Unit 2 Introduction to Layout & Design Part II—DTP Rules of Thumb Desktop Publishing I Unit 2 Introduction to Layout & Design Part II—DTP Rules of Thumb

Page Layout Verb Process of placing and arranging and rearranging text and graphics on the page to produce documents Noun Refers to the actual document page and its composition Before you can understand page layout rules, you need to understand page layout. The dictionary gives us two definitions for page layout. [click] As a verb it is the process of placing and arranging and rearranging text and graphics on the page to produce documents such as newsletters, brochures, books, etc. [click] As a noun, page layout refers to the actual document page and its composition. The primary software programs for desktop publishing are called page layout applications.

Page Layout Page Design Page Composition Document Design Desktop Publishing Page Layout is also known as [click] Page design, [click] page composition, [click] document design, and [click] desktop publishing In this unit, we’re going to look at some Page Layout and Design Rules of Thumb!

Know Your Audience Age Educational Level Keep It Simple Know your document’s audience and design it accordingly. Know your audience Consider [click] age and [click] educational level Why do you think this is important? [Tell them about the Bible class materials.] When in doubt it’s best to[click] Keep it Simple! [Tell Charles Tremendous Jones Story]

Plan on Paper First Thumbnail sketch A small sketch that shows only the large elements of the page Our next rule of thumb is to [click] always plan the layout of your document on paper first. This is so important that professional desktop publishers and graphic artists have a tool for this called a [click] Thumbnail Sketch. A Thumbnail sketch is a small sketch that shows only the large elements of the page Thumbnail sketches are rough drawings, sometimes only comprehensible to the designer, used to explore layout options. These quick pen or pencil sketches allow the designer to try out several ideas and zero in on the most likely layouts before beginning a project. Creating thumbnail sketches is a crucial part of the brainstorming aspect of your design work. Don't discount the value of this step in the design process. Let’s look at a couple of examples. [click] This shows a few different thumbnail sketches showing business card layout ideas. [click] This one shows a variety of thumbnail sketches showing one and two page layouts, perhaps for a newsletter. Shaded boxes or a bunch of quick, parallel lines stand in for columns of text, darker boxes for photos or artwork, and lines and squiggles of varying thickness represent headlines, subheads, etc.

Plan on Paper First Don’t fret over details. Try for an approximately proportional page size. You’ll be creating thumbnail sketches for some of your assignments in this and future units. Here are a few guidelines: [click] Don't fret over details. Use thumbnails to establish approximate locations for major elements [click] Try for an approximately proportional page size (if doing sketches for a full page layout) but don't get out the ruler. You're aiming for a general idea of how the piece might look.

Plan on Paper First Make lots of rough sketches. Do them on paper—not in software. [click] Make lots of rough sketches. Repeat: [click] lots of sketches. You'll rule out many design ideas quickly this way before wasting time in your page layout program. [click] Don't try doing these initial rough designs in your software, even if using dummy text and placeholder graphics. You're apt to get caught up in things like changing the fonts or doing perfectly aligned graphics. Save that step till after you've done the initial brainstorming for ideas with thumbnails.

Rule of Thirds Rule of Thirds and Balance The rule of thirds says that most designs can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds [click] vertically and/or [click] horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds.

Rule of Thirds Take this concept a step further, especially in photographic composition, [click] by dividing the page into thirds both vertically and horizontally and placing your most important elements at one or more of the four intersections of those lines. Let’s take a quick look at some examples.

Rule of Thirds In this [click] layout the headline appears in the upper third of the page, the logo in the middle third, and the supporting descriptive text in the lower third. The most important information is in that lower third and anchors the page. This [click] layout has most elements in the upper third and leftmost third of the page with the main focal point being around the intersection of the topmost and leftmost dividing lines.

No More Than 2 To 3 Fonts Body copy Headlines Initial caps, pull quotes Consistency and readability are important to good design and too many font changes can distract and confuse the reader. Make your font choices carefully and consider how many typefaces will be seen together — longer, multi-page publications, such as magazines, can often tolerate a greater variety of typefaces. For brochures, ads, and other short documents, limit typefaces to one, two, or three. For example, you should select a font for [click] body copy and another for [click] headlines. Use bold, italics, and different sizes of those fonts for captions, subheadings, and other design elements. You might use a third font for [click] initial caps, pull-quotes, or other selected items.

Avoid Overusing Type Styles Bold Italic Underline ALL CAPS Do not overuse typestyles such as [click] bold, [click] italic, and [click] underline. Avoid using all [click] CAPS. These styles have special purposes, and some are used for emphasis. However, if overused they emphasize nothing.

Don’t Overcrowd Too much text Too many graphics Do not overcrowd your documents with [click] too much text or [click] too many graphic images.  

Use White Space Free of text or artwork Provides contrast Between different parts One of the most important building blocks of effective graphic design is white space. White space is space that is [click] free of text or artwork. White space [click] provides contrast. It also provides a resting point for the reader’s eyes as they begin moving throug the publication. Use white space as a tool to give the reader room for the eyes to “breathe” [click] between different parts of a document.  

Mentally impose a Z Important See First Call to Action Mentally impose the letter [click] Z on the page. Place [click] important items or those you want the reader to [click] see first along the top of the Z. Place your [click] "call to action" at the end of the Z.   Call to Action

Use guides to align Text Graphics Columns Shapes Create a balanced and symmetrical document by using guides to align [click] text, [click] graphic images, [click] columns, and [click] shapes.  

Get a Fresh set of eyes Can catch Spelling errors Grammar errors Design mistakes Give your document to someone else before turning it in for grading. A fresh set of eyes [click] can usually catch [click] spelling, [click] grammar, and/or [click] design mistakes.  

Revise, Revise, Revise Until you get it right! Revise, revise, revise your document [click] until you get it right. On the otherhand, like some artists who never consider a painting done, some desktop publishers are never satisfied. For this reason, you need to  

Establish a time frame Establish a time frame for completing your document. Suppose you’re working with some other students to prepare a newsletter for FBLA. Set deadlines for turning in items for the calendar. turning in articles. selecting photos and clip art to go with the articles. Text entry Placement of artwork Final draft Printing and duplication distribution If you don’t set up a time frame with deadlines for the various steps, you won’t be able to get your project completed on time.