Pac

ific

Lane

85

N

5

1a

1b

1c

3

4

2


5 of 5


Typefaces

1 Minion Pro Bold | 31/26 pt

2 Minion Pro Regular | 8/14 pt

3 ITC Franklin Gothic Heavy | 7 pt

4 ITC Franklin Gothic Medium | 7 pt

5 Goudy Old Style | 31 pt

6 Helvetica Neue 55 Roman | 6 pt

7 Helvetica Neue 85 Heavy | 6 pt

Images

8 (a–d) iStockphoto.com | a b c d

Colors

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C0 M0 Y0 K50

C45 M35 Y100 K55

C0 M0 Y100 K0

C0 M40 Y75 K0

C30 M30 Y30 K100

9

10

11

12

Article resources

11

10

12

9

13

14

13

14

The ArtSchoolEnroll Today! Whether you’re looking for a stress-relieving hobby, to

express your love of nature, or to begin a new career, here at The ArtSchool you can learn tuat at vulluptat. Ut elisl utpatue dolor in ut praesto consectem

augiametuero et, quis alit amcortinit volore con velit, consectem in hent adionul luptatem autpat ilit lamet at. Utat nummodo luptat er iriuscilisit alis ea faccum

nis atummy nulla facilisc. For more information, phone 1-555-333-4697.

House Hunting?

Angela Payne, Realtor

Office: 209-370-1234

Cell: 209-640-5678

Fax: 209-333-9876

[email protected]

www.miromaxrealty.com

If you or someone you know is

interested in purchasing a home, I

have many homes available to view.

Texture flasp exating end mist of it

snooling. Spaff its forl isn’t

no cubular but is quastic,

leam is restart that can’t

prebast it’s tope thin.

Just Listed!

8590 Blackbird Place, Stockton • Offered at $560,850

Built in 2004 • 2405 Sq. Ft. • 9700 Sq. Ft. Lot

5 Bedrooms • 3 Baths • 2-Car Garage • Huge Backyard

Swimming Pool • Close to Shopping Center • Walking

Distance to New High School • Will Consider All Offers

$560,8503

8a

4

6

8c

5

7

8d

1

3

2

4

8b

Print $42 | PDF $24Subscribe today!Choose from two great formats!

Before & After is a one-of-a-kind design resource available in two formats. Before & After in print gives you four beautiful glossy issues per subscription and includes the PDF version for free. Before & After in PDF gives you the same content at nearly half the price; download and enjoy a new article almost every week. Which format is best for you? Learn more, and subscribe online.

www.bamagazine.com


1 of 4

Design Talk 11: Five Design Ideas 06560656 Design Talk 11: Five Design Ideas

Layout Set a beautiful title in one line

Your title is important, but so is your photo—so how do you put them together? Try this. Set the title in one, thin line. Widely spaced, uppercase type conveys stateliness and power; small size has quiet authority. Key is the translucent stripe, which brings photo and words together.

One-line title interrupts the photo without disturbing it and takes advantage of the natural power of the center. Draw a thin, white rect-angle, lower its opacity (here, to 70%), add a faint shadow (right), and set the title in uppercase with very wide tracking (200%, below).

T H E C I RC L E A N D L O M B A RD I s C H O L A R s H I p F U N D


Shadow Logo Photo Callout

Color Contrast One-Line Title

Mannequin Model

FiveDesignIdeasDesignTalk11

$25

Margaret W. Rodriguez, M.F.A. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 100 904-123-4566 | [email protected]



2 of 4


Logo The shadow tells half the story

Classical typography conveys Sanctus’ mission with grace and dignity; lowercase setting softens its sharp lines. Angel in shadow sends silent but powerful messages that would be absent if the image were more conventional.

Splashy palm fronds cast a jet-plane shadow, sending an almost subliminal message; it may take two looks to notice the second voice. Palm tree and airplane are both clip-art. The orig-inally black plane was lightened to 20% opacity and its edges softened with Photoshop’s Gaussian Blur function.

TheGreenProjecTyouTh mission TriP

haiTi2008

sanctuss h e l t e r f o r w o m e n

Body language often conveys unspoken meaning. Here, soft shadows speak in a “second voice” that adds meaning to the messages. Illustrations in silhouette are ideal for making shadows.

Original Lighten Blur Skew

Color Pop that color!

A color is never seen alone but is always influenced by the colors around it. To showcase its multi-colored iPod shuffles, Apple uses vivid contrasts to make a small thing shout!

(Left) Three ads use complementary or near-complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposites. They have high energy, because their lack of a common color creates

tension, and tension creates energy. (Above and left) Any bright color on black will always jump out, while silver on gray (far right) blends beautifully in.

Contrast using dark and light . . . Contrast using complementary colors . . .

www.apple.com/ipodshuffle


3 of 4


And speaking of iPods, Apple’s iconic silhouette technique has other uses—like, say, modeling clothes. Erase the model and leave only her garments, which stand out vividly and allow the reader to project herself into the image.

Customize the look! Bad hairstyle? Change it! Silhouettes allow you to easily erase or add pieces to your image. (Below) You can isolate one garment or show both.

$15

Bored model, distracting green background . . .

. . . a silhouette easily eliminates all of that!

$25

Photos Make a mannequin model

For extra dimension, leave her hand’s shadow in the image.

How to make a mannequinUse an image with a clear silhouette in which the garment (or whatever) is not obstructed. For a variation, use a stroke instead of a fill.

321 Create a selection In Photoshop, set your Foreground and Background color to white and black, respectively. Next, trace a selection around the object you want to silhouette. Then place your selection on a new layer (Layer 1) by going to Layer> New> Layer via Copy.

Fill the background Select the Background layer, then press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill this layer with white. Next, trace a selection around the garment you want to show. Place it on its own layer (Layer 2) by selecting Layer> New> Layer via Copy.

Create a new layer

Fill the silhouette Click Layer 1 on the palette, and Command-click (PC: Control-click) to create a selection. Next, create a new layer (Layer 3) by clicking the “Create a new layer” icon (above). Press X to switch your Foreground color to Black. Press Option-Delete (PC:Alt-Backspace). Deselect all. Finally, hide Layer 1. Variation: Use a stroke instead of a fill (right).


4 of 4


Callouts A face brings you closer

Throw away that uninspiring, typeset list! Photo callouts put faces on your staff and show where they work on campus, too. Uniform rectangles, typefaces and colors hold the look together.

Be consistent With this much going on, it’s important to limit the vari-ables. For example, don’t mix rectangles and circles. Note that every callout is identi-cal in size, shape, color and type; photos have uniformly black backgrounds and similar cropping, and even the shadows are the same. Inward-pointing arrows yield an exciting, burst-like layout.

Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Harrison, 2450 University Drive, Mary Allen Building Jacksonville, FL 32099 | Ph: 904-123-4450 | Fax: 904-123-4460

N

Michael V. Watson, M.F.A. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 101 904-123-4567 | [email protected]


Russell E, Milford, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 107 904-123-4567 | [email protected]

Snehal Patel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 104 904-123-4562 | [email protected]

Jessica B. Leeson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 105 904-123-4567 | [email protected]

Todd A. Frankln, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 103 904-123-4568 | [email protected]

Elijah Ho Park, M.F.A. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 102 904-123-4561 | [email protected]

Debra B. Johnston, Ph.D. Department Chair Mary Allen Building, Room 106 904-123-4563 | [email protected]

Charlie R. Sebastiani, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 109 904-123-4565 | [email protected]

William M. Harpring, M.F.A. Professor Mary Allen Building, Room 108 904-123-4564 | [email protected]

Uni

vers

ity

Dri

ve

Webber Avenue

Department of Anthropology, Mary Allen BuildingColor ties maps and names.

Same typeface

Black backgrounds and uniform cropping

TheGreenProjecTyouTh mission TriP

haiTi2008

Typefaces

1 Paralucent Condensed Light Italic

2 Bembo Roman

3 Linotype Didot Roman

4 Adobe Garamond Regular

5 Agency FB Bold Condensed

6 Helvetica Neue Std Bold

7 ITC Cheltenham Book

Images

8 (a–o) iStockphoto.com | a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o

Article resources

Colors

C30 M0 Y90 K5

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C3 M0 Y100 K58

C100 M30 Y100 K50

C18 M0 Y100 K30

C20 M60 Y100 K25

9

10

11

10

12

9 $25T H E C I RC L E A N D L O M B A RD I s C H O L A R s H I p F U N D

1

8c

34

8a 2

5

8d

8e

10

13

11

12

10 14

8f 8g 8h 8i

8j 8k 8l 8m 8n 8o

8b

13

14


6

7

sanctuss h e l t e r f o r w o m e n


1 of 7

Big, bold, beautiful 06570657 Big, bold, beautiful

Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine shows how to design short, engaging stories.

Big,bold beautiful

You’re on a Southwest 737 eagerly approaching the Grand Canyon when a two-state cloud layer obscures your view. Bummer. You reach for the in-flight magazine. What’s here? Unlike Sports Illustrated or Oprah’s O, an in-flight magazine has neither a regular audience nor a common topic. Because of this, it must present its material in unique, attention-getting ways. Designed in collaboration with Pentagram, Spirit ’s short, easy-to-read articles illustrate how to design for quick impact, beautifully. Let’s see what we can learn.

Inside pagesCover


2 of 7


Portraits set the themeEvery cover is a close-up portrait—a powerful, universal theme. (The human face is the strongest of all images.) The format is bold, nearly square, uncluttered.

One big close-up What do people have in common? It’s their people-ness! Without a common denominator like sports or quilting to anchor the magazine, people stories are a great way to bring readers together. Even better, people pictures connect instantly. (Left) While typical covers are peppered with headlines, here, a few lines of type set quietly in the bottom-right corner allow the reader to focus entirely on the face. Note that the vertical bar color is eyedroppered from the image and connects portrait to nameplate.

Powerful focal point

Blue sky establishes the magazine’s venue and is a per-

manent element on every cover. Note that the clouds change.

Black horizontal bar does double duty. It’s a base that blends

nicely with the title, and it’s a buf-fer that divides the blue sky above

from the portrait image below.

The basicsTo create its easy-to-read look, Spirit uses three techniques—big headlines, big images and a vertical bar that’s repeated from page to page.

Big headlines Big images Vertical bar

To snag the busy traveler, stories in Spirit magazine are deliberately short, usually only a page or two. Most have only one image. Headlines are short and oversize. Each expresses one idea, ideal for quick comprehension (a good idea anytime, by the way). Images are big and—this is important—simple, which makes them easy to understand. Photos are favored over illustra-tions, which tend to be complex and less direct. A third device is a vertical bar (above, right) that appears in various colors throughout the magazine.


3 of 7


Beautiful typographyBig headlines require a beautiful typeface that’s fairly light on the page. HTF Didot is a glamorous choice, full of expressive lines and stylistic quirks. Here’s what’s cool:

Extremely high contrast between thicks and thins. Superthin lines give HTF Didot its lightness and glamour.

Classy sheared terminals and . . .

. . . a swashy dollop of a flag have stylish, unexpected flair.

Teardrop terminal

Hairline strokes Note the tiny end loop.

Horizontal stress The heavy parts of the strokes are horizontal, not angled.

Hairline serifs and strokes are elegant at large sizes but disappear when small. To compensate, HTF Didot comes in six master sizes, which get pro-gressively heavier as the size gets smaller. Compare (right) the master designed for use at text sizes.

Supporting typefacesTwo typefaces handle the work of body copy, captions and other small text. Key to a workhorse typeface is to choose medium, not extreme, weights and proportions.

We’ll be honest. The idea of bathing in the wilderness—amid all the rocks, thorns, and innumerable slimy unknowns—gives us the

W H OW H AT W H E NKicker | Bliss 2 is as sharp-edged as HTF Didot but of medium proportions and easy to read quick-ly. Kickers are set in ALL CAPS, w-i-d-e-l-y spaced.

Bowled OverCaption | Bliss 2 is very clear at small sizes in upper- and lowercase, so is used for all small titles, labels and captions both short and long.

A super-soaker

Deckhead and body copy | ITC Cheltenham comprises most of the magazine. An early 20th-century workhorse, it’s readable in bumpy skies and low light, and is as quirky as HTF Didot but in different ways. Its elegance quotient is zero.

C

A

A

B

B

C


4 of 7


Big imagesOversize photos—typically one per spread—immerse the reader in a visual

“surroundscape.” Key is simplicity: one focal point, no distracting backgrounds.

Single-object images are stronger To focus the reader on the subject, focus on the subject! Here, you’re practically bumping into Mr. Waits, whose flinty-eyed stare tells you that you’re a little too close. That’s engagement—pretty good for only a photo! In contrast, the group shot, above left, divides the reader’s attention nine ways, which works only if the group itself is the point! When evaluating photos, always think, “If I could show only one thing, what would it be?” Then do it.

Center stage This layout illustrates the power of the center. Angled portrait divides the spread in halves, headline on the left (its contours follow his face), text on the right. The background is featureless, and even that has been blurred, leaving the read-er nothing to see except, well, the thing he came to see.

Vertical barUnique to Spirit is a vertical bar that repeats throughout the magazine; it’s an arbitrary device that is sometimes used to divide information, other times for decoration.

Vertical bar and kicker form horizontal and vertical lines that recur throughout the magazine (left). To accomodate different page contents, this bar moves to the left or right (below).

Vertical bar is typically used to divide one kind of information from another. Above right, it divides the editor’s narrative on the right from short, bullet-style trivia on the left. Note the other contrasts used to separate information: text is white on the left, black on the right, narrow on the left, wide on the right, small on the left, big on the right, and the typefaces are different.


