Design Survival Guide

Compiled by David Edwin Meyers

Design Survival Guide . Compiled by David Edwin Meyers

TYPE SPECIFIC:

1. No misspellings.
2. No hyphenated words.
3. Absolutely NO widows!
4. NO decorative ALL CAPS - ever!
5. Keep type at least 1/2 inch from the edge of the page.
6. All type that is meant to be readable, MUST be legible and the figure
must be of high contrast to the ground (no conflicting backgrounds).
7. No body text larger than 11 pt.
8.F onts that are not allowed in any of my classes:
Brush Script | Curlz | Mistral | Papyrus

GENERAL TYPOGRAPHICAL PRACTICES THAT NEVER FAIL:

• Use decorative text WISELY in logos and display text, RARELY in

secondary text and NEVER in body text.
• NEVER track “out” body text.
• Visually kern ALL display text.

DESIGN SPECIFIC:

1. There should be a clear visual hierarchy in your design.

2. All layouts MUST have structure, every element used MUST have some
relationship to other elements in the layout. No random placement
allowed. All elements should be strictly controlled and consistent.
3. No repositioning of navigational area throughout project -
keep consistent.
4. NO BEVELING of design elements.
5. No “DEEP” drop shadows.

GENERAL DESIGN PRACTICES THAT NEVER FAIL:

• Never use borders or rules thicker than 1 point.

• When placing elements near the edge of the page, make a commitment
- either bleed it off the edge, or as stated above, keep it at least 1/2
inch from the edge of the page.
• When selecting secondary colors for text or borders, use a color
“pick-up” - an existing color already present in your artwork
or photography.
 Design Survival Guide . Compiled by David Edwin Meyers

What is Visual Hierarchy?

The order in which the viewer
sees and digests the elements
on the page:

1. Graphic/photo

2. Name/logo

3. Sub head

4. Body text

You create hierarchy by

adjusting and controlling:
• Size
• Color
• Proximity
• Contrast
• Placement (T to B, L to R)

Primary Text
Secondary Text

Body Text
 Design Survival Guide . Compiled by David Edwin Meyers

What is Structure?

As you will see in this sample -

every element has some
relationship with another
element on the page. No items
were placed randomly. This adds
to its organization and overall
structure. When we design with
structure and consistency, it is
much easier for the user to
digest the information because
it is ordered and logical. And
when combined with a conscious
visual hierarchy, it becomes a
very strong and successful piece.

Logo and secondary text

is aligned - centered on
horizontal plane

Logo and secondary text

also aligned vertically with
the left and right side of
The margins are consistent the main graphic
on all four sides

Body text is flush-left

to logo and graphic

The samples provided within this document are done so with a focus on the treatment documents (design docs). We will explore more creative and
cutting-edge design options in regard to interface design, Web design, game aesthetics and interactive design in the near future. But these fundamental
rules remain true across all mediums and media.