Designers illustrate stories for their audience with the application of type, color, images and other graphic features.
Like a writer when telling a story, there are specific tips and techniques that designers use to ensure the tone is correct and the messages are being brought to life.
Often it’s just a matter of adjusting the size of our text, or darkening the background image image so that your message is easier to read. But sometimes a small but significant alteration; like breaking up the lines of text into a rhythmic pattern, can dramatically improve how your graphic visually communicates with your audience.
Here we offer 50 [10 on each part] unique tips to help your visual story to be told with….
01. Use letter spacing and line height to make your text fit your page.
By tightening the line height, the type is contained compositionally in block. Transparency has been applied to the text so that a hint of texture of the palm trees comes through, also symbolic of the message. The background image has been cropped to reduce noise that might obstruct readability.
02. Tip: Contrasting typefaces make a great duo.
Use scale and application of fonts to put emphasis on specific words. The bold form of League Gothic stands out and contrasts well next to the script typeface, Yellowtail. This visual order is called creating hierarchy. For the text color, I’ve selected a tone from the hills in the background image. I’ve also increased the transparency of the image to create a muted and dusty effect.
03. The placement of text is a crucial element. Make sure to break your lines up the way it should be read.
There is a beat to which your copy is read, so make sure to break your lines of text up in a rhythmic pattern. To push your typographic treatment even more, italicize the words you want to put emphasis on.
04. Create strong graphics with the application of saturation and a bold typeface.
The combination of graphic elements in this graphic makes it high-impact. This font is called Norwester, it’s a heavy, block-like typeface. The background image has been treated with the Cali photo filter. This filter is low contrast and high saturation, to mimic the hazy and sunny Californian skies.
05. Overlay photos in strips and try to match them with the forms in your background image.
You don’t always need to include type to make beautiful design. This tip is a great way to push your compositional skills. A background image of hills has been placed in a grid. A textured image of water has been placed over top with a 75% transparency and duplicated to form strips. From there the image has been cropped to find interesting textured points.
06. Aesthetics! Composition! Adjust all the elements in your graphic so they are on corresponding angles.
Use your forms and structure within your graphic as a way to decipher where to place your text. Here the type has been placed on a slight angle to follow the direction of the horizon line in the background image. To complement this angle, I’ve applied an italic serif typeface. For even further visual harmony, a color from the sea has been applied to the type.
07. Use strong, geometric typefaces to amplify your message.
The typeface you choose determines the tone of your message. Anton is a bold and strong sans serif that delivers an equally strong voice. I have applied a dark filter to the background image to enhance the type contrast between image and text even more.
08. Instead of using solid colors, try increasing the transparency of your elements a little for a more subtle effect.
This graphic is supposed to evoke the feelings of aspiration and inspiration. The key to element to this design is the application of letter spacing. This technique allows your letters to breathe.
09. Use shapes to create contrast and offset your text from your background image.
10. Crop images to let them act as background textures.
What you see isn’t always what you get. When you are searching for images, find the pockets of goodness within them by cropping and zooming into sections of to find interesting textures to use for backgrounds.
Read the next part for the next ten tips.
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