5 of 7


VariationsThe vertical bar is a flexible—and useful—layout tool. Text and photos flank it in various configurations—some on one side, some on the other, some on both and so on.

(A) Full-page image crosses beneath the bar, which is used to anchor a tiny caption; headline and text remain to the right. (B) Quarter-page image stops at the bar, while the story runs on the other side. Note the headline is at the bottom, yet still reads as a headline, not a “tail” line! (C) Standard magazine layout (illustration-head-text) required pushing the bar offstage to the extreme right, where it inter-sects the kicker in the upper right but exists mainly to sustain the theme.

A B C

Big objects“The Numbers” section consists of single-object cutout photos and numerals so big that they become objects, an eye-arresting variation of the “big images” idea.

Make a series “The Numbers” section is a series of single pages boldly presented: one big cutout, one big number, smaller headline, small text and the ubiquitous vertical bar. Everything is exaggerated. The layouts are similar but never the same. Extreme contrasts of texture—flat, smooth expanses; small, detailed text—keep the visual interest high.

Textural contrasts—curving black sole, rectangular gray text, white expanse behind.

After

Before

41% of fake goods is footwear.

Create a verbal object Supersize numerals make it obvious that characters are graph-ics, too!—a beautiful typeface (HTF Didot italic) makes this appealing. The technique is contrived—it would be out of place in, say, U.S. News & World Report—but it’s perfectly bite size for Spirit’s diverse, on-the-fly audience.


6 of 7


Big contents, page 1Table of contents is set cinema style, number first, centered on the page. Without space-wasting dot leaders, numerals and text can be big, bold, and easy to jump right into.

Playtime in Baltimore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

They call it Charm City, thanks to its proud history and revitalized downtown.

Sound Smart About Income Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Why do we pay taxes on April 17 this year? Wait, why do we pay taxes at all?

The Art of Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

These slow-shutter photographs by Terence Ford will change your perspective on motion.

3:10 to Sonoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

A last-minute business trip to San Francisco forced this poor guy to spend the weekend

recovering in Sonoma.

The Web’s Second Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

On Second Line, you can make the money you didn’t in real live. Steve Friedman learns how

not to do it.

Three Women in Orlando . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Dorothy takes a mysterious business trip to Florida while Anna judges competing boyfriends.

82848896106118

Playtime in Baltimore They call it Charm City, thanks to its proud history and revitalized downtown.

Sound Smart About Income Taxes Why do we pay taxes on April 17 this year? Wait, why do we pay taxes at all?

The Art of Timing These slow-shutter photographs by Terence Ford will change your perspective on motion.

3:10 to Sonoma A last-minute business trip to San Francisco forced this poor guy to spend the weekend recovering in Sonoma.

The Web’s Second Act On Second Line, you can make the money you didn’t in real live. Steve Friedman learns how not to do it.

Three Women in Orlando Dorothy takes a mysterious business trip to Florida while Anna judges competing boyfriends.

Make the most of the space (Above, left) Old-style table of contents has headlines on the left and page numbers on the right connected by dot leaders, which leaves acres of basically empty space in the valuable center (left). Cinema style puts page numbers first, eliminating the dots, which allows the setting to be big and central. Here, big numbers in HTF Didot italic set the typographic theme for the magazine.

Table of contents, page 1

?

Columns are aligned right and left.

Big contents, page 2Big—and unusual—“Front, Middle, Back” heads divide a long list into three skimmably short ones; key is to retain plenty of white. Cutout photo is an organic counterpoint.

Where in the magazine? It’s a cute solution to a minor problem. Because the articles in Spirit have no common subject, they’re simply grouped by where they appear in the issue. This is actually useful. Big heads do a good job of getting attention; unaligned text blocks convey the light, informal feel of the magazine.

A list of to-dos (Above) This is clever! A second contents list right of the verti-cal bar tells the reader what useful tips will be found in the articles. Big num-bers serve as bullets.

Freeform layout (Left) Columns of short lines have organic edges ideal for freeform layouts. Here, a cutout of jazz great Wynton Marsalis is jockeyed into the open space. The layout varies issue to issue depending on the photos.

Front

Table of contents, page 2Note reversed page number and caption.Numbers first means no dot

leaders are necessary.


7 of 7


Article resources

Typefaces

1 Bliss 2

2 HTF Didot

3 ITC Cheltenham Std.

1

2

3

1

Credits

Spirit magazine (www.spiritmag.com) is published for Southwest Airlines by Pace Communications (www.pacecommunications.com). Editorial director Jay Heinrichs worked with DJ Stout of Pentagram (www.pentagram.com) on the magazine’s original design. Each issue is designed by Spirit design director Kevin de Miranda, senior associate art director Brody Price and assistant art director Emily Buxkemper, all of whom also track down art and assign photography and illustration. Lauren Chesnutt is photo editor. The pages shown in this article include the work of freelance photo editor Kathy Marcus and designer Christine Xoinis.

3

Caption flagsCaptions, callouts and other small bits of text seem minor, but they are the first— and sometimes only—things read. Colorful flags put them in the spotlight.

Flag-style caption waves for attention; note its contrasting background. Flags must attach to the “pole” but can be placed atop almost any image. The savvy editor knows the make-it-or-break-it value of these bits of text, which are always read before just about anything else. The tiny caption above even has its own headline! Below, the flag can be any height or width. It can also flip sides.

Fun with bubbles Below, looking like a voice balloon but acting like a flag, a “Click This” caption has an entirely different shape and color. Centered type conforms to its shape.

Taller Wider Flipped

Vertical bar separates text from photo, but note the headline runs right across.


1 of 5

Focus your presentation 06580658 Focus your presentation

Focus your presentationApple knows that a perfect presentation is made with the audience in mind. Here’s what we can

learn from its brilliant iPhone site.

www.apple.com/iphone

It’s just you and the iPhone and nothing else. This keyboard page shows how the absence of distractions is important to a clear presentation. Note what’s here: a plain typeface, blank background, neutral colors, nothing flash-es or blinks, no frames or gingerbread. And another thing—very few words. Result? You’re focused on the product, relaxed and ready to learn.

We continue to be impressed—blown away is more like it—by the focus of Apple’s design. Its new iPhone site, in particular, is so direct and clear that it makes the iPhone obvious to even a casual viewer. Yet because the iPhone is so different, the potential for misunderstanding is high. How do they do it?

The site designers have plenty they could say. They could gush (truthfully) about the technical innovations, the 200 patents, the coolness of it all. Instead, they confidently show you the phone as a friend would, put it in your hand, explain how it works. They present the phone from your point of view, calmly, lightly, naturally. Result: You under-stand it, and you like it.

Understanding is our goal, too, when we present our idea/product/program to others. We want our audience to get it. Let’s see what Apple can teach us.

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)


2 of 5


Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)

The basic structureThe site is designed as a presentation stage. It has a large main field for stills and video, and four small links beneath. All five fields look alike, a visual tie.

