Notes: Visual Focus, Principles of Typography

Visual Focus, by Caryn Esplin
Principles of Typography

Chapter one

• "For most layouts, just remember to avoid centering the subject. Instead, divide the layout into thirds and place elements on those imaginary lines." 
• "Too many designers worry about all the elements in the layout and forget about the message. Following precise measurements to fit the Fibonacci's calculations for the golden mean is now always the best way to share a message." 

Chapter two

• "Designing is a process, not just a collection of nice principles. In fact, each principle is a phase in the process, with three or four sub-principles in each phase." 
• FOCUS: Formulate, Organize, Contrast, Unify, Simplify
• "Don't leave out the first and last courses [Formulate and Simplify], because they can be the best part. One of my favorite restaurants is The Cheesecake Factory. I love the mouth-watering main courses, but nothing compares to the lettuce wraps appetizer or cheesecake desserts."
• "'Formulate a plan' on your notepad." 
• "'Organize the layout' with place settings on the table."
• "'Contrast the elements' with black and red accents."
• "'Unify the parts' by repeating the colors."
• "'Simplify the message' by removing clutter."
• "Once you learn the value of leaving open areas (called 'white space'), you will start to feel frustrated when every corner of the page is filled." 
• "Think of this approach to visual design as a pair of spectacles. You need balance between your right (or design) eye and your left (or communication) eye." 

Chapter three

• "Save ideas in a design file." 
• "Connect with the client." 
• "Create an audience profile." 
• "Search for inspirational images." 
• "Find the right environment." 
• "Brainstorm new ideas." 
• "Formulating a plan is like creating your favorite appetizer... This is when you identify your key message, think about how to connect with your audience, and start sketching ideas."
• "Before you start on the design, you need to develop your ideas and make a plan. Start by defining one, central message. Combine that message with a clever design idea to create a 'big ideas,' which is a common term used in the advertising world." 
• Nancy Duarte: "Software applications are the containers for ideas, not the means to generate them. Too many times we launch the app to start creating the content. In reality, the best creative process requires stepping away from technology and relying on the same tools of expression that you grew up with-- pens, pencils, and crayons. The goal is to generate ideas..." 
• "Start each design process by asking yourself, 'What am I trying to say?' Write down your answer to this question and use it as a reminder as you work through the FOCUS phases. This will ensure you end up with a nice layout that communicates well, instead of a nice layout without a clear message." 
• "Make your own collection of interesting designs and save them in a design file. Then use this file when you start a project. When you see a piece of good design, save it." 
• "An audience profile is a collection of materials and data to identify the client history, audience demographics, and possible challenges for a project. Start creating a profile by gathering past designs from the client and the competition. Then gather historical information about the client including the mission statement, successes and failures, typical approaches, and types of audiences." 
• "Hopefully the company had conducted some studies and set up some focus groups, so be sure to request data on any previous studies or research." 
• "As you gather new research for a given project, place it in an 'audience profile' folder." 
• Include the following elements in your layout: Title, image, textbox)es), logo/website, D-T-P (date, time, place), white space, color notes."

