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Presentation on Poster Design, January 2014, MITDUSP January 15, 2014 [email protected] Presenter: Michael Foster (@mjfoster83) Contributors to this presentation and content include Michael Foster (@mjfoster83), Chris Rhie (@chris_rhie), and Annemarie Gray (@annemariegray).
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7 Habits of Highly Effective Designers
IAP 2014
January 15, 2014
Department of Urban Studies and Planning
• Present a simple set of principles to follow for novice designers• Outline a set problems and gotchas in poster design• Provide common guidelines for poster designers to fall back on• Establish a workflow for creating simple and effective event posters
WORKSHOP GOALS
• Designing posters is a huge part of organizing and promoting an event• Effective design can be lasting and powerful• You have to know the rules before you can break them
WORKSHOP GOALS
A bit about me…
Mike FosterGIS/Data Viz/Graphics Specialist
DUSP MIT
• Eight Years experience in the GIS and Design field• Specialization in Geodesign, Cartography, and Data
Analysis• B.S. Geography, University of Wisconsin – Madison
(2006)• M.S. Geographic Information Science, University of
Minnesota (2010)• Graduate Minor: Computer Science
• Thesis topics:• GIS and Graphic Interoperability• Accuracy Assessment Methods for Volunteered
Geographic Information• Spatial Database Design and Implementation
• Certified GIS Professional (2013)
“It is not about how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is arranged.”
-Edward Tufte
What is Graphic Design?
The art of communication, stylizing, and problem solvingthrough type and image.
Functional and utility-driven. Composition is of high importance.
Basic Elements
Typography and FontTextual ContentColor and Hue
Page Layout and BalanceManipulation of Image
Urban Planning Graphics
Urban Planning Graphics
Urban Planning Graphics
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• MBTA Map Competition• Graphs and charts• Websites
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Less is always more
• When in doubt, keep it simple
• The effective use of negative space is a hallmark of good design – design the negative space just as you would the positive space. Ask yourself: “What elements can I remove or simplify and still retain my message?” Pare it down to the essentials.
• For repetitive information, remember the “rule of small multiples.”
Be hierarchical.
• Communicate the relative importance of data through variations in size, weight, and intensity. You should be able to squint and clearly understand a hierarchy of your composition.
Good design has CRAP.
• It’s okay if you have a lot to fit.
• Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity: use these principles to allow your audience to easily follow the connections between your ideas and the message of the poster.
Just two fonts.
• Good design can be achieved with just one or two fonts. As a general rule, sans serif fonts work well for titles, headers, and electronic media. Serif fonts work well for body text in print media. The most useful fonts have many weights to choose from.
Magic number twelve.
• The human mind looks for natural proportions of 2, 3, and 4. As the least common denominator, 12 is an extremely useful number for column layout, and it’s also a good point size multiple for fonts (12 pt, 24 pt, 36 pt, etc). A good rule of thumb is that a column of text should be about 60 characters wide for your eyes to easily follow.
• Use no smaller than 12 pt font on your poster, and make your titles and headings very large, 60+pt.
Imitate. (But don’t copy.)
• Beg, borrow – but don’t steal – ideas for beautiful posters and graphics from experienced designers.
Be color conscious.
• Like a well-written paragraph, each graphic should have a singular message. Use color to unify your message and highlight differences.
Tips for Design
Lets put the pencil to the paper (or the mouse to the screen!)
Specifically tailored to DUSP Event Posters
Components of a Poster1. Event Name2. Time/Date3. Location4. Image/Graphic5. Abstract6. Contact Information
Remove noise1. Event Name2. Time/Date3. Location/Address4. Flashy Image5. Abstract6. Contact Information
Get these components on your poster, skip items that don’t have meaning. They are what is known in the design world as
“noise”.
Size Matters…Most common DUSP Poster Sizes
8.5 inch X 11 inch (Letter)
11 inch X 17 inch (Tabloid)
These sizes will work best for posting around DUSPSmaller will get lost, larger take up too much room
Portrait Landscape
Orientation Matters…
Layout Matters…Alignment is important
(and professional)
RecommendationOrganize your poster with
a grid
Photography “The rule of thirds”
Layout Matters…Create a template.
You can reuse an effective poster over and over, changing the
elements.
The Grid
The MarginMake your margins
consistent.
Approximately ½ inch around the top and sides.
Visual Center of the PageThe visual center of your
page is NOT the same as the geometric center.
Visual center is slightly above the geometric center
Bold and Contrasting ColorsUse BOLD and CONTRASTING
colors.
Dark text on a light backgrounds.
Light text on dark backgrounds.
Should hold up to non-color printing.
Pick a PaletteFind known and established color ramps and palettes.
http://kuler.adobe.comhttp://macwright.org/d3-curvyhttp://tristen.ca/hcl-picker
See handout
Design at SizeDesign your Poster at the size of your final product.
Set settings in your design software to the desired size
of your final output.
Design at SizeDesign your Poster at the size of your final product.
Prevents pixilation of images, allows for proper sizing of text to maximize legibility
Image SelectionSometimes you don’t have a
choice…
Book CoverPre-chosen Event Logo
Bold and BeautifulBut often you do…
Choose images that are:Bold
RelevantColorful
Indicative
Let the Image Guide YouUse the image, beautiful pictures have a built in
layout for you.
Place text in areas with least amount of noise and largest
blocks of bold colors TRANSIT IN BOSTONA ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
THURS JAN 18, 9PM, ROOM 9-450
Resourceshttp://www.flickr.com
http://commons.wikimedia.org
See handout
Copyrighted Images:When in doubt, cite your
source.
Image GuidelinesUse the largest image
possible that you can find.
Know your pixel size.
Letter size =1275 pixels by 1650
pixelsTry to choose no smaller
than this.
Font Selection
Sans Serif Favorites• Can be used anywhere, good for headers and titles
ArialCalibriEurostileFranklin GothicGill SansHelvetica
Lucida SansMyriad Pro BoldSwiss 721 CondensedSwiss 721 Black CondensedVerdana
Serif Favorites• Good for bodies, abstracts, and content
Cambria
Baskerville
Garamond
Times New Roman
Non-Favorites• Use sparingly, by that, I mean probably never.
Brush Script
Comic Sans
Font Size
•Title/Main content: 48-60pt+•Supplemental text: 24-36pt•Abstract/Body: 18-24pt•Stay big. Use no smaller than 12!
Poster Digestion• Should be able to get main gist of poster in seconds•< 15 seconds•Most viewers will see it in passing
•More in waiting area• Less in hallway
Lots of Software Available
•Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator•GIMP/Inkscape•Microsoft Powerpoint/Paint
The tool does not make your graphic, you do.
Use the tools you have!
End.
•We just covered a lot•Questions/Comments/Complaints
Special thanks to Chris Rhie and Annemarie Gray