Five fields comprise the page. Five is enough; more, and attention would be dissipated by choices. Two visual contrasts are at work: scale—the main field is huge compared to the links—and value; one’s black, and the others are white. Result: The similarities tie the page together, while the differences keep parts distinct.

Type and photos work togetherEach field has one headline and one photo. There are no “text only” sections nor any “photo only” sections. One topic, one photo, every time.

Keep them apart. Each field is divided in half, type on the left, p hoto on the right. The type is minimal—just a word or two—and aligned left; each p hoto is simple (one object, no background) and dark. Note in the main field (left, top) that the white headline ties to the white phone face, while in the link fields the ties are black.

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)

Note alignments. Because the four links are the same kind of thing, repetitive layout adds clarity and comprehension speed; the viewer “processes” one design, not four.

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)


3 of 5


Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (71.5MB)

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (71.5MB)

DimensionFlat fields are given life by subtle gradients that mimic the sheen of aluminum and the ambience of real light. Reflections and angles convey surface and depth.

Angled objects appear more lifelike than flat ones. Note that some face this way and others that, some are viewed from above and others at table level, yet all are basically the same size. Each pose was chosen for expressive impact and clarity.

Gradients mimic reality. Look around at your desk and office walls. You’ll see that light plays off all surfaces, so no surface is truly monotone. Reflections are everywhere. By mimicking this ambience with gradients, the site feels real and warm while at the same time remaining neutral.

Gradients

Gradient

Reflections

Myriad is one of the world’s clearest type-faces. It’s open and minimal with no fine detail, ideal for low-res use. Because Myriad is not universally available as a system font, Lucida Grande, a lookalike, is substituted for small html text. When using two similar faces, you can differentiate the two using scale (big-small) and value (dark-light). Note above that the smallest type is also the lightest.

Spacious simplicity The presentation is minimal and spacious—just the iPhone and a couple choices alone in a whole screen. Result? Note how easy it is to “read” instantly.

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (71.5MB)

Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (71.5MB)

One typefaceOne clear typeface is used throughout. One is all you need. Type is for support, not pizzazz. You want it to release its information quickly and not draw attention.


4 of 5


No barriers Video presentation is more natural than reading, and usu-ally more effective. But its design is just as important. Note here that the narrator is centered in the screen, the strongest position (think of a target). He never drops eye contact (he’s talk-ing to you ). And nothing visual comes between you and his presentation—not his looks, not his clothes, not his voice, not his surroundings. The design is deliberately (even relent-lessly) pleasant but neutral so that all the emotional hooks come from the iPhone. The result is easy on the eyes and incredibly easy to understand.

Natural presentation, no distractionsThe heart of the site is video; the iPhone is explained in a natural, conversational way. Even in motion, the design remains focused; every detail contributes to clarity.

One . . . thought . . . at . . . a . . . time . . .When the narrator shows an iPhone function, the screen changes to a closeup with voiceover. The iPhone appears, then the action, one at a time, clear as a bell.

Centered, centered, centered. For a closeup, the iPhone replaces the narrator in the center of the black field. A finger appears and touches the glass. Note that only one element is onscreen at a time. Because in the closeup the finger is the key “actor,” it too was chosen for its neutral qualities—adult male, but smooth, not hairy, wrinkly, bumpy, spotted, tattooed, glossed or anything else that would draw attention away. Note, too, that phone and finger are perfectly lit and cast no shadows. Is this attention to detail worth it? Absolutely.

Black background

Black shirt, plain. No collars, lapels, buttons or cuffs

Black hair

Glasses, but nearly invisible

Pleasant but average looks, average size, average build

iPhone is the only product

Download it: Large (71.5MB)Watch it: Small | Medium | Large

Download it: Large (71.5MB)Watch it: Small | Medium | Large Download it: Large (67MB)Watch it: Small | Medium | Large Download it: Large (67MB)Watch it: Small | Medium | Large


5 of 5


Watch it

Download it

Small Medium Large

Large (67MB)

Typefaces

1) Myriad (Apple uses a customized version called Apple Myriad that’s minutely different.)

2) Lucida Grande (Lucida Grande is a screen version of Lucida Sans.)

Gradients

Article resources

1

2

(Bottom, left) Values shown are for print. The actual RGB gradients are minutely different.

100%

42%

0%

10%

42%

18%

Quick tours, bite-size informationEfficient Features section splits the screen in two and adds text; this requires reading, but it’s quicker than pure video for those who want the Cliff’s Notes version.

Four icons represent four main features. Color is brilliant against the gray. Nav triangle is tiny but is all it takes on the clean page.

Short headline and description give a brief summary. Flash demo on the far left shows the feature in action. Your eyes follow the animated dot. No sounds, no blinky lights.

Visual chapters Each of the four categories are broken down into short demos. Note the icons are sim-ply small versions of the big demo window (left); black indicates active. The white triangle points to a short description, which is set in smaller type with tighter leading to differ-entiate it from the main description above. Nice.

Keep them apart Visual on the left, narrative on the right. Note the visual’s black, the text white.


1 of 4


“Object” Graph

Horizontal Scroll

Square Cover Minimal Poster

Staggered Layout

FiveDesignIdeasDesignTalk12

California BeaCh VolleyBall assoCiation

HOME INSURANCE GUIDE

Old Roseville

Photodesign A page of people pictures? Add life!

What nicer way to illustrate a company’s “intellectual capital” than to picture its intellectual staff ! For its 2006 annual report, Software Engineering Institute papered its cover with beautifully lit photos of happy people—with a designed-in twist. Rather than static, yearbook-style rows of mug shots, small cropping and layout variations turned this small collage into a beehive of visual activity.

Designed-in activity makes this cover energetic. Here’s how it’s done. First, to add front-to-back motion, photos are selected and cropped to three distances—close up, near and far (left). Next, horizontal motion is added by shifting the

rows of images from left to right (above, middle), which avoids the static evenness of a brick-layer pattern. Finally, vertical motion is added simply by making several photos taller and shorter.

http://www.sei.cmu.edu/annual-report

Start with a grid. Shift the rows. Pull up. Push down. Stretch out.

Close up

Near

Far


2 of 4



NORTHEASTERN MUTUAL GROUP

Layout Build a cover of squares

This cover uses its own grid as a visual element! Divide a square page into four squares, put a point of interest in one corner, the title in the opposite corner, then make the two squares visible.

78%

Draw a grid (Above) Divide a square page into four squares. Position the photo—one with plenty of cropping room—so that a point of interest is in one of the squares. Frame that square in white (here, all are white for clarity). Whatever’s in the frame will get the reader’s attention, quietly. Try it. You’ll find that the frame can gather, connect, focus; it conveys subtle messages depending on the photo and echoes the page structure, too.

Fill the opposite square with color sampled from the photo, and reduce its opacity to allow some see-through. Below, put a squarish typeface in the corner to sustain the square motif.

