out of the blue

Designers inherently solve problems & refuse to yield to those who say it can’t be done. With that said, there are many elements that go into solving an age-old design problem. We constantly look for ways to appeal to the masses with out stepping on our own toes. The last thing a designer wants to do is go against what they know is right. Many of us cringe at the sight of a “bad design”…so how do we permanently solve this issue and make all designs “good”. Here are 8 elements that should be established in a good design.

1.Victory:

We use the phrase “keep your eye on the prize” loosely, but isn’t it true? When we sit down to design, isn’t what we’re doing all about the end result, the “victory” if you will.
If the focus of each design is the end product each and every designed piece will be victorious, not only with good design, but also in the response rate.

2. Product Definition:

In order to achieve victory there must be substance. We must clearly define what we are selling. If you can’t define what it is your selling, then an awesome design and a great layout will not be able to define it either. Once you know what it is your selling, then dress it up and take it out.

3. Audience:

True design success comes when the marketing buff, the industry guru, the sales expert, and the design whiz all realize that the audience is they’re true guiding light. You wouldn’t tell a chicken joke to a room full of vegetarians, so why would you make a poster for an eyeglass place with 8pt text? Sure, its trendy, but if your audience can’t see it, is it effective?

4. Simplicity

Good design is always simple. Take UPS’s® mesmerizing whiteboard campaign – we are all captivated by the simple black drawings on a white background and we clearly understand what they do, how they do it, what they do it with, and how to find out more. There’s no need for big flashy text and overwhelming paragraphs, just black lines and white space. Good design can help you focus your product down so simply that you will hardly need words to explain.

5. Style

Quite frankly, you’re not going to step out of your house in a pair of overalls, so why would you dress your company in them? Having good style behind your product is committing to a better brand, and a more distinct image. Good design should be “Trendy Classic” in its style, think Madonna meets Jackie Kennedy. Keeping your design pieces stylish while keeping them around for a while is an important part of good design.

6. Color

Target®. They practically own the color red. How about Home Depot®? Oh yes, that obnoxious orange. I doubt that the marketing specialists and designers for these companies threw a dart at a color chart and used the first color it landed on. In terms of design we cannot just think of the color the eye sees, but what the mind’s eye sees. Sure we want to make it appealing on the outside, but color can associate all kinds of things psychologically like mood, temperature, times of year, and businesses. Color on a piece is just as important if not more important than the words it self.

7. Typography

Oh yes, I went there. Either you love typography or you hate it, but the truth of the matter is, if you’re a designer you need to know how to deal with type, and as a client, you should take pride in finding a designer who is concerned about it. So you’re thinking, it’s a font, what’s the big deal? It is a big deal. It could be the difference between having a piece fail or succeed. Typography is art with words. If you still don’t believe it, Google® “typography”, 16 Million results can’t be wrong.

8. Verbiage

Less is more. Enough said.

“Good Design” reflects how much you pay attention. There are many things speaking to us during the design phase. Open your ears, open your eyes, and you will achieve victory.