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Material Makeover:
basics of effective design
MASFAA
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
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Our purpose:
To help non-designers learn the basic “dos” and
“don’ts” of designing simple, informational
pieces.
Who are we?
We are designers at Nellie Mae.
Martha Paradis is the creative director and
has been with Nellie Mae for 16 years.
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Kerry Sainato is the Web production specialist
and has been with Nellie Mae for almost three
years.
Do:
Do plan your communication around
your audience.
• Know your audience!
Example: If you’re writing for students, condense,
condense, condense. Students won’t read long
paragraphs of information. Highlight key points with
bullets.
• Create an outline and thumbnail sketch of your
project before you begin.
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Don’t:
Over design a publication.
• Keep it simple.
Example: Don’t design a color brochure when
a black and white postcard will suffice.
• Your message can be lost in clutter.
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Do:
Follow a few simple rules about type.
• Be consistent when using type.
• Use two fonts that are distinctive.
• Using a combination of serif and sans-serif
typefaces is a way to use two kinds of distinctive
fonts.
This is a serif font. (Times New Roman)
This is a sans-serif font. (Arial)
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Don’t:
Use every font and style that you own.
• Use readable fonts. Some easy-to-read
fonts are:
Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman,
Garamond, Verdana (Web).
• If you must use a “fancy” font, use it as a heading
and only use it once.
• Limit your use of styles.
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Bold, Italics, Underline: Use these styles
sparingly and consistently to highlight your
message, or else your message will get lost.
Do:
Be consistent with bullets.
• A bulleted list should contain more than one point.
• Use the same format and font size for all text and
bullets in a list.
• Inconsistently formatted bullets take away from
your message.
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Do:
Be consistent with bullets.
• A bulleted list should contain more than
one point.
• Use the same format and font size for all text and
bullets in a list.
• Inconsistently formatted bullets take away from
your message.
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Do:
Be consistent with tables.
Year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Financial Aid
Due Date
2/15/04
3/01/04
03/10/04
Award Letters Sent
Out
May 1, 2004
05/1/2004
05/10/2004
vs.
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Year
Financial Aid Due
Date
Award Letters
Sent Out
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
02/15/04
03/01/04
03/10/04
05/01/04
05/01/04
05/10/04
Don’t:
Use too much clip art.
• In general, do not use more than one piece
of clip art per message.
• Too many graphics can distract from your
message instead of enhancing it.
Example:
Remember:
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Before you mail your
financial aid application,
make sure you have
completed the FAFSA.
Do:
Use well-chosen graphics.
• If you need a graphic, make sure matches
your message.
• You don’t necessarily need clip art or a picture,
other treatments can be used.
• Use your imagination, but keep it simple!
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Do:
Use well-chosen graphics (cont.)
• Some examples of graphic elements that
enhance your message include:
Drop caps
Screen boxes to draw attention to a
specific message
Symbol fonts for bullets or section
breaks
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Don’t:
Be afraid of white space.
• Don’t fill every empty space with text or
graphics. Doing so will make your message
cluttered and hard to read.
• White space can actually make your
message stand out more than if it’s
surrounded by other elements. Remember,
keep it simple.
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Do:
Size your graphics proportionately.
• Skewed graphics will make your message
look unprofessional and unpolished.
• In most Microsoft programs (Word, EXCEL,
PowerPoint), enlarge a graphic from a corner to
keep it proportionate.
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Don’t:
Change a logo.
• Logos are copyrighted or trademarked and
should not be changed.
• A logo holds a brand image, and changing it
will affect the corporate identity.
• Get an acceptable version of the logo from
the department at your school or company
that created it.
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Do:
Find out if your school or company has
a style guide and follow it.
• Style guides give specific examples about
how your school or company uses grammar
rules, colors, logos, and other design and
communications elements.
• To get a copy of the style guide at your
school or company, check the
communications or publications office.
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• Following a style guide will help you uphold
your school’s or company’s brand image and
how your audience perceives it.
Don’t:
Overuse color. A few rules to add
impact with color:
• Use contrasting colors for readability.
Note: This information is important
• Don’t use colors that are difficult to read.
• Do not use color screened more than 40%
with text.
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• Don’t use colored graphics if you are printing in
black and white – the print quality will not be as
sharp.
Dos for the Web:
• Use one consistent main source of
navigation.
• Remember that people read differently on
the Web – rather than reading left to right,
Web users tend to scan for keywords.
• Condense, condense, condense. It is hard
for a reader to read long passages of text on
a screen.
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• Make sure your Web pages measure no
more than 800x600 pixels. This is the size of
an average user’s screen.
Don’ts for the Web:
• Don’t overanimate Web pages; just
because a technology exists, doesn’t mean
you should use it.
• Don’t assume that a color will look the
same in print as it does on screen. A Web
browser can only pick up 256 different colors.
• Don’t use large graphics. Large graphics
take a long time to load and you’ll lose your
audience if it has to wait too long.
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• Don’t lose your audience because there’s
no way to get back to your Web site. Always
give your audience a way back.
Do:
Know your limitations and resources.
• You might need to outsource a complex
piece of design.
• Your school or company might have
resources available through a publications or
graphic design department.
• Use your work-study students – especially
for Web projects. Many students are
knowledgeable about HTML and Web design.
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• All of the dos and don’ts above are valuable
even if you don’t design the piece. You can
apply them during the approval process when
you outsource a project.
Don’t:
Avoid feedback.
• Feedback is good, especially coming from
someone in your target audience.
• It’s only a design – don’t take it personally!
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Remember:
Key points to keep in mind.
• Getting your message across is the goal of
any collateral design.
• When in doubt choose simplicity.
• Know your audience.
• Stay consistent while designing any thing.
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Contact Us:
Martha Paradis, [email protected]
Kerry Sainato, [email protected]
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