November 2013 Xara Xone Tute: Page Design Part One

[Gare]

How about this for an assignment/challenge?

Here's a picture; let's pretend it's a full page ad or article in a Conde Nast publication.



Where would you put the headline? Where would you put the body copy? How many columns? What font would you choose for the headline and the text?

There's no "right" answer here.

I'm just interested after watching the video how members woulds arrange the layout, now that the image is a given.

Attached is a large JPEG for Xara.

-g

[angelize]

Ok I've had a go at this. I envisioned an ad for a glassware line. I took a simple approach and used a single font in multiple weights except for the logo. I took advantage of the reflections natural tendency to draw your view downward and the important information is placed at the bottom.

[mwenz]

How about this for an assignment/challenge?...

My resistance didn't last long, did it? Can I chalk it up to the forums I inhabit being slow for aid? Works for me...




Thanks, Gary!

[stygg2003]

Gone the same way as Francis and Mike, which are both excellent, and treated as an ad. Utilized that neat trick of Mike's to extend the T

Stygg

[theinonen]

I would use something like this as a layout for text.

Text was generated with Lorem Ipsum as could not think anythink to write, and I also took the liberation to fiddle with saturation and tint for the image to separate glass items better from the background and table.

[Gare]

I like everyone's take on this page layout challenge!

That was inspired, theinonen, to adjust the image before playing with the layout.

Okay, this is what I did. Because the picture is so hard geometric, I thought I'd keep with the spirit by using Avant Garde as the typeface, different weights, and then tucking the text in to fit with the composition in the image.



Hey, a very Happy 2014 to everyone.

Gary

[Rik]

This time of the year, I've gone for a tempting sale/offer.

So, I'll let the Xperts tell me what I should or should not have done?
What works, or does not?

Or is it OK?!

[Gare]

Good GOD, Rik! Did you leave a few pixels blank?!

Okay; that was my first impression: clutter, overkill, unhappily organized.

But then I kept looking at your layout, Rik, moving my eye from one area of attention to another.

Without being snarky, I think you've created a successful advertisement that is ugly.

I think you and everyone else that went for this little assignment did a very imaginative job of it, having only a photo and the video, and your talents and experience, to create something that communicates something larger than the picture.

And by the way, "ugly" isn't necessarily bad when it comes to selling something. One of the basic rules to get attention in the market is to not do what everyone else is doing. This is called "clutter awareness" and when everyone is shouting, you whisper the message, and vice-versa.

It worked for Dr. Pepper and Apple. Actually, they didn't advertise product worth so much as product difference, almost being more important than the way the things worked or tasted.




-g

[angelize]

If I may step in here, I hope you fellas don't mind but Rik's ad brought to mind what I like to call the " I'm paying for the space I'm going to use it all" syndrome. Gary you have given us basically a carte blanche and allowed us creative freedom but in the real world of dealing with advertisement clients that is not often the case. I look at Rik's ad and I imagine a client wanting to emphasize a 40% off Sale and the Free delivery. I can hear the "Make this big and bold" and "Include all of this text"

Rik your ad is not bad but it could be better, first the name of the business is getting lost with the Huge sale and 40% off second the image of the glass is becoming secondary behind the text and not doing it's job of attracting the viewers attention. Third the rotated text is rotated too much and it becomes hard to read and adds to the cluttered look that Gary Mentioned.

I've taken the ad (I hope you don't mind Rik) and made a few changes.

1. I did a little photo editing and used a extra layer. The bottom layer I sharpened a bit and the top layer I darkened and blurred a bit then I used the eraser tool to erase out the glass work on the top layer so you get the effect of the glasswork having just a bit of extra sparkle and it pops out a bit more. This helps grab the viewers attention.

2. I moved the business name down to the bottom and made it nice and big (Note there was nothing wrong with the logo you created Rik I just used the one that I had already to save my self a bit of time) and spaced out the huge sale text and 40% off sticker to give a less cluttered feel

3. The bulleted list. Clients often love bulleted lists and they will try to cram as much in them as they can. However I will if I can encourage a client to limit a list to just the most important items for example in your list figurines could encompass a whole range of items with one list entry and by adding and lots more at the end of the list you are telling the viewer that they can get even more by visiting/contacting your client.

Last but not least the rotated text is rotated too much. By rotating it less it stll stands out but it's easier to read and it gently helps guide the eye to the business name address and contact info

[Gare]

@angelize—

It's an improvement.

But this whole exercise was to get you all thinking about page layout, and unofficially, there is no "right" or "wrong" with these trial images and such.

Rik created more than an ad. Step back for a moment: he created controversy! You took issue with the design and worked on it some more.

So we have chemistry and collaboration going on. This is excellent!

Where else do you get this sort of back and forth in real life?

For me, they're all clients who want every inch of print space used, as you mentioned, Frances.

So you make lemons out of lemonade, and important lesson both you and Rik have graphically demonstrated.

It's all good, see?

Actually, when Life hands you lemons, you ask for the salt and the tequila.



-g