How do you take your print design materials up a notch? We offer ten tips to help you take your design to the next level.
Print Design: What is it?
The print design branch of graphic design focuses on printed materials. This includes magazine covers, packaging, flyers, brochures, and other printed materials.
Make sure you have all the information you need before starting a project. Are you working with a template or creating the design from scratch? Do you have brand guidelines? Are the images suitable for printing? Are there color limitations? Double- and triple-check page size to ensure you are satisfied with the final product.
When designing for print, there are a few key points to remember. If you don’t do it right, creating a file for printing can have disastrous consequences. It is essential to ensure that all files are in CMYK format with 300 DPI. To ensure flawless printing, it is equally important to use the correct bleeds.
A good relationship with your professional printer can be a benefit. They are experts in custom sizes and packaging. You can communicate with them if you don’t have an answer. You can request proofs from printers when you send files to press. These proofs are excellent for ensuring that the design, color, or format you require is correct. You can also check to spell and make any changes you need. If you’re working with heavy copy, you should have another set of eyes. A copy editor is even better for proofreading your project.
Apply Grid Systems
Because they are often hidden, grid systems are one of the most overlooked elements in the design. A grid system is crucial in designing a layout, no matter how many pages you create. Grids help position text and images in a way that makes the page look professional and neat.
It is composed of intersecting horizontal lines and vertical lines. The structure doesn’t stop there. If you want to make your page more complex, add angular lines or curves. There are no rules about what constitutes a grid. This is the beauty of design: you can create your own grid as a designer. Clean pages will be produced as long as the grid is followed throughout the project.
Layer it up
No longer are layouts flat. Multi-layered arrangements have become a common feature of print design. This does not refer to the InDesign layers panel but rather the layered elements that make up a page—images over colored backgrounds, images over type, graphics over text, etc. The playfulness of juxtapositions is carefully calculated.
When creating multi-layered documents, there are some questions that you should ask. Consider whether the content is legible if you are working with heavy content. If the copy is hard to read, it’s all about legibility. Consider using a lighter background, such as the one in the InDesign template.
Get Back to the Basics
Minimalist design is timeless. It’s easy to go wrong with neat, organized, and clean. This trend has had an impact on many areas, including print design, user interfaces, film, architecture, and even printing. You can create visual harmony using a few elements, not just any element, but the best. Choose high-quality fonts, images, muted colors, and a simple grid. Although minimalism can appear stark because of the absence of color, you can use the content and images to add contrast.
This magazine layout template makes it easy to create a relaxed vibe. Mixing different font sizes can add visual interest without cluttering the pages.
Play With Borders
The decorative element at the paper’s edge is more than an ornament. You can use borders to enhance the theme of your project. Borders can be used to frame the page and give it a strong presence. This border is vintage-inspired and features intricate lines. This element alone can elevate the quality of your design.
You can make borders colorful. The bold border complements the design and helps to unify it. You can use the page’s design as an inspiration for a border. You can reduce the number of colors used and use a simpler design if it gets too crowded.
Use a pattern
They are versatile and great for filling in empty spaces. You may have thought that minimalism is too restrictive and wondered “How can this be special?” Patterns are the solution because they are versatile, functional, and visually appealing. You can explore patterns for many years, and there are no two patterns the same. Check out the City of Melbourne branding, designed by Landor Associates. It includes many geometric patterns.
You can keep your business card as in the example below monochromatic and minimal. It should also be clean and simple. This is a subtle way to add something to your business cards’ back. If your pattern is complex, keep it simple.
It all depends on the feeling you want. This book mockup features a playful, organic pattern with each element having a different color. You can create visual harmony between the background and the pattern by choosing a color palette.
It can be inverted
Colors evoke different feelings in design. Although we can see logos and printed material in many colors, black is still the most popular. Black is synonymous with elegance, luxury, and high-end. This mysterious color is now the new “white canvas.” It can be mixed with other colors to create a contrast, unlike white. The page is sharpened by the contrast of dark and light.
This InDesign template looks great with a black background. The background hides the subject’s clothes, which highlights her. The white type serves as a neutral between yellow and black. Because of its yellow color, the only yellow element stands out more than any other. It lights up much brighter against black.
Brand Consistency
It can be difficult to transform a logo into an entire brand identity. Professionally designed brand identities should be attractive and modern. Your branding will also be used by consumers to establish credibility.
An identity package includes business cards, letterheads, and invoices. It also includes creative folders. You can include other materials, but these are the most important. All of these elements must work together. If you apply a pattern to a business card, it must be extended to all other stationery. This graphic translation will allow you to create a brand that is distinctive and stands out from the rest. You can’t just print the consistency, you need to make sure that your brand identity is used across all media.
This InDesign template will help you find the right design for you. It’s clean, simple, and breathable. It only requires a few elements. Add a pattern or a royal blue color and you’re done!
Change direction
There are many ways to add movement and emphasis to your project. There are many ways to add color and shape. Rotating text horizontally to vertically can add movement and direction to your design.
This tip is best applied as if you are the audience. In this InDesign template, the details are aligned along the y-axis so they aren’t overwhelming. It’s bold to leave the date on the fold, and it looks great. The trifold brochure in this instance contains the entire long copy, from top to bottom. But we still need legibility. This tip should be practiced carefully as it can lead to page discord.
Simple graphics go a long way
You can spice up a minimalist layout with a few simple steps. You can spice up a minimalist layout by using simple graphics that are different in size and color. They will increase visual weight and provide direction by emphasizing the content. Basic graphics are useful if you don’t know what to read or how to follow the content.
This InDesign template shows how to add basic graphics. Each panel has at least two graphic elements. Each panel contains either a color or a photograph that highlights the content. These graphics are smaller than usual and take up space that might otherwise be empty.
