Layout. There is most likely a grid system used behind every good design we see in the world. Grids are measured in picas, 6 picas is 1 inch, this refers to the spacing between objects or text on a page. A spread is two pages side by side. Setting up grids is an important first step in the process, here’s what I normally do.
- Pick a software program to use, I usually use Indesign, but i’ve seen people use photoshop to design everything and then bring it into indesign last. I prefer to use indesign.
- Figure out your page size & how many pages you need
- Figure out margins and gutter space (the space between pages that get folded) Creating margins and gutter space is especially important when printing out designs.
- Set up how many columns you plan to use, I usually stick to 4 per page (giving me 8 for the spread). It is a commonly used one.
- I like to set up guides through “create guides” to allow me a little more flexibility in designing and spacing between if I want something less than a pica.
- After all that I’m ready to go and start designing!
Grids and layouts can really effect the overall design outcome, knowing the correct software to use is important. The creative process heavily relies on being able to convert sketches, ideas, thoughts into digital work today. Just as important as it is to know how to use it, it is even more so to know which one will work best for what you are creating and what format you are saving it as to further use down the line.
A good book to reference is Making and Breaking the Grid by Timothy Samara.
This is a link to AIGA, it is a collection of design work over 100 years. It is pretty interesting to see the transformation of design over that time span.
andrea by design 