Inside Freelance Design

Issue #12
November 17, 2005

Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your free, bi-weekly e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every other week, you can receive this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI's graphic design pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional graphic designer in the fastest time possible.

IN THIS ISSUE:

How to Give Special Information the Impact It Needs, by Kammy Thurman
Quick Tip: Master Pages - A Shortcut to Consistency, Productivity, and Profit
The IFD Mailbag

How to Give Special Information the Impact It Needs
By Kammy Thurman

Boxes are wonderful elements in graphic design – especially when you are working on a copy-heavy piece such as a magalog. They draw the reader's eye to important information, and they help delineate information for quicker reading. Boxes can be static or dynamic elements – or a mixture of both.

Best of all, boxes no longer have to be "boxy." With the advanced capabilities in today's layout programs, you can box text and graphics in circles, ovals, octagons, triangles, irregular shapes, or even between rule lines. Adding rule lines above and below text is a popular way to box pull quotes. ("Pull quotes" repeat parts of the main copy that you want emphasized in larger and bolder text.)

Curvy Boxes

Whatever shapes you choose, your boxes needn't be plain-Jane. You can outline them or put reversed type in a solid or tinted color. You can even create your own customized borders by repeating a clip-art pattern ... or by using attractive clip-art itself as a box. (But don't get too fancy when you're boxing copy for direct marketing!)

Beautiful Lines

Skinny rule lines are now a thing of the past – gone with the old typewriter days. Now you can create interesting rules using multiple lines of varying widths. You can also substitute interesting borders for rule lines. You might try dashed, dotted, and wavy lines. Or use type symbols, such as dingbats or bullets.

Special Effects

If you really want to turn on the box appeal, you can even apply special effects to them. Most page-layout programs let you create rounded, beveled, and inverse corners on the borders. You can also pull the box into Photoshop (or another image-editing program) and feather the border for a soft, dreamy look. Or you can apply filters to the box for effects like burned edges, stained-glass, embossing, textures, and a myriad of others.

Balance Boxes for Greatest Appeal

When you look at a photograph, you can determine if the subject is stationary or in motion ... because your perception of the photo tells you whether it's static or dynamic. Boxes, too, can be static or dynamic.

Squares, rectangles, ellipses, and circles are static elements, because they don't point the reader's eyes in any particular direction. They also have a formal appearance, which makes the overall look of the design more formal. An example of a static box is a sidebar.

Triangles, polygons, amoebas, and irregular shapes are dynamic. They direct the reader's eyes. They're also less formal and more exciting to look at than static boxes. An example of a dynamic shape is a starburst that is used to announce a FREE Bonus gift.

Your goal, when you use boxes in your design, is to have a balance between static and dynamic shapes.

Moderation Is the Key

Using too many boxes not only takes up valuable real estate on the page, it also makes the page feel cluttered and boxy. Even worse, when everything is highlighted in boxes, nothing really stands out.

Generally speaking, don't put more than one box on a page. If you need to box two items, position them in separate columns. It's also a good idea to use two different types and shapes when two boxes are sharing the same page.

* * * * * * * * Advertisement * * * * * * * *

“This is the best conference – of any kind – that I've ever attended anywhere. It was so packed with good information and encouragement, I feel like I've been taking a drink from a fire hose and thoroughly enjoying it!” -- Phil G., Plano, TX

Now you can experience AWAI's 2005 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success Bootcamp … from the comfort of your own home! Click here to find out more:
http://www.awaionline.com/graphicsbootcampathome/

QUICK TIP: Master Pages – A Shortcut to Consistency, Productivity, and Profit

At the AWAI Graphic Design Bootcamp, master designer Roger C. Parker (www.rcpmarketing.info) told us, "The ability to work with Master Pages is one of the indications a designer has moved beyond the basics and is preparing for increasingly challenging – and lucrative – assignments!"

He explained that all of today's page-layout programs use Master Pages, which enhance document consistency and give complete control in customizing page layouts for specific purposes.

And he made these points:

Master Pages contribute to consistency by letting you place text and graphic elements – like a nameplate, photograph, or similar components – on a background layer where they're unlikely to be accidentally moved or deleted. Master Pages guarantee that major text and graphic elements which define the look of your publication remain the same from issue to issue.
You can also create Master Pages for specific types of pages. For example, in an e-book, you could define separate layouts for the cover, the table of contents, glossary, and separate left- and right-hand pages.
By using Master Pages, you maintain consistency and quality, while adding visual interest to your publication. Without them, subtle issue-to-issue changes creep in, undermining your design integrity.

Roger concluded by saying: "Master Pages are worth the time you put into learning how to efficiently put them to work!"

[Ed. Note: In InDesign, create and assign Master Pages under the pages palette (Window> Pages). In PageMaker, switch on the Master Page palette by going to Window>show Master Pages.

