Whether you are creating a brochure, an advertisement, or a magazine article, the goal is to grab the reader’s attention. While layout software can help the designer create the final layout, knowing tips and tricks of creating a composition is important to creating an effective piece.

Here are five tips that professionals use in all their layouts:

Engage the Reader

If you look at any of your favorite magazine covers you will notice the picture captures your eye. In addition, the cover also highlights the headlines found inside. It’s important not to settle for boring images and rather choose ones that engage the reader and make them interested to take notice of the page.

Guide the Reader’s Eye

Avoid images that draw the readers eye away from the text. This is distracting and will leave the reader not engaged in the content. Instead position images that draw the reader to the text. This tactic becomes especially important for postcards and web articles.

Find the Natural Focal Point

Most images feature a natural focal point that draws the readers eye to the picture. It’s important that the focal point doesn’t get covered with headlines and other content.

Balance the Composition

A difficult task when designing a piece is to properly balance the page. It’s important that the image never overpowers the text but rather balances it. A common way to solve this issue is to center the photos with the headlines running along the bottom. Another is to make the images and the text the same width.

Go For a More Asymmetrical Design

In effort to balance the text and image many designers make the mistake of laying out a symmetrical design because it appears natural. However, this design can appear boring to the reader. Add more interest by using a more asymmetrical design. Here’s how:

• Don’t be afraid to use white space
• Crop pictures differently to give the page a more creative look
• Break up the grid by using picture boxes

Creating a great layout takes more than just images, font, and text. An effective design captures the reader’s attention and makes them engaged in the page. When first starting off, laying out a page can seem difficult. These tips will get you off on the right track and help you begin your journey in design.

Color brings a lot of complexity and is something that needs to be taken into consideration when printing. When creating a color scheme, it will usually include CMYK colors, PMS colors, or both.

CMYK Colors

CMYK refers to the four ink colors that make up the schema: magenta, cyan, yellow, and black. This model mixes together the three primary colors and then adds black to make darker shades. Printers use four separate plates to make up the full image. One plate is used for each of the four colors (magenta, cyan, yellow, black) and will lay down a specific pigment on the image. Although this sounds like a very basic way to print, it has been used effectively for hundreds of years.

PMS Colors

PMS or better known as Pantone Matching System colors are slightly different than CYMK colors, due to the fact they are mixed before they reach the surface. The pure spot color allows for a wider range of colors than the CYMK spectrum. All PMS colors contain a unique hue, which is matched to a number on the Pantone Matching System of swatches. Although PMS inks are not laid in a dot pattern, they can be screened in halftone to create an abundance of shades.

Viewing Colors

It is difficult to view both PMS and CMYK colors on a computer because of the display variation and lighting changes. Luckily, Pantone LLC provides a chart showing the PMS colors that will be printed on your project. Using a unique set of numbers customers and printers can communicate effectively about this challenging subject. Colors can easily be mistaken from one person to another making it difficult to describe specific colors without the use of the common language that PMS standards brings.

Ready to begin your next printing project? Our color experts will help you find the right shade to match your brand. Contact us today to get started!

Nothing is worse than taking a picture to only realize it came out crooked. You probably already know of how effective Photoshop’s crop tool can be for trimming undesired elements from your photo. Did you know you can use it to straighten a crooked image as well? Here’s how:

1. Under the tools palette select the crop tool.
2. After clicking, drag the cursor across the image you wish to use.
3. Then move your mouse near a corner of the outside of the currently selected area. From there the cursor will turn into a double-sided arrow, connected by a curved line.
4. Press and hold down the mouse button to rotate in whichever direction you move.
5. Once you have rotated the photo to make up for the crookedness, you can release the mouse.
6. Press Enter, or double click the selected area. Your image will now be cropped to your desire and appear straight.

While business cards are small, their impact is huge. Business cards help create a lasting impression upon those you work with.

When choosing a business card, don’t pick the cheapest one. Sales reps know how important it is to make a good impression to their prospects. Giving a cheap business card can give your company a bad image. So be on the safe side and purchase quality business cards.

1. Feature your company name in a good location with your name and title slightly smaller. It’s important to use your company logo because that’s how individuals associate your name with your product or service in the future.
2. Don’t take up too much space listing all the ways they can get in contact with you. Instead list the few best ways they can reach you. Personal cell phone numbers can be given to them in person.
3. Full color printing can dramatically impact the way your business card appears. If your budget doesn’t allow for full color, there’s a variety of other options with one and two colors.

Don’t forget about the back of your business card. This is a great spot to put other information such as a mission statement or photos.

Business cards are worth the time! They are one of the most important tools in the business world today. The time and effort you put into them can have a lasting impact on the connection you have with future clients and will pay for themselves the end.