Appropriate Visual Aids

A Word on Visual Design

The arrangement of words on paper is an entire field of study unto itself. Professional graphic designers spend years in art school and continue to refine their talents throughout their careers. An in-depth discussion of the topic is beyond the scope of this course, but it is worthwhile to spend just a few minutes covering some of the basic principles of visual design.

There are four basic principles of visual design: proximity, alignment, repetition and contrast.

As a brief introduction to the principles of visual design:

• Proximity: Keep like items close together. Think about a business card: name, address, and phone number are usually grouped together to make one unit, and the company name and tagline make another.


• Alignment: When you put elements on the page, think about how to relate (or line up with) other elements on the same page. Having elements scattered around randomly makes the page look busy and mentally exhausting before you even start to read.


• Repetition: Avoid randomness by repeating a single color, shape, font size, etc.


• Contrast: If things aren't exactly the same, make sure they're really different. For example, if you use a different font for headings and text, make sure they are distinct enough that readers won't think you accidentally switched fonts in the middle of typing.

Pick up examples of brochures and handouts that you like. Keep them around for the next time you put a presentation together. Borrow the things you like from other successful print matter--improve it and make it your own. In the beginning, you may not know why you like a particular flyer or handout, but with time, you'll be able to analyze what works for you and what doesn't.