Design-it-Yourself Graphic Workshop The Step-by-Step Guide

312 Pages·2007·100.826 MB·English

by  Chuck Green

"I'm a beginning graphic design artist finding myself saddled with large, complex, high-budget proj
ects. In my situation, I have to learn fast. Design-It-Yourself is the first publication I've read that
gives me examples and shows me how to carry them out."
- Alison Vallocchia, Designer
"Chuck Green is a master of the creative small project. His ideas are bright, his designs are beauti
ful, and his instructions are crystal clear. Whether it's a logo, letterhead, business card, or newsletter,
when what you need is a jump start, there's no better place to turn."
- John McWade, Before & After magazine
"Designing anything yourself is a scary process. There are dozens of things you don't consider in
advance. Chuck's book takes the hassle out of design. It's simple, step by step, and so very elegant.
If you want your design to look like a million bucks, get this book. You will never regret it."
- Sean D'Souza, CEO, PsychoTactics.com
"Every graphic artist-whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting out-would benefit greatly from buying
this book. After reading and applying the author's tips and techniques, I bet you will want to join the
Chuck Green fan club, too."
- Lee Silber, award-winning author and designer,
www.creativelee.com
"Chuck Green hits another home run! Well laid out, lots of good ideas, details, and alternatives. In
add ition to provid i ng a step-by-step gu ide for non-designers, Design-it-Yourself makes it easy to
establish an enthusiastic dialog between professional designers and their clients. The book saves
hours of effort and helps propel meetings forward."
- Roger C. Parker, Author, Looking Good in Print and
Roger C. Parker's One-Minute Designer
"I've poured through the design bookshelves looking for someth ing instructional to help get me started
in my budding graphic design business, and Chuck Green's book was just what I needed. I devoured
it in one weekend. It breaks down the design process into manageable, easy-to-u nderstand steps in
the form of checklists, and provides tons of design examples to help you get your creative juices flow
ing. It doesn't just show you good design ideas, it explains why they're good, and why they work."
- Alexandria Jimenez, Sole Proprietor, AJ Designs
"Chuck's approach in this book is to present you with both a finished product for inspiration and with
instructions on how to re-create each look and adapt each design to your own needs. Although he
mentions in the introduction that it is for the non-designer, I have no problem recommending it to
those who also make a living as designers. Seeing another designer's approach to the entire process
is valuable to developing and improving our own skills."
- Jacci Howard Bear, Desktop Publishing host at desktoppub.about.com
"Chuck Green's attractive, practical examples are brilliant-with styles that run the gamut from tradi
tional to modern, friendly to serious. Always tasteful, professional, and distinctive. Non-designers will
find them easy to copy. Professional designers will use them as inspiring and helpful building blocks.
Green's consistent creativity and clarity make this a model for what design books should be."
- Daniel Will-Harris, www.willharris.com
Desi,n IVourself
Graphic Workshop
A Step-by-Step Guide
CHUCK GREEN
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© 2004, 2011 by Chuck Green
First paperback published in 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written per
mission of the copyright owner. The author and publisher have used their best efforts in prepar
ing this book and the instructions contained herein. However, the author and publisher make
no warranties of any kind, express or implied, with regard to the documentation contained in this
book, and specifically disclaim, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the author or publisher be responsible or liable
for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special inci
dental, consequential, or any other damages, in connection with or arising out of furnishing, per
formance, or use of this book.
Copyrights on individual photographic and clip art images reproduced in this book are
retained by their respective owners.
PANTONE and other Pantone, Inc., trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc.
First published in the United States of America by
Rockport Publishers, Inc.
33 Commercial Street
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930-5089
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.rockpub.com
Digital edition: 978-1-61673-643-9
Softcover edition: 978-1-59253-348-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-348-0
ISBN-1 0: 1-59253-348-5
10987654321
Design: Chuck Green
Printed in Singapore
Acknowledgments
A designer is a composer and arranger. We take the words, photographs, artwork, and
typefaces created by others and assemble them into something that we hope is wor
thy of their efforts.To all those who contributed, I thank you.