Chapter four

• "Create shape maps." 
• "Respect white space." 
• "Group white space." 
• "Treat white space as a shape."
• "Beware of trapped white space." 
• "Add grouping to create relationships." 
• "Create a focal point and hierarchy." 
• "Use flow to lead viewers through the design." 
• "Align everything with something else." 
• "Try diagonal alignment to add balance." 
• "Follow the rule of thirds." 
• "If you can align, do! If not, have a good reason." 
• "Notice the three-step progression of the flier shown below. The sketch shows the basic elements. Then then [sic] hand-drawn sketch was transferred to a shape map (digital sketch) in Adobe InDesign. Finally the flier elements were filled in to create the final layout." 
• "A shape map is a digital sketch of the basic shapes in a layout, similar to the ones shown here. If you created hand-drawn sketches in the Formulate a Plan phase, the next step is to make a computer-generated shape map from your favorite sketch. Add basic shapes in Adobe InDesign to show where the elements will be placed. You can start with either black-and-white shapes (called 'grayscale') or colored shapes." 
• "Novice designers often disrespect white space and crowd the page with elements, filling every corner." 
• Derek Birdsall: "White space is the lungs of the layout. It's not there for aesthetic reasons. It's there for physical reasons." 
• "Add white space around your focal point to encourage your audience to see what is most important." 
• "Don't chop it all up and disperse it throughout your design. This would defeat the purpose of negative space, which gives important relief and allows the viewer to enjoy the focal point. Instead, lump white space into one shape. It can have angles and curves, as long as it stays together." 
• Alex White: "Everyone 'looks' at things but very few people 'see' effectively. Designers must be able to see. Seeing means a trained super-awareness of visual codes... These codes make a language of vision, much as words are building blocks for verbal language." 
• Alex White: "Active white space is the primary attribute of documents that are perceived as well-designed and having inborn quality. Any empty shape that has been consciously created is active space." 
• "When white space has no outlet to the edge of the page, it's called 'trapped.' To prevent this problem, give white space an outlet by connecting it to the edge of the page."
• "Proximity is an important principle in the organization phase of the design process. Not only does proximity organize related groups, it sets up a hierarchical flow to lead the audience through the design. Consider the relationship of the elements to one another, group related items together, and create a flow, or direction, for viewers to follow." 
• "Proximity is more than the common placement of related items; it is organizing elements so they make sense and flow together." 
• "Interacting elements communicate a powerful message. Carefully consider the relationship of your groupings, determine your focal point, and create a path for viewers to travel through your design." 
• "Beginner designers mistakenly make everything the same size. Instead, create one focal point, and give it contrast so it doesn't have to fight for attention. Then make supporting elements secondary. Finally, consider the path from the focal point to the secondary elements and beyond." 
• "Avoid strong lines that lead viewers off the page." 
• "The most common flow patterns are the zigzag 'Z' or the clockwise 'O' pattern. Western audiences are comfortable with zigzagging through a page, starting at the top left and flowing right. They return to the left, at a lower point in the design, and flow right again." 
• "The clockwise 'O' pattern is better when the document is not text heavy." 
• "People in images should always point toward the title or into the page." 
• "Tracking refers to the general spacing between letters and words, while kerning refers to the space between two adjacent characters." 
• "At times, you may have to compromise some rules to retain visual comprehension." 
• "Once you have grouped similar items for good proximity, it is time to work on alignment. It is distracting to look at a design and see nice shape and appropriate proximity, and then notice that the elements are not aligned." 
• "In most cases, everything on the page should be visually associated with something else. Use a ruler guide in your design software to ensure items are precisely aligned." 
• "In this layout, the text does not align with the pot or anything. The title in the upper left corner produces a nice diagonal balance with the heavy pinecone branch on the lower right. This works well, but be cautious with diagonal and creative alignments." 
• "Center alignments give a formal, old-fashioned feeling, and it is not the best choice in most cases. If you are new to design, try using right and left alignments instead. There are times when center alignment is appropriate, though." 
• "Divide your page into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. nice equal rectangles or squares emerge. Important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or where the lines intersect." 
• "Creative alignment is not really alignment at all; it's the artful arrangement of elements." 
• "If possible, you should align each element with something else on the page. Use creative alignments sparingly and only when you can articulate why it is the only alternative." 

Chapter five

• "Bend the rules. Balance is boring."
• "Find new ways to peel a banana."  
• "Contrast typefaces." 
• "Use value contrast for hierarchy."
• "Remember, color has value." 
• "Create visual interest by overlapping shapes." 
• "Add a small shape to contrast a large image." 
• "Try a 70-point title with a 10-point body copy." 
• "Add a small splash of very bright color!"
• "Asymmetry is more dramatic and out of balance. It relies heavily on scale. Scaling your elements means varying their size." 
• "Achieve white space, along with contrast, by keeping your body copy small." 
• "Text can no longer be changed once you create outlines, so be sure your copy is finalized." 
• "Oldystyle--  Serif typefaces with moderate thick-to-thin transition.
• "Modern-- Serif typefaces with radical thick-to-thin transition (not for body copy)
• "Slab Serif-- Serif typefaces that are monoweight (no thick-to-thin transition)
• "Sans Serif-- Monoweight typefaces with no serifs
• "Fringe or Decorative-- Trendy, fancy typefaces (use sparingly and never for body copy)
• "Script-- Flowing typefaces that appear to be hand-written (use sparingly and never for body copy)
• "You need to recognize a serif. This is the little extra piece added to the ends of letters." 
• "When selecting typography for a project, choose one legible typeface with varied weights, or choose two typefaces with contrasting styles and weights." 
• "Beginners should avoid using two different serif typefaces together." 
• "Do not use Garamond with Times New Roman." 
• "Humans are drawn to light things on dark backgrounds. Conversely, bold, dark colors demand our attention when placed on light backgrounds." 
• "Value contrasts between different elements help communicate messages to the audience. High value contrast typically provokes emotion or evokes action. Low contrast between values is subtle and calming."
• "Smaller elements can become more prominent through the use of contrast." 
• "It is important to pay attention to the value of colors because people who are colorblind may not be able to see certain colors. They can, however, differentiate values, which will help them understand the message." 
• "According to the Institute of Human Vision, one in five men and one in 10 women has some degree of colorblindness." 
• "Chiaroscuro is an Italian word describing the dramatic contrast between light and dark. Rembrandt was a master of this technique because he often used dark shadows to showcase light focal points." 
• "Stronger contrasts are dramatic and attract attention, while softer, subtle lighting is calming and neutral." 
• "Additive colors were first explained by Isaac Newton, and they define the properties of light. These are the colors used to create what you see on a computer screen or television. The primary colors of the additive color wheel are red, green, and blue. Mixing all three creates white... Yellow, magenta, and cyan are the secondary colors in the additive scheme." 
• "Subtractive colors are created when you mix pigments or dyes. This traditional color wheel is called 'subtractive' because when light falls on a surface, it is absorbed, and we see the color being reflected."
• "Some artists add a lighter, adjacent color, along with white, to get a richer tint that does not appear washed out. To get a darker shade these artists add the closest complimentary color that is a primary color, rather than adding black." 
• "Darker values are called 'shades,' while lighter values are 'tints.'"
• "In general, Apple monitors are more back-lit. Designers using a Mac often turn down their screen brightness by fifty percent to compensate." 
• "A combination of warm and cool colors is effective, but consider which color(s) wil dominant and what those colors will communicate." 