In Microsoft Publisher, go to Format > Apply Master Page. Once you've created a Master Page, assign it to pages you select. You can define more than one Master Page depending on your document's requirements.

We recommend using a good resource book like the Visual Quickstart Guides to learn more about Master Pages.]

* * * * * * * * Advertisement * * * * * * * *

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Will I need a license of some sort to start my business?
What should the legal status of my new business be?
How will my tax situation change?
What about contracts?
What home-office equipment must I have?
What kind of records should I keep?
What's the best computer and software for me?
How do I negotiate my fees?
How should I manage my time to maximize my income?

Get the answers to these and hundreds of other questions about starting and running your own profitable design business: http://www.thedesignerslife.com/getanswers/

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG ...
by Kristin Schwarz

Hello, everyone!

Let's begin, today, by seeing if we can help Frank, who is looking for an easier way to view his document in InDesign without the clutter of toolbars, palettes, and guides ...

I am working in InDesign, and though I love all the functions the program has to offer, I wish I could just view my document without all the clutter of the open palettes. The only way I know is to close all the palettes, hide the grids and guides. Then I have to open everything back up again. Is there an easier way? – Frank D.

Yes, Frank, there is an easier way – and it involves our two favorite shortcuts.

1. Press the Tab key, and you will see that all toolbars and open palettes magically disappear. Press the Tab key again, and they reappear. No closing and opening of palettes required.

2. To see your document without ruler guides, margin guides, or column guides, press Control-; (Command-; for Mac). Press it again, and all guides will reappear.

You can use both shortcuts together for a "nothing-but-page" look. And here's the great part: These same shortcuts also work in PageMaker and Photoshop.

Now, let's see what we can do for Molly ...

Can I get specific set-up details for setting up a business card in InDesign in picas? And is there a book that I could buy that would lay out the specs? By the way, the Bootcamp was amazing! Thanks so much for everyone's hard work. – Molly B

To set up your business card in InDesign, go to File>New Document. For page size, chose Custom. For width, put in 3.5 in ... and for height, 2.5 in.

If you have already set up a document and the measurements are in picas rather than inches, go to Edit>Preferences>Units and Increments, and then change the horizontal, vertical measurements to inches.

As for the inner print area specification of the business card, it depends. If your card is full-bleed (having an image or background reaching all the way to all four edges of the business card), you need to make sure that the image slightly overlaps the card, so it can be trimmed accordingly. Full-bleed cards might be more expensive to print. Since every print shop has a different set-up, please check with your printer for more detailed specifications.

A great book on business card design is Best of Business Card Design 5 by Cheryl Dangel Cullen. Another good book is Letterhead & Logo Design by Sayles Graphic Design. Both books contain a lot of great business card samples and are good sources for fresh ideas. You can find both books at Amazon.com.

During Bootcamp, we promised to answer any questions that we didn't have time to answer there in upcoming issues of IFD. Unfortunately, the questions we collected got ruined during Hurricane Wilma. So please resubmit those questions – along with any additional questions that you would like answered (and this, of course, applies to those of you who were not able to attend Bootcamp, too) – to: graphics@awaionline.com.

That's it from me for today! Have a productive couple of weeks!

Until next time ...

Kristin

[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com, Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities for AWAI Students

DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER - Give Kids The World, a non-profit organization that works to give children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a memorable, cost-free visit to the attractions in Central Florida, seeks a graphic designer to help them fulfill their mission. You'll design brochures, inserts, newsletters, invitations, and much more. Designers with photography experience have an advantage. You should know PhotoShop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Pagemaker. Send your resume to andreww@gktw.org.
PRINT/ONLINE DESIGNER - Gift Certificates.com needs a graphic designer to work on marketing materials, product development, and branding. You'll tackle both print and online projects to include PowerPoint presentations, newsletters, posters, direct mail, and more. Degreed candidates will be given preference, but equivalent experience is acceptable. You must know standard print and Web design programs. Fill out the online application at www.giftcertificates.com/careers/.
CATALOG/SPACE-AD DESIGNER - PoshTots, a lead marketer of child and baby furnishings, is looking for a graphic designer to focus on their print materials, especially their catalog and space ad designs. You must know Quark, PhotoShop, and Illustrator. Send your resume to jobs@poshtots.com.

COMING NEXT ISSUE:

8 Stress-Free Steps to Handle Any Graphic Design Assignment
Quick Tip: How to Get FREE Publicity

* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

Inside Freelance Design is a FREE bi-weekly newsletter from American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

ARCHIVED ISSUES of Inside Freelance Design can be found on our website at www.thedesignerslife.com/insidefreelancedesign.

To ADVERTISE in Inside Freelance Design or send comments, news, research, or story ideas, email Kristin Schwarz at graphics@awaionline.com.

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Issue #12 November 17, 2005