Thanks, too, to the folks at Rockport Publishers for allowing me the creative freedom to
take their vision for the Design-It-Yourself series and make it my own. I am especially
grateful to Winnie Prentiss and Kristin Ellison.
Finally, thanks to my wife, Leslie, and sons Jeffrey and Robert, for supplying the support
and energy that has allowed me to weave another small thread into the ever-growing
fabric of ideas.
Contents
Introduction ... ... .. ... .. ..... .... ..... ..... ..... .. 6 Step 14: Prepare for the Press ................. 48
Step 15: Print and Proof It .............. .. .... 50
Section 1, Part 1 9 Section 1, Part 2 53
Step 1: Establish Your Mission ................ 10 How to Use the Recipes ................... ..... 54
Step 2: Do Some Research ................... 12 Style 1: Bleeding Edge ...................... 56
Step 3: Create a Name .. .................... 14 Style 2: Border .............................. 60
Step 4: Write a Defining Phrase .. ... .. ..... .. 16 Style 3: Boxes............................... 64
Step 5: Choose a Logo Style .. ..... ..... ... .. 18 Style 4: Burst .......................... .. ... 68
Step 6: Choose YourTools .......... .. ....... 20 Style 5: Circles .............................. 72
Step 7: Design a Logo ........ .. ............ 22 Style 6: Comics ............................. 76
Step 8: Choose a Technique Style 7: Corners ............................. 80
Custom Logos .. .. ... .. ... .. ... ..... 24 Style 8: Experimental ........................ 84
Clip Art Logos ....................... 26 Style 9: Floating Objects ..................... 88
All-Type Logos ...................... 28 Style 10: Flowchart ........................... 92
Photo Logos ......... ..... ..... ..... 30 Style 11: Form ............................... 96
Sym bol Logos ........ .... .. .. .. .... . 32 Style 12: Horizontal Bar ...................... 100
Silhouette Logos, Engraving Logos,
Style 13: Lines .............................. 104
and Beyond .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .... . 34
Style 14: Opposing Elements.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 108
Step 9: Lay Out a Letterhead .. ..... ..... ... .. 36
Style 15: Outlines ........................... 112
Step 10: Lay Out a Business Card ... ... ..... ... 40
Style 16: Photographs ....................... 116
Step 11: Lay Out an Envelope ....... ..... ..... 42
Style 17: Products ............................ 120
Step 12: Find a Printer .. ........ .... .. .. .. .... . 44
Style 18: Rectangles ......................... 124
Step 13: Choose Paper ..... ..... ...... ..... ... 46
Style 19: Scribbles........................... 128 Section 2, Part 2 201
Style 20: Shadows........................... 132 How to Use the Recipes ....................... 202
Style 21: Simplicity .......................... 136 Style 1: Ad Banner .......................... 204
Style 22: Stack .............................. 140 Style 2: Bulletin ............................. 212
Style 23: Transparency ...................... 144 Style 3: Elements........................... 220
Style 24: Type .............................. 148 Style 4: Icons............................... 228
Style 25: Vertical Bar ......................... 152 Style 5: Jacket .............................. 236
Section 2, Part 1 159 Style 6: Lines ............................... 244
Step 1: Establish Your Mission .............. 160 Style 7: Newspaper ......................... 252
Step 2: Do Some Research ................. 162 Style 8: Objects ............................ 260
Step 3: Create a Plan ....................... 166 Style 9: Postcard ............................ 268
Step 4: Choose a Format ................... 168 Style 10: Squared ............................ 276
Step 5: Choose a Newsletter Style .......... 170 Style 11: Tabs ................................ 284
Step 6: Define the Steps and Stages ........ 172 Style 12: Tall ................................. 292
Step 7: Choose Your Tools .................. 176 Style 13: Wing ............................... 300
Step 8: Create a Name, a Defining Phrase,
Glossary. . .................................... 308
and a Nameplate ................... 178
Index ........................................... 310
Step 9: Compose the Content .................. 180
About the Author .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 312
Step 10: Illustrate the Message ................... 184
Step 11: Assemble the Pieces.................... 186
Step 12: Find a Printer ....................... 190
Step 13: Prepare, Print, and Proof It ........... 194
Step 14: Maillt ............................. 198
DESIGN-IT-YOURSELF LOGOS, LETTERHEADS, & BUSINESS CARDS
INTRODUCTION
This is not a design
theory book ·
it is a design
instrudion book.
