Your printed piece’s success depends on its print design. Alexander’s is Utah’s most trusted printer. We know how difficult it can be to learn graphic design skills. These 12 tips will help you improve your print design skills.
1. Keep in mind the theme
Before you start the design process, you need to define the overall message for the printed piece. Identify your target audience and the language they prefer to hear about your product. To ensure that the piece is consistent with its overall purpose, you should always refer to the theme as you work through the printing design process.
2. Do not forget about the bleeding.
Your printed piece will look polished if it has a bleed. This allows the printer’s to trim the edges where ink could “bleed” off of the page, causing problems for the printed piece.
3. Readability is key.
We’ll be back with more tips on print design soon! No matter how large or small the print piece, readability is essential. The printed piece is made up of content. Therefore, the print design should not distract from the content. Make sure the content is easy to read.
4. Copy (White Space)
White space is defined as the area where there are no words or images. It organizes and emphasizes the content on the page. White space in print design is also known as copy space. It is the same concept. To fill the space with copy, crop or enlarge images. Take a look at the following example to see how text fills the space.
5. Combining Contrasting Fonts
For graphic designers who are just starting out, pairing fonts can be difficult. Pairing fonts well is dependent on the mood, tone and contrast as well as time period.
6. Match colors
You must first understand the differences between CMYK color modes and RGB. You must ensure that your print design software (Photoshop and InDesign, Illustrator, etc.) is set to CMYK. This is only for printed collateral. RGB is for the web (or screen), i.e. Canva offers a great tutorial that shows you how to match your text color with your printed graphics. Learn more by clicking here
7. For emphasis, invert.
To emphasize a message or logo, invert the colors.
8. Iconography.
Icons are excellent for communicating information using shapes. Check out these examples of iconography.
9. Transparency.
Transparency is recommended for icons and shapes in your printed piece. This example is from a blog post by Divvy By Alexander’s. To emphasize the letters, the box is transparent and inverted with black to highlight the white letters. The orange colors match the cup (tip #6), and the circle draws your eye to the number 10 (tip #8).
10. Remember Resolution.
When you are ready to print your piece, ensure that your programming is set to track inches and not pixels.
11. Follow the Trends
Pinterest is a great place to start if you need inspiration. It can be hard to design a print, as it is constantly changing. Knowing what is in fashion now can help you figure out what you can do.
12. Practice makes perfect
Practice makes perfect, so don’t forget that! You can’t expect to master graphic (or print) design in a matter of hours. You will be more successful if you experiment and learn more.
