My design rules

We don't all have a natural creative flair. But, I believe that anyone can be a competent designer with the right training and understanding. I've learned a lot from trial and error. But mostly I've learned from the people who taught me good design, ignoring their advice, and then finding out they were right.

So here are the things that I keep in mind when embarking on any new design project.

Fonts

1. Type is King!
A picture is worth a thousand words... unless it's a very well thought out, well placed word. Typography can be used as image just as pictures can speak for themselves. Get to know how to use typography if you want to be a designer. If not - give up and become a photographer or illustrator.

2. Know your fonts
Most fonts were designed for a purpose and they as well as their designers have a story all their own. Sometimes finding the right font for a project is a happy accident. But if you're clever and have a strong concept for your design choosing the right font will be easier if you know the era/style that the fonts were conceived for/in.

3. No more than three fonts per project 
I mean it. And that counts for bold, italics, sizes etc. Your design will automatically look sleeker and more professional if you limit your font choices. This goes for documents, posters, anything.

Example: 
Font 1: Arial 12 pt (body text)
Font 2: Arial Bold 12 pt (sub headers)
Font 3: Arial 24 pt (headers)

You may think it's clever to chuck in a cheeky wee pink 36pt Garamond header, but for what? It disrupts readibility and can make your document hard to follow.
(You'll notice, by the way, that I've technically used four fonts. That's because A) I'm awesome and know what I'm doing and B) see answer 'A' and C) see No. 4)

4. Establish a hierarchy
There should be a hierarchy to your text (see above example). Having set fonts to express certain sections or ideas in your project will make it easy for people to follow. It will also LOOK better! Again, this is not something to muck about with. Also, don't be stupid and do things like make your header twice the size of body text and bold it as well. Why? It's already twice the size! Why does it need to be bold as well? You need to question this and have an answer so that the viewers don't have to.

This also goes for imagery. If the focus of your document is an image, think about how the text compliments and supports that. If the image is secondary to the text, well, make sure you give the text its rightful due.

Layout

5. Prepare
Do you think Leo DaV just rocked up to a canvas and painted the Mona Lisa? Step away from the computer and pick up a sketch pad. You are not a genius. Make scribbles, sketch your grid, image placement, where you think you want text to sit, etc. You'll be able to approach your project with a lot more clarity and a lot less wasted time.

Also, think about how it’s going to be used. Will it be online, print, product packaging? It may need to be translated across different media platforms. Think about how the layout and focus of things will change across mediums.

6. Establish a grid
If you're designing a publication in particular. You need to establish a grid (columns, margins, etc) where your text and images will fit. It's the foundation. And yes, you can add pizazz and break out of the grid on occasion. But the only way these elements will be surprising is if you've established some sort of order to begin with.

7. Break the rules big style
If you're going to do something, do it big style. You want that image to bleed off the page, you want to break your grid? Then make it extreme. If it's just a teeny tiny corner it will look like a mistake and the impact (and your credibility) will be lost.

Finishing touches

8. Printers are the devil
Every designer knows that printers are evil. A printer will fail you when you need it most. Fact! Know your printer. Keep back up ink. Know which of your friends have printers you can use. Get to know the folks in your local copy shop - buy them chocolates and give them Christmas cards... seriously.

9. Print everything out
It looks great on the screen, right? Well, in real life, it's uneven, twice as dark as you expected, the font's unreadable and the whole thing is actually pretty artless. It all looks different on paper. These are kind of like sketches. Test your design out in whatever format it's going to go in to make sure it really holds up. NEVER send anything to a client, professor, printer before you've seen what it looks like in situ. If you can test print it at actual size and on the printer you're going to use, even better.

10. Hand draw your shiz
You want a nice hand drawn font... draw it. Remember, Comic Sans is supposed to be a hand-drawn font. Don't be Comic Sans. Hand write that jack and retrace in illustrator or use any number of font creating programmes and even websites!

You want that logo to have a hand-drawn feel? Draw it and scan that shiz in. Nothing looks more fake than 'hand-drawn' system images and textures. They look like tacky clip art designed by an artless 12 year old with a mad-on for rainbows and being 'wacky'.

11. Save everything
Develop a compulsion for hitting 'Cmd + S'. It will save your life.
Save new versions. Never just overwrite things. It will save your life.

12. Colour
I'm colour blind - I kid you not. But you know what, I studied colour (and I know when I need someone to confirm reds and greens for me). And I don't mean 'what colour means' because colour meaning is totally cultural (though it is handy to know). I mean study the science of colour - vibration, hue, shade, mixing, etc. It will add a depth to you work that no one else understands. And even though kuler is wicked awesome don't just rely on it.

13. Rule of 3
When presenting someone with your ideas for a design always present options. Chances are you already have two ideas anyway. The third design, the one you will like the least that they will probably like the most, will push you. It will force you to scrounge around and look at other people's stuff to help generate a new idea that you otherwise would not have come up with. Sometimes it will be your best work.

And lastly (because never end on number 13. Another rule?) 14. Don't be a dirtbag
Seriously. Stand your ground. Explain your ideas. But bottom line is (if you're working for someone else) it's your job to make other people's crap ideas look good. If you can't swallow some tasteless jag's idea that all text 'MUST be that shade of fuchsia' get out of the business and design posters for your kid's school play.
Everyone will have something nasty to say about your work. Don't be that guy who gives it back. Be nice to other designers and learn to ignore rude or unhelpful people.


Enjoy!
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