How to design like a boss
Who better to talk design than the kids over at Your One and Only... They give @neonmoose the skinny on all things shiny. And design-y. Read on...
Tip 1. Tone it down.
A good use of colour is like a breath of fresh air. Have a look at the colour wheel, understand warm and cool colours, contrasting (complimentary colours), and tone. This will help you to make sure that two colours can work alongside each other. There’s nothing more garish than seeing two colours fighting for a hierarchy and poking pins through your retinas, yeah that’s right, that’s how emotionally disturbed we are by it #designerlife
Tip 2. UNDERSTAND the colour.
Another thing, colour psychology, Google it, it’s a thing. Colours have meaning and assist in evoking a feeling. They can also have cultural meaning, so what one colour means in the Western culture, may not necessarily translate into other cultures. So, if you’re communicating for events like Chinese New Year for example, be sure to understand the cultural references so you don’t offend anyone.
Tip 3. I’m silently judging your font choice.
That’s right, we are. Every time I see someone use a font that doesn’t work, the designer snob in me scrunches her nose and mouths WTF. Fonts are important, they help to communicate a message, the wrong font choice can confuse your audience. For instance, you’re not going to see a Government agency using a flowy script font on their important collateral, it just wouldn’t work. Fonts help to communicate tone, so think about what it is your actually saying and tie in the font to visually assist it.
Tip 4. As Coco Chanel said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off”.
Don’t overcomplicate it, if there’s some space, appreciate it, work it, own it. Clear space is a lovely thing, it creates balance. When you have too many images, too many font styles and sizes, too many colours, all it does is create elements that fight for prime attention and confuse the audience. Your main goal is to make sure that what you’re saying communicates. Less is more.
Tip 5. Know the objective.
Speaking of communication, you’re designing something for a reason, so make sure it conveys that message. Keep the messaging simple, highlight the important elements and deliver with purpose. Use imagery that aligns to what you’re trying to say, (and fonts, we’ve spoken about this *squints at you and hopes you were reading it*). Make sure that if someone has 5 seconds to read your ad, they take away the most important message. Layout can play a huge part in this, lead the reader through your ad. Most cultures read top to bottom, left to right so make sure you place the elements in the right spots.
Happy designing.
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