Chapter six

• "Here are some of my favorite tips for the proper preparation of tubers (I promise, this relates to design!). Start by carefully scrubbing the potato with lukewarm water. Once the skin is dry, apply a light coating of oil, and sprinkle with sea salt, garlic, and herbs. Poke the potato with a fork a few times to allow steam to escape. Finally, place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven uncovered. This produces a fluffy, flavorful inside and a crispy, delicious skin." 
• Alex W. White: "Unity requires that the whole design be more important than any subgroup or individual part. Unity is therefore the goal of all design. Is it the most important aspect of design, so important that its achievement excuses any design transgression." 
• "Successful unity will cover a multitude of design mistakes." 
• "An excellent way to produce unity is by repeating certain aspects of the design. In fact, the very purpose of repetition is to unify your work. For starts, try repeating a visual element, such as a square, circle, or triangle." 
• "If you repeat, it feels complete." 
• "Use an odd number of repeating objects. This is similar to the rule of thirds." 
• "In most cases, three is better than two and five is better then [sic] four. Let's call this the rule of odds." 
• "Our brain is not responsive to even numbers. They are boring and predictable, but odd numbers keep us thinking, and that's a good thing! Odd numbers allow for asymmetrical white space and dynamic, memorable layouts. The create movement and keep our attention longer. Photographers often use a triangular composition, and interior decorators place wall hangings in groups of five." 
• "Both regular and irregular patterns can produce effective rhythm sequences. Regular patterns are safe, repetitious cycles, while irregular patterns are inconsistent and varied repetitions. I think of rhythm as the storyteller of a design." 
• "Germany psychologist Max Wertheimer was the principal founder of the gestalt theory in the early 1900s. His book Theory of Form has had a profound influence on design." 
• "Adding a bright splash of color to the most important element can make it the focal point, even when its size is small. Removing clutter from around your focal point can also do the trick. White space surrounding an element can be one of the most effective ways to call attention to it." 
• "Agencies look for designers who can apply gestalt because it requires more advanced thinking." 

Chapter seven

• "Evaluation-- Refine the design through a critique process."
• "Elimination-- Remove clutter to simplify and clarify."
• "Communication-- Share your message with the audience, above all else." 
• "Look for good aspects of the design and applaud them, no matter how small and insignificant they seem. Be genuine and specific. Once you mention some positive things, your more critical feedback will be better received." 

Principles of Typography

• "No more than two typefaces should be used in a design, and when two are used, they must come from different categories that contrast with each other. When using just one typeface, contrast can be achieved by using different weights, such as bold and light." 
• "Beginners often err by using fancy, frilly, or grungy fonts, when a simpler choice would make a more appealing and legible design. Legibility and readability should always be paramount." 
• "Choose typefaces that are simple and classic for a professional, timeless look." 
• "Oldstyle typefaces are readable and great for body copy. The serifs are usually slanted and the thick-to-thin transition is moderate. Examples: Garamond, Times New Roman." 
• "Modern typefaces are best for titles, not copy, because the thin lines disappear when set small. The serifs are thin and horizontal, and the thick-to-thin transition is radical. Examples: Elephant, Poster Bodoni." 
• "Slab serif typefaces are versatile and readable for copy. They are heavier and therefore put more 'color' on the page than Oldstyles. The thick, slab-like serifs are horizontal and usually the same weight as the rest of the letter. Examples: Rockwell, AmerType." 
• "Sans Serif typefaces are simple, legible and work in many applications. Sans means 'without' so there are no serifs. There is little or no transition. Examples: Future, Helvetica." 
• "Do not overuse decorative fonts. Like scripts they should not be used for body copy. They are usually trendy, theme-related and quickly outdated. Examples: Jokerman, Curlz." 
• "Use script typefaces sparingly, for they are hard to read. They are best when set large for titles and not for body copy. Scripts are flowing and resemble handwriting. Examples: Vladmir, Edwardian Script." 
• "As a general rule, avoid using more than two typefaces in a design." 
• "When using only one typeface... use fonts with contrasting weights (light, regular, bold) for titles and body copy." 
• "Use subtitles to organize and engage the audience." 
• "Stick with one idea per paragraph. Generally, limit online copy writing to about five lines per paragraph and print copy to about ten lines per paragraph." 
• "When possible keep lines narrower than 75 characters. Also, avoid columns that are too narrow to accommodate the largest words without awkward gaps." 
• "Justified paragraph alignment can created awkward gaps or "rivers" in lines of type, especially in narrower columns." 
• "When using an indented paragraph style, do not also add line space between paragraphs. When using line space between paragraphs, do not indent."