Design

A layperson’s guide to identifying good communication design.

So, you just got three estimates from three design companies and you’re trying to decide which one to pick. The temptation is to flip to the back page and look at the price tag. Making a choice based on the bottom-line makes sense, right? After all it’s an objective, straightforward and fiscally responsible strategy … right?

I remember being struck by colour for the first time when I was five years old. It was cold out and I was in my winter coat — it was a bulky wool number that went to my knees. I was all wrapped up in scarves and mitts — I remember the mitts because I had to take them off in order to pick up an object that was the most beautiful, amazing colour I had ever seen. There was an abandoned robin’s egg shell on the ground — it was very delicate and tiny — and it was such a zingy, crisp, turquoise that it seemed to be singing and vibrating next to the browns and grays of the wintery yard. I felt excited just by looking at it! So I took it home, and kept stealing glances at it like I was taking little licks from a lollipop.

If I had a definitive answer for this question then I would invent a button that I could push to get the colours that work every time. Ha. I wish. Colour is way too tricky for that. Colour is a key element in human expression and therefore plays a big role in how we perceive, feel and respond to what we see. Every project has its own specific set of idiosyncrasies, requirements, intentions, technical limitations and opportunities and should get its own carefully considered solution that makes the most of colour. When deciding about colour we need to take many things into consideration, weigh them, balance them, analyze them and then make strategic decisions. Every colour decision should have reasoning behind it.

Just because it is empty does not mean it is unnecessary. I’ll demonstrate here, with illustrated examples, the value of whistespace in the practice of design. Whitespace is crucial to making a great impression, encouraging your audience to continue absorbing your message, achieving designs that withstand the test of time and conveying the message you actually intend. By the end of this article, you’ll want way more whitespace.

Eye candy, visual stimulation. This site give a great sense of what is going on out there in the world of image making. Be careful, it is addictive.
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SwissMiss can always be counted on to point us toward innovative well designed items and great new ideas.

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