DESIGN

: basic

Basic Design

[Organized arrangement] of images & words to tell a story

Elements of Design■ Photos

■ Copy►headline & story

■ White spaceDon’t underestimate the importance and impact white space has on your spreads!

►captions

Placement of elements

Verbal and visual elements create a bull’s-eye effect

White space

Words

Photos

Design stepsDetermine foundational structure by dividinglayout into columns of equal sizes.#1

1 col.

3 columns

2 columns

2 ½

3 ¾

1 ¼

All elements must begin and end on a column.

Design CAUTION

Design stepsEstablish the external margins

#2 The amount of white space that surrounds the spread.

Design stepsNote the gutter and the internal spacing

(The 1 pica of white space between columns.)#3

Design stepsPlace an eyeline.#4

(Place in upper or lower third, never in the middle)

Design CAUTIONPlacement of the eyeline

Here…

But nothere…

Design stepsPlace a vertical axis that meets your eyelineat what is called the axis point.#5

Design stepsSelect and place dominant photo at axis pt.#6

Design stepsPlace headline/copy area near dominantphoto to reinforce message.#7

Design stepsPlace next largest photo at axis point.#8

Design stepsContinuing to work from the axis point,

place your next photo.#9

Design CAUTION

(Avoid temptation to fill in the corners.)Pause and consider caption placement.

Design IMPERATIVEVary the shapes and sizes of rectangular photos.

Design stepsWorking from the eyeline, place the remaining

photos.#10

Design imperativePhotos should rest on or hang down

from the eyeline

Avoid running pictures into the outside margins, unless they bleed.

Design CAUTION

Pictures that bleed run completely off the page.

(Captions may differ in length, but must be the same width.)

Design steps

#11 Place a caption for each photo.

Design steps

#12 Begin design check.

■ Consistent external margin Does a photo or copy element touch each margin?

2Design CHECK

■ Consistent internal spacingIs there 1 pica separation between each element?

2Design CHECK

2Design CHECK■ EyelineDo the photo edges create a line of white space that

spans across two facing pages?

Avoid placing pictures on the spread that are theexact size & shape unless the content is related.

Design CAUTION

X XX X

XX

■ Bull’s-eye effectDo the layout of elements flow from the inside out, from black to gray to white?

2Design CHECK

2Design CHECK■ Captioning

Do you have a caption block for every photo?

■ White space to outsideDo you have white spaced trapped on the inside?

2Design CHECK

Exampleof

trapped copy

Aim for a variety of content & balanced coverage

2Design CHECK ■ Photo cropping and placement

2Design CHECK ■ Photo cropping and placement

Numbers: 1 person, 2 people, small group, large groupBoys vs Girls: Do you have a balance?

2Design CHECKReplace photos or redesign as needed.

Primary headline

■ Use your layout to create others

Design MAXIMIZATION

#14

■ Mirror

Design MODIFICATIONSOriginal Design >

■ Flip

Design MODIFICATIONSOriginal Design >

■ Mirror-Flip

Design MODIFICATIONSOriginal Design >

■ Original

Design MODIFICATIONS■ Mirror

■ Mirror-Flip■ Flip

■ You can remove a photo and add a secondary package

Design MODIFICATIONS

■ Design a layout using an eight-column format■ Place your eyeline■ Use 7-9 photos, varying size■ Create a headline with a secondary headline & place over the copy area■ Make sure every picture has a caption placed logically near the photo it identifies■ Check your layout before turning it in

Your turn

This PowerPoint presentation was created by Balfour Yearbooks, Dallas, Texas, for educational purposes only. It is unlawful to remove or alter the Balfour logo without the permission of Balfour Yearbooks’ Marketing Department. For more information, contact Judi Coolidge, Education Specialist at judi.coolidge@balfour.com.