HomeInsurance

Guide

HOMEINSURANCEGUIDE

Pictures on a graph convey more data than words or even numbers alone. For your next graph, instead of an ordinary line, bar or pie, substitute people, ears of corn or railroad cars! Like this:

Graph Use pictures to represent numbers

Use a few This approach is practical when deal-ing with large numbers; each photo represents tens or hundreds or thousands or millions of some-thing. (Be sure to say.) Single objects with simple shapes (left) yield the best results.

Use a lot (Above) Software Engineering Institute’s graph shows the actual number of people involved in its various functions. (Left) At tiny size, detail is unnecessary; silhouette a photo with a simple, clear shape.

Japan12,553

Mexico8,485

Taiwan6,915

2006 U.S. Corn Export Sales(One ear represents 1,000 metric tons of unmilled corn.)


3 of 4


A forest of rebar A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and tarm. Texture

and flasp net exating end mist of it snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam restart

that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast.

Smoothing the crosswalk A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and

tarm. Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic,

leam restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast.




A sideways-scrolling Web page is a lifelike way to present a gallery of photos when the page as a whole doesn’t need to be printed. A click on any image can pop open a larger version.

Like a gallery A single row of photos is perfect for timelines, step-by-steps, anything you’d normally view in a linear manner. Note above that all images (including verticals) are aligned to the baseline; same-length captions keep the line simple. Clean and very intuitive.

Web design Scroll your page sideways

DOWNTOWN RENOVATION PROJECT Old Roseville

Concrete from the sky A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and tarm.

Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam

restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast.

Pouring the balusters A card whint not oogum or bont.

Pretty simple, glead and tarm. Texture and flasp net exating end

mist of it snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic.

dragdrag

Here comes the cement A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and tarm.

Texture and flasp net exating end mist of it snooling. Spaff forl isn’t cubular but quastic, leam

restart that can’t prebast. It’s tope, this fluant chasible. Silk, shast, lape and behast.

Opening a valve A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and tarm. Texture






A forest of rebar A card whint not oogum or bont. Pretty simple, glead and tarm. Texture



Poster Simple, bold, bright

Our visual world is so cluttered that the key to catching a viewer’s eye is good, old-fashioned min-imalism—use less stuff, not more. This is especially true with posters. To be seen from a long way away, make your imagery simple, bold and bright.

California BeaCh VolleyBall assoCiation t o u r n a m e n t i n f o r m a t i o n

Familiar shapes, like the hands, and vivid colors con-nect quickly. The hands are warm analogous (side by side) colors atop a cold, split complementary (nearly opposite) field, an energetic combination. With such clear imagery, you don’t have to shout for attention; note how the single line of white type stands out clearly.


4 of 4


Japan12,553

Mexico8,485

Taiwan6,915

2006 U.S. Corn Export Sales(One ear represents 1,000 metric tons of unmilled corn.)


NORTHEASTERN MUTUAL GROUP

California BeaCh VolleyBall assoCiation t o u r n a m e n t i n f o r m a t i o n

Typefaces

1 Futura Extra Bold

2 Futura Book

3 Futura Medium

4 HTF Didot

5 Helvetica Neue Std Light

Images

6 (a–c) iStockphoto.com | a b c

Article resources

Colors

C45 M90 Y0 K0

C0 M65 Y100 K0

C0 M20 Y95 K0

C40 M30 Y95 K10

C0 M0 Y0 K100

7

8

9

10

2

6b

11

3

3

6a987

1011

4

6c

5

1

PAGE DESIGNDesign by the books!

Before & After• Page Design • Graphics for BusinessBefore & After books are must-haves for the busy designer. Each brims with simple, instructive solutions for common design projects—newsletters, ads, brochures, fliers, stationery, logos and identities, charts and graphs, maps, sales materials and more. Available at all major booksellers. Save 25% when you order from our Web site.

www.bamagazine.com


1 of 11

How to set a text-only logotype 06600660 How to set a text-only logotype

Every word has a natural pattern. Before setting type, take a visual inventory. Even handwritten (left), we can see a descending g loop and repeat-ing a’s, which form a trio of roundish shapes more or less in the middle. Nagano starts with an angle (N) and ends with a circle (o), both of which have open ends that lead the eye out-ward. It has six letters. Visually, Nagano is an average word. It’s easy to say (NOG-uh-no), and it has strong Japanese associa-tions. These qualities will form the foundation of our designs.

Welcome to Nagano Urban Grill, a popu-lar midtown hang-out. Our project is

to design its logotype. A logo is a company’s signature; it’s a dis-tinctive way of writing its name. Some logos include graphics, but most do not. A good logo is bold, clear and attractive, and it con-veys an appropriate sense of the company. These qualities can be difficult to combine in one word. The place to start on a text-only logo is with the natural pattern of its letters.

set a text-only logotype

Key is to work with the natural pattern of your

letters. Here’s how.

How to


2 of 11


aceo bdgpqhmnu ilt fjrs

Circles are soft, serene, enclosing Circles with straights or hoops (the g)

Hoops are lively, playful Straights Curls and half-circles

Angles are unstable, edgy, restless

kvwxyz

A logotype starts with the alphabetLetters have distinct shapes. Get familiar with these shapes. Each has its own kind of expressiveness. The shapes will also determine what you can do with your design.

Typeface Avant Garde (shown here), which consists mainly of simple straights and circles, is especially good at revealing letter shapes. Shown are the main groups; different fonts will have small variations.

Illinois

For example . . .The name j.jill consists solely of straight letters that do not convey softness like round letters do. Conversely, round pod is not naturally sharp and edgy.

lolliooo icicle

j.jill oooba-ba-ba-ba-bummm-bummm-ba-bummm . . . ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba . . .

ba-bummm-ba-bummm-ba-bummm . . .ba-bummm-ba-ba-ba-ba-bummm-bummm-ba-bummm . . .

ba-bummm-bummm-bummm-ba . . .

A word’s pattern can be expressed rhythmi-cally. Rhythm is an unseen factor that affects how we perceive a word.


3 of 11


Find your patternStart by setting your name in uppercase and lowercase, and notice the pattern that forms, even if it’s subtle. Pay special attention to repetitive lines and shapes.

nagano Two angled One round Two angled One round

Nagano in uppercase Futura Book (above) has two groups of mirrored angles (NA-AN) alternating with two round letters, a rhythmic but subtle pattern. Lowercase Avant Garde (right) forms a line of all-round letters, a strong and interesting pattern.

Uppercase

naganoAll round

Lowercase

Pattern breakersYour name in some typefaces will not form a pattern.

Letters that look alike in Avant Garde look different in Adobe Garamond (above), and the pattern disappears. The g that before was a circle is now a snaking, twist-ing line. As a rule, the more detailed the typeface—details include serifs, terminals, filets, varying stroke widths and so on—the less visible the pattern will be.

