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[D194]Design And Process Engineering

by Janice Jenkins, Jan

The design process is very important as it is the time that you put into words and visual representation all that you want your flyer printing project to be in the end. It is during the flyer printing design process that you finalize and polish all the elements you want included in your print flyers. It is during the design process that you get to be as creative as you want.

But there are problems during this time that you need to be wary of so that you'll be able to get the flyer printing results you desire. In order for your flyer printing design process to go smoothly, here are the five steps to follow:

1st Step – Organize, plan and budget

The first thing you need to do is set up a budget for your flyer printing project. It should include the writing, designing, editing, proofreading, pictures, photography or stock images, selecting the paper stock, flyer printing, folding, binding, labeling, and even the distribution process.

And then set your flyer printing deadline. All that goes into the production of the print flyers should determine your deadline. And each of the sections in your production process should have their own deadlines as well. In order to set your individual deadlines, begin with the day you want your target clients to get a hold of your flyer printing pieces. Then work your way back to the design stage. But don't forget to leave extra time for corrections and editing and other such stuff so you will have plenty of time for surprises.

2nd Step – Design Brief

Provide yourself a design brief that clearly identifies your ideas, objectives and budget. This would be easier if you know who your target readers are and your main purpose in doing your flyer printing project. It would also make it easy to customize your flyer printing project (the design, fonts, graphics, and color) according to the target market you have. Moreover, a design brief would also help you stay within your budget and deadline.

Hire a professional or consult with a designer or your flyer printer to help you conceptualize your flyer printing project. It would do you more good than harm to get other people who know the industry and are willing to help you out with your flyer printing project.

3rd Step – The Layout

When you've chosen where you want your flyer printing project to go, use a professional software program to help you put into document your concepts and ideas. Compile all your text and your graphic images and develop that flyer printing project you've planned for.

4th Step – Proofread, edit, check

Check everything that you have put down in your flyer printing design. Proofread every word, phrase and sentence you've written. Hire an editor or a proofreader if you must. Go over your contact information and make sure that all the numbers are in the right order. And make sure that your flyer printing design is well coordinated with your flyer printing copy. Correct and identify the captions that appear in each of the illustrations. The bottom line is to review and edit everything so that you won't have to do it again when you put your flyer printing project to press.

Final Step – Transfer your flyer printing project in ready-to-print disk and give it to your flyer printer for reproduction. Always remember to get a preview of your finished flyer printing piece to finally check your flyer printing project.

Find out from the client what sort of company they have, what sort of image they want to convey and what type of demographic their client base will be made up from.

It is also a good idea at these embryonic stages to find out what websites your client rates highly themselves, and more importantly, why they think these websites ?work?. It is always worth finding out which website designs they don't like! This should give you a first impression of their expectations. Ideas can now start forming in your own mind as to what the client wants. Don't just scurry away and start designing. Relay your thoughts to the customer, by use of webpage layout diagrams if necessary.

Many clients from large and established companies will already have a corporate identity in place or at least their own logo. It is imperative to replicate corporate identities perfectly, which can be made easier if the client furnishes you with all the relevant files they hold. However, many clients that are just starting out with an idea for a website will need some sort of logo or identity. I would advise you to create a selection of logo ideas for them to choose from, taking into consideration the loose design specification they have already given you.

When the client has chosen a logo you can now start designing the ?home? or ?landing? page for their website. Remember that this should almost always compliment the shapes and colours incorporated within their logo. I find it quicker and more organic to start the design process with a pen and paper.
You can quickly see if a design ?works? or not. If you are not feeling in a particularly creative mood it is not a good idea to ?crash away? on the computer, creating images that don't work. Images onscreen somehow carry more gravitas than sketches in a notepad, so tend to de-motivate you more if they're not working out well.

When you think you've come up with a very basic layout on paper, it's time to get it onscreen. I have found adobe illustrator to be the best ?backbone? of my web design projects. I am surprised how many people use adobe Photoshop for designing an entire webpage. The clue is in the name, ?Photoshop? it was devised primarily as a photo editing and retouching software and although it has many more capabilities than a mere photo lab I find illustrator much quicker to use and has the added bonus that all images created in it are ?vector? which means they are mathematically defined by lines and curves. The important thing is that all images created are resolution independent, which means they can be re-sized or stretched without losing quality.

When designing web pages in adobe illustrator, make sure you utilise the layers panel and label similar objects clearly. When you have created a basic design it is very easy to experiment with different colour harmonies by using the layers panel. Always re-size and re-touch pictures in Photoshop and import them to Illustrator. When saving photographs for the web as part of a webpage I use the j-peg file format.

When organising the navigation bar and essential links on your webpage it is important to be aware of the potential growth of the company you are designing for. There is no point opting for a top navigation bar, filling it up and leaving no space on the left hand side for links. Only to find out six months later that the company has doubled in size, has got twice the products and wants more links! Some web designers have a very blas? attitude claiming, ??well, they got what they paid for?? This attitude won't win you any friends.

Most page layouts are comprised of a series of boxes or compartments to separate different pieces of information. It is a good idea to be aware of the standard Google advert Sizes so that you can make some of your boxes in those sizes so that Google adverts can be added later, if the client so wishes.

Another ?trick? that fine artists have used throughout the ages is the golden ratio. I often try to use the golden ratio in my webpage layout. The golden ratio is approximately 1.6 this means if you are creating a rectangle with a height of 100 pixels; the golden ratio would determine that the width should be 160 pixels.

Another piece of advice is to constantly check what your Illustrator file looks like when saved for web & devices. This could save you time re-touching pictures etc that don't need attention when viewed as a web file.

When you've got a design that you think is good enough to show the client. Don't. Spend some time away from the design then when you come back to it you can look at it from a fresh perspective and do some all important tweaking. This often overlooked process makes the difference between a good website and a great website.

Finally when your design is finished, always take time out to ask your client about the feedback they've received from people about the website design.

Article Source : Development Of A Baby

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Both Janice Jenkins & Mercedes Aspland are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Janice Jenkins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Cards, Brochures and Marketing. . Janice Jenkins's top article generates over 550000 views. to your Favourites.

Mercedes Aspland has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Forums and Home Management. If you like this article you can find out more information at . Mercedes Aspland's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.