A design theory book examines
abstract concepts such as contrast,
symmetry, and white space, under the
assumption that if you learn to think
the thoughts of a designer, you will be
a designer.
I'm not sure it's that easy. In my
opinion, the capacity to visualize and
compose is influenced by more than
theory. Some mix of natural talent and
experience seems to playa significant
enough role that I doubt many of us
could get the desired result by simply
understanding a premise.
I propose an entirely different
approach-to demonstrate how one
designer does it.
6
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
You and I will tackle a real project design, and produce a logo and incorpo What you need
from the initial idea to the final printed rate it into a letterhead, business card,
This book is not about a particular
piece-and I'm going to tell you how I and envelope.We discuss how to create
software program and does not require
handle each detail every step of the way. a name, write a benefits-oriented tag
a specific computer system. Most of the
Think of it as a cookbook. Instead of dis line, and how to choose the right tools
projects are easiest to produce using a
cussing the history of the stove and the and most effective resources. It includes
desktop publishing program such as
intricacies of milling flour, I'm going to eight ways to design a logo and shows
QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe
show you how to bake a cake. And if I've you how to add important functionality
PageMaker, or Microsoft Publisher.The
done my job, following one of my design to your business cards and letterheads.
other software you will need depends
recipes will result in a logo, letterhead, Section 2, part 1, beginning on page 159,
on the recipes you choose to follow.
business card, and newsletter that looks discusses newsletters-how to establish
Some of the logos require a drawing
and sells as if it were designed by a pro. your mission, define your audience, de
program such as Adobe Illustrator,
velop content, and choose the right
Macromedia FreeHand, or Corel DRAW;
Who this book is for tools and the most effective resources.
or an image editing program such as
Both parts even help you find a com
The Design-It-Yourself series is Adobe Photoshop or Jasc Software's
mercial printer and choose the right
written primarily for "non-designers," in Paint Shop Pro. Program suggestions
paper to print your letterhead and
layman's language, and endeavors to are listed throughout.
newsletters on.
include all the information necessary to
I suggest you read through both sec
produce real-world, professional-quality Continue the discussion
tions' Part 1 start to finish before begin
results. Everyone, of course, is a designer
at www.designiy.com
ning your project, then use the checklist
in the sense that they make artistic
included with each step as a guide.The Want to share your side of the experi
judgments about everything from the
checklists summarize the key points and ence? I've established a place for you
clothes they wear to the way they
are coded to the text so you can easily and other readers to share your insights
decorate the rooms they live in. By
review the details as necessary. and experiences about the Design-It
"non-designer," I simply mean those
Yourself series: www.designiy.com.ln
who don't make their living at it. Section 1, part 2, beginning on page
addition to posting selected comments
53, features twenty-five Design Recipes
But even chefs use cookbooks.
from readers, I'll keep you current on the
and section 2, part 2, beginning on page
I hope even an experienced designer
latest resources and upcoming titles in
201, features thirteen Design Recipes,
will profit from seeing how another
the series.
each including in-depth, detailed
designer navigates familiar territory. I'm a
information about designing a logo, This, of course, is just the beginning
much better designer for having studied
letterhead, business card, envelope, of what is possible. As more and more
my colleagues'work-their justification
and newsletter using different styles, of us learn to master today's powerful
for making subtle choices, the tips and
typefaces, and color schemes. Each design-oriented software programs,
tricks they use in everyday production,
recipe includes page layouts and the appreciation of good design, based
and the resources they tap for the details
dimensions, typeface names and sizes, on honest marketing principles, will
they don't handle in-house.
specific color suggestions, even the increase dramatically. I hope, in some
How to use it sources of graphics and photography. small way, what you find here furthers
And, because they are created specially that outcome.
This book is divided into two sections,
for the Design-It-Yourself series, you are
each containing two parts, a Step-by
free to copy any recipe in whole or in
Chuck Green
Step Design guide and a Design Guide.
part to create your own materials.
[email protected]
Section 1, part 1, beginning on page 9,
covers the steps necessary to research,
7