NaganoNo resemblance

No resemblance

Texture Patterns are big. When repetitive elements are small (common in detailed typefaces like Adobe Garamond), they make texture. Above, you can see four cir-cular counters and other repetitive shapes in the middle of the word.

Shape Related to pattern is shape, which refers to the overall form of the word.


4 of 11


Pattern makersYour name can be given a pattern by the typeface. Pattern-making is the main function of most decorative type.

Calligraphic Sloop has a strong, graceful pattern—its letters arc and flow smoothly from thick to thin and have common angles and loops. Extra swashes—notice the N—create similarity with other letters where none exists naturally. Any word set in Sloop will automatically have a pattern and will always be beautiful.

NaganoRepetitive loops

Similar curves. Note the graceful thick to thin of the strokes.

Repetitive angle

Shape makersSimilarly, your name can be forced to take shape. The two easiest techniques are expansion—spread your name out—and compression—squeeze it together.

Expansion (Above) Spreading your name way out disconnects its letters from each other. This breaks whatever pattern may be present and creates a new one—a neat row of dots. The panoramic result conveys a sense of grandeur both understated and elegant. Very popular in movie titles. The technique works with almost any typeface; set all caps for the cleanest line.

Compression (Above) Conversely, setting your name in a highly condensed typeface, then packing it tightly together, yields a dense, powerful block. This technique is also popular in the movies, because it can convey a massive, overwhelming presence, especially in all caps. At small sizes its dense shape carves a distinctive silhouette that’s easy to work with.


5 of 11


Bright chain of hoops and circles runs edge to edge and can be seen from across the room! Urban grill subtitle is also in Avant Garde. Green and yellow are fresh, secondary colors that can easily be swapped (right) with equally bold results. Single-line design conveys restraint, a counterpoint to the exu-berant circles. Note the letters are very close but not touching. Asymmetrical divisions of space—wide, medium, narrow (above)—keep the design active.

naganourban grill

naganourban grill

naganourban grill

naganourban grill

Avant Gardebrings out Nagano’s natural pattern. Simple shapes are bold and youthful, especially in lowercase. Colors are interchangeable. This would be a fun, trendy place.

Wide

Medium

Narrow

Next, design a cardSo far, we’ve seen that the letters in a name can form a pattern. The typeface can make or break the pattern. The typeface can impose a pattern of its own. In every case, the typeface also adds meaning. The key to a great logotype is to find a typeface that makes the name look good and conveys the appropriate meaning.

To see this at work, we’ll next set the name on a business card in nine different type-faces. The card will give us the added tools of color and layout. We will use only type, with no graphics of any kind. Pay special attention to this, and you’ll see how clearly—and beautifully—type alone can communicate.

Standard U.S. business card is 31⁄2” x 2”. For this demonstration we’ll put the name on the front and ignore the contact info, which in real life would be put on the back.


6 of 11


urban GrILL

Distressed serif typeface looks rough, weathered and crate-stamped, oppo-site the hard-edged minimalism of its urban environment. Earthy colors add warmth. The words can be put just about anywhere except straight and aligned; you want it to look a little thrown together. This technique looks espe-

cially authentic in a stenciled typeface (inset), which hints of cargo, military, nautical, safari and so on.

Adobe Garamondis a text face in which Nagano has no pattern but a small amount of texture. Go with what it has, and add more texture! Cockeyed setting is correspondingly rough.

urban GrILL

NaganoU r b a n G r i l l

Real power always appears natural and unforced, as if it simply required no effort. (If it looks like you’re trying, it doesn’t work!) To project this, you want a centered layout, which has no motion; it is calm and at rest. Silver and gold colors suggest wealth, but here they’re light, quiet, discreet. Superlight subtitle (Helvetica Neue Ultra Light) is barely there; its tiny size and con-trasting Roman style supports without competing. What’s interesting is that for all this formality, Nagano is a boisterous midtown GRILL, a juxtaposition of name and image that would probably work just fine.

Sloophas airy, sweeping lines that convey grace, elegance and taste appropriate for a visit from the Queen (really). Centered layout and light, metallic colors add formality.



Center the layout in both directions.


7 of 11


If you like Legos, you’ll like designing with Bureau Grotesque, whose dense blocks you can stack and reposition endlessly and usually get expres-sive results. Pay attention to the negative spaces that form (white blocks, above left), which are as important as the positive. Light “Urban” and “Grill” colors recede, so the name stands out; note that both are tints of the background color (above, center). Above right, artistically spare design yields a powerful focal point; note the color emphasis on “urban.”

Bureau Grotesque Extra Compressed Blackforces words into blocks that can be fit together like masonry. Brick-wall colors and artistic composition are right for an artsy, jazzy, bluesy, midtown hangout.

80%

65%

Even in very small sizes, a panoramic setting projects a wide-screen image and conveys feelings associated with spaciousness and grandeur. It’s quiet, too; the centered setting is motionless and stately. Below, Copperplate’s tiny serifs help the eye span the gaps between the widely spaced letters.

Copperplate Gothic 32BChas tiny, straight serifs that give it old, industrial-era overtones suitable for an urban environment. Its clear, wide body makes it good choice for panorama.

n a g a n ourban grill




Any color—like hot magenta!—works in panorama because there’s so little of it. Dark background adds class; for a party look, make it bright.


8 of 11


urban grill

urba

ngr

ill

Planet Kosmosis an alphabet of nearly identical characters that hints of Japanese animation. It looks fast (the italics), edgy (its angles), youthful (cartoons) and clean (simple lines).

Rad Angled setting is edgy, vibrant; it says the restaurant is full of young energy but is probably not a place you’d go to relax. Use the angle of the italics (below) rather than a random angle.

Faster For maximum speed the name touches both ends; the eye moves straight along the name and off the page.

Slower Smaller name creates an enclosing frame that the eye unconsciously traces, which slows it slightly.

Naganourban grill HTF Didot in lipstick red on white will stop traffic, and

in this case, because of the name, it also has Japanese overtones. Didot’s superfine lines make the presentation unusually striking. An ideal complement is Helvetica Ultra Light, whose line weight matches Didot’s serifs (inset). Red, gray, black and white are always powerful together.

HTF Didotis the look of New York city—all glamour, a beautiful choice for a chic, cosmopolitan restaurant. With its fashion-model overtones, this would be a place to be seen.

Naganourban grill

Didot’s pattern is seen in its repetitive vertical strokes—they’re not even slightly slanted, a trait shared by other typefaces but not often so obviously. Curvy a’s and g—note the beautifully undulating thicks and thins—sweeten the middle of the name.


9 of 11


Helvetica is the look of the modern, mechanized world—beautiful, controlled and aloof. You can use it for anything, as long as it’s tightly aligned, usually to the top and left. Helvetica looks best tightly set and in a single size; differentiate words only with weight

and color. It’s a cold typeface; you’ll need fire-on-the-grill colors to warm it up.

Helvetica Neueimparts a look of Swiss minimalism wherever it appears. Graceful, geometric and ice cold, it is one of the world’s most famous typefaces. Expect stainless steel and glass.

Note tight letterspacing, line spacing and

upper-left alignment.

Nagano urban grill

Lettrés Eclatéesis a mangy but oddly cheerful typeface full of repetitive elements that have both pattern and texture. The two-color setting adds class. Sublimely funky.

The scraggly typeface has the street look you want, but how do you keep it from making a scraggly card? By centering it in a single line on rich black. The result is artistic and textured, framed like art in a gallery; slight color difference is just enough to set Nagano apart yet keep the line intact.

Not a straight line anywhere, angles and ovals give Lettres Eclatees its texture and our name something of a pattern, which may be easier to see if it’s reversed:


10 of 11


naganourban grill

naganourban grill

Typefaces

1 (a–b) ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book a) 73 pt, –80 letterspacing b) 17.5 pt, –10 letterspacing

2 Sloop Script One | 80 pt

3 Helvetica Neue Ultra Std Light | 8 pt

Article resources

Colors

C30 M30 Y30 K100

C0 M30 Y100 K0

C50 M0 Y100 K0

C0 M0 Y100 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K20

C15 M17 Y35 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K100

4

5

1b

1a

5

4

6

9

8

10

6

7




naganourban grill

naganourban grill 7

8

9

10

urban GrILL urban GrILL

j.jill

Typefaces

1 Adobe Garamond Regular | a) 84 pt, –30 letterspacing (Distressed in Photoshop using the Eraser tool)

2 (a–b) Clarendon Light | a) 16 pt,–10 letterspacing; b) 20.5 pt, –15 letterspacing

3 City Stencil D Medium (Distressed in Photoshop using the Eraser tool)

4 Lettrés Eclatées | 34 pt

Logo

5 JJill.com

Article resources

Colors

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C14 M62 Y96 K2

C40 M90 Y100 K10

C0 M30 Y100 K0

C25 M100 Y80 K5

C60 M80 Y100 K70

C30 M30 Y30 K100

C4 M75 Y100 K0

C23 M64 Y87 K16

6

7

8

9

10

2a

1

2b

11

13

12

14

4

11

12

13

31

Nagano urban grill

5

76 8 9 10

12

13

14

2

3


11 of 11


Typefaces

1 (a–b) Copperplate Gothic 32BC a) 18.5 pt, b) 8.5 pt

2 Bureau Grotesque Extra Compressed Black | 64 pt

3 OL Franklin Triple Condensed 25 pt, +10 letterspacing

Article resources

Colors

C30 M30 Y30 K100

C23 M64 Y87 K16

C0 M100 Y0 K0

C0 M20 Y100 K0

C5 M5 Y5 K60

C9 M46 Y69 K2

C40 M68 Y62 K67

C22 M90 Y95 K8

4

51a

6

7

8




54 6 7 8

1b

2

3

10

9

11

9

10

11

2

2

2

Typefaces

1 (a–b) Planet Kosmos | a) 50 pt, b) 20 pt

2 HTF Didot | 80 pt

3 (a–b) Helvetica Neue Std Ultra Light a) 24 pt, –30 letterspacing; b) 47 pt, –30 letterspacing

4 Helvetica Neue Std Bold | 47 pt –60 letterspacing

Article resources

Colors

C100 M0 Y0 K0

C50 M0 Y100 K0

C100 M90 Y10 K10

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C0 M100 Y85 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K30

C15 M25 Y40 K0

C13 M35 Y85 K0

C23 M64 Y87 K16

C19 M86 Y87 K8

C40 M90 Y100 K10

C42 M80 Y90 K62

9

8

10

5

6

7

8

urban grill

Naganourban grill

Naganourban grill

16

11

12

13

14

15

6

5

7

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

urba

ngr

ill

23a

1b1a

4

3b


1 of 5

Design a catalog of rectangles 06610661 Design a catalog of rectangles

Design a

catalog of rectanglesSegway’s catalog motif is simple, handsome and versatile.

It’s a good thing the Segway Personal Transporter costs as much as it does ($5,000-ish), or we’d be out riding instead of writing—this thing is a hoot. Ahead of its time when it

was introduced in 2001, the self-balancing, ride-about platform is almost magically intuitive; it runs silently indoors and out, and has become popular with urban commuters, tour groups and others who need to get places that would be too far or too slow to walk. A 28-page catalog presents the machine in tried-and-true fashion; it’s an attractive synthesis of text and images in a simple, rectangular format. What we like about the rectangles is how easy they make it to blend different elements into a uniform whole. That’ll be our focus:

Rectangular simplicity can be seen

in shapes, borders and lines throughout the catalog. It allows the

designer to easily meld different photos and

varying amounts of text into a uniform whole.

This Segway catalog was designed by Saltworks—Informed Design For Enthusiast Brands, Boston, MA | Photographer: Bob Carey


2 of 5


The spread is made of rectangles both tall and wide. Note the product photos are inside a phan-tom square, a negative space defined by nearby positive elements. The columns on the far right, tinted gray, recede.

Oversize text and a large photo make an easy-to read

focal point that will be repeat-ed throughout the catalog.

Against black, the paragraph adds visual texture; its long,

white lines are a contrasting counterpoint to the narrow,

gray columns on the right.

Headline at the bottom is opposite the normal position, yet it “reads” naturally. Cool.

Phantom column

Phantom square

Two-level designInside, the catalog is designed in two levels, one to browse and one to read. A big photo and a short block of big type are for browsing. Regular text columns are for detailed reading. Massive black sets the visual theme.

Build it in blocksAs we work through the catalog, you’ll see that rectangles are a deliberately visible part of the design. This begins on the cover, where the elements are stacked in blocks.

Page7” x 10” rectangular page

3/8” white frame

FrameRectangular photo, slightly smaller. Result: three visual elements—photo, page and white frame, which the eye subconsciously follows.

BaseHeavy black rectangle serves as a visual base and also interrupts the circuit, which draws attention to the tiny text within it.

HeadlineRectangular white head-line completes the page. Note the rectangles are all centered, a static arrange-ment that contrasts with the moving rider.

Simply moving


3 of 5


Immersive imageryA huge, nearly wall-to-wall photo illustrates the product in its environment. This technique is effective because it’s immersive; it’s how we experience real life.

Small and big The huge photo does the heavy work; the small, side image is an extra.

Oversize text serves here as a caption, aligned right to tuck into the corner. Type like this is valuable because it’s visible and brief, so most readers will read it first. With careful edit-ing, these captions can carry a theme—even a second story line—throughout the catalog.

Text-on-black theme from the opening spread is brought forward . . . . . . and onto subsequent spreads.

Big viewing, light readingRepetitive spreads—big photo and caption, small text—present life-size vignettes of Segway’s world. In this section, the catalog is setting up the reader by helping him visualize using—and enjoying—the product.

Place oversize text in the corner The caption can go in any corner; look for the smoothest, clearest backdrop. Its distance from the edges should remain constant, too. The cap-tion can be black or white, whichever has the more pleasing contrast.

Reverse the layout Black text column can change sides without changing the look. The small photo size should stay constant.


4 of 5


Show the productProduct pages show the machine in detail. Pure white field removes all distractions, then descriptive callouts take the reader on an item-by-item tour.

Big and clear Shoppers like to touch stuff, look it over, think about it, so the more lifelike a product appears, the more successful it will be. Photograph an angle that shows everything well, then make the picture BIG. Here, gray type and cool, rectan-gular hairlines are beautifully minimal. Note the complete absence of adornment—no fills, shad-ows, italics, colors, nothing to take away from the product. Shadowed against pure white, the black i2 rectangle stands out with startling clarity.

Caption size of the half-spread photo is smaller to retain its proportions to the others.

Light typeface Oversize paragraph is low-key gray. Only the headline is black. Sublime.

The look in triplicate“Packages” spread shows three products; each small module contains all the elements of the large ones. Lead paragraph and mid-page headline—this time on white—recall the design of the opening spread.

Same three elements, smaller space, same look Once you’ve established a look, stay with it. In this section, the catalog restructures and reduces the look of full-size sections into smaller spaces—lead paragraph, environ-mental photo, product photo and rectangular callouts all are here. Type styles, sizes and colors remain the same as before. Very strong continuity, beautifully done.

Crop uniformly Left, photos that are almost the same should always be cropped the same. Here, heads and wheels align.


5 of 5


Versatile rectanglesAccessories section contains products of varying sizes, shapes and caption lengths. Rectangles do a good job of holding it all together. Careful alignment is key.

Bend the rules Photos of uneven proportions require un-even columns, which is not ideal, but rect-angles make it fairly easy to sustain the look. Wherever possible, align your images all the way across or all the way down a page, as shown at right in blue. For flexibility, captions can go beneath or beside their photos.

Even columns Uneven columns

Across the page Down the page

Captions beneath Captions beside

Mind the detailsConsistent typography, irregular “interrupters” and gray space fillers keep the spread lively and the design flexible. Gray type recedes, keeping the products center stage.

Visual interrupter The irregular shape of

the shirt provides visual relief from the rectangles. Note its differences—it interrupts the border,

bleeds to the edge, and is shadowed for depth.

Space filler White text in a gray field is both space filler and advertisement. These can go anywhere.

Reverse the value Rectangular gray bars neatly head each subsection. Con-

tinue the same typeface; just reverse its value to white on gray. Note the larger head is

in the lighter typeface.

Four styles of Benton Sans Condensed are used in this product catalog: Book, Regular, Medium and Bold.

Across

Across

Down

actually—have been sticking fairly close to me, asking questions that hint of an unspo-ken concern, which is, “did we do the right thing, or should we have insisted on medi-cal school?” I assure him that yes, they did—advertising and marketing can make fantas-tic careers—with a few caveats. One of these is that the world as we know it is changing literally by the hour and that no matter how up-to-date her instructors are, what they tell her today will be stale next month and obsolete next year, and as long as she can roll with that, she’ll be good.

This is a change from the days of, oh, year 2000. Back then, one entered the brick-and-ivy halls expecting to learn the way the world is and trusted that the corpus of knowledge in the school vaults was solid, time-proven, permanent as ocean tides. That is no longer the case, at least in our business. Today’s key asset is adaptability. Heads up, eyes open. The world is at our door. No doing it “the way it’s always been done.” That world is gone. Communication changed it. India is the neighbor next door, China down the street. Google and YouTube and MySpace and IM (and on and on) are the ways we connect.

Today. But only today.Tomorrow it will be different.That’s the message to our friends and

their daughter. Learn how it was, then leave it behind. Can’t ride to Mars on a horse.

For you and me, it helps that beauty is permanent. Fashions ebb and flow, but the fundamentals stay. Blue is blue. A circle is a circle. Pretty is pretty.

Still, it’s a new world. New media. New styles. New cultures. Beauty applied in new ways. And that’s simply my favorite thing.

So I’m smiling. Tired, but smiling.

John McWade | So much, so fast

John McWade Publisher and creative directorGaye McWade Associate publisher

Dexter Mark Abellera Staff designer

Editorial offices Before & After magazine

323 Lincoln Street, Roseville, CA 95678 Telephone 916-784-3880

Fax 916-784-3995E-mail [email protected]

Before&After®

How to design cool stuff

Do business with us online! At www.bamagazine.com you can sub-scribe, can cel, renew, order back issues, change address and so on, conve-niently and securely. Subscription rates: Before & After in PDF is $24 for 32 articles and is accessed at www.bamagazine.com. Before & After in print is $42 for the same 32 articles in four glossy issues (8 articles each). Canadian subscribers please add $8 and remit in U.S. funds; all other countries add $20. Before & After, How to design cool stuff (ISSN 1049-0035), is published by JMS Publishing LLC, 323 Lincoln Street, Rose ville, CA 95678. Postmaster: Please send address change to: Before & After, 323 Lincoln Street, Roseville, CA 95678. Issue 46, 2007. Copyright 2007, JMS Publishing LLC. All rights re-served. JMS Publishing LLC, John McWade, CEO; Michael Solomon, Chairman.

www.bamagazine.com

Is it just me, or is there so much alluring new stuff out there that you can’t get to it all, either? I just bought a new iMac—the one with the glass screen and a half tera-byte of disk space—and the entire Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection, a $2,500 kit that contains over a dozen major appli-cations and takes several uninterrupted hours to install. Adobe calls this its dream package, which I’m sure it is, but to me it looks like four more years of school, and, well, I’m just not sure I want to do that. Again. For, like, the fourth time.

Any one of its programs—Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, After Effects, Premiere, Soundbooth, on and on—is sufficient to anchor an entire career. Not exaggerating. Page design is a career all by itself. Full time. Non-stop. Forty-five years. So is photography, illustra-tion, videography, audio, all the rest. Thing is, it’s all fascinating. And that’s a problem. It’s not a problem problem; it’s more like an endless tease, an unscratchable itch. I’d love to get my hands on it. Make a video. Mix some sound. But what will I make? For whom? Where will I find the time? And will it be worth the (steep) learning curve?

My confident answer: I don’t know. Soft-ware is a tool to do a job. But what if you don’t have the job? What if the need isn’t there? Is it worth learning to fly the plane if you don’t have a plane to fly?

So I’m fiddling. Meanwhile, Rome may be burning. We

have friends whose daughter just started her sophomore year at a university half a country away. She’s motivated. She got onto the newspaper staff as a freshman and this year was accepted into the adver-tising program, apparently a coveted and rare slot. Back home, her parents—Dad,

print issue 46

Documents

digital photos

upper photos

pix trix

older photos

scrapbookstyle photosdexter

scrapbookstyle photosopen

scrapbookstyle photosclip

photo look