Design Principles – Welcome to Graphic Design The Premier Address For All Things Graphic Design Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:53:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 10 Tips to Create a Successful Design Brief Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:40:23 +0000 With more than a decade of experience in the design industry, I have observed many problems that may arise when there is no design brief assigned to a project. For instance, much of the required information may get lost in the middle of the long chain of communication between the client, marketing manager, creative director and, finally, the designer. Some of this information may be as important as the design style, company portfolio, project budget or timeline.

Before we explore the components of a successful design brief, let’s define it, since many professionals and non-professionals in the design industry tend to get confused when it comes to finding a clear definition of a design brief or creative brief.

A design brief, also known as a marketing brief or project brief, is a document that provides the designer with required information about the project’s objectives, budget and milestones. It can also include information such as the company portfolio, target audience and previous research related to the topic.

So, what makes a successful design brief? There are a number of factors that affect its success, such as who writes it and what information it should contain.

1. Start your project with the design brief

As the design brief describes the major characteristics of the project, it needs to be written at an early stage of the process before the team starts working on the project. Usually, the design brief is written after a discussion between the client and design head, such as the creative director or the marketing manager.

Writing the brief at a later time is like putting the cart before the horse, which may adversely affect the whole design process.

2. Who writes the design brief?

Putting the task of writing the brief in the wrong hands can lead to unexpected issues, such as ending up with a useless design brief or one that causes confusion for the designers. In his book, “Creating the Perfect Design Brief,” Peter L. Philips defines the relationship between the designer and the project owners more like a partnership than a client-employee relationship. The designer does not only apply the requirements of the project owner but also collaborates with the project owner to identify solutions for the project’s problems. This collaboration puts both partners in the position of responsibility for the project planning.

Because of that responsibility, the partners or their representatives should be involved in putting together the design brief and in agreement on all the different facets of it. The project owner discusses the project requirements and problems with the design manager or creative director, who will then use visual design elements to solve those problems.

3. Consider the company’s size and line of business

Many designers believe the design brief is only used in large companies with large design teams, which is not true. The purpose of the design brief is to make the design process clearer and provide guidelines for it regardless of the size of the company or the type of the project.

For example, a bakery would like to introduce a new item on its menu and would like to solve this problem through design. The business owner can simply hire a small design agency or even a freelance designer to achieve this goal. At this stage, the design brief comes to define the problem and solution as well as the different project characteristics, such as the budget and time frame.

In addition, the design brief is important for different design industries, not just advertising and product design, as many designers think. You can create a creative brief for your digital design project, website design project, mobile application development, etc.

Defining the size of the company and its line of business helps write a useful design brief. For instance, the small company does not need a lengthy brief; instead, the partners can write a quick and handy brief that focuses on the problem that needs to be solved or the product that needs to be created.

The line of business of a company affects the information that should be included in the design brief. While there is always core information, such as the company portfolio, project budget and scope, there is also important industry-specific information. For example, an interactive design brief may include user experience requirements to indicate how the user should be able to interact with the UI design.

Beyond the aforementioned tips, there are some other components related to the design brief content and priorities that come highly recommended, such as the following:

4. Company portfolio

Usually, a design brief begins by introducing the company to the design team. It is very important to learn about the company in order to choose a creative idea and design that match the company’s marketing message and target audience.

The company portfolio includes information about its activities and core competencies. For example, Mercedes-Benz focuses on safety, so you can find this commitment clearly addressed in its advertising campaigns.

5. Project overview

The project overview gives a complete summary of the project, its scope, problem and solution. Because many people define design as a problem-solving science and art, it is a good idea to start your project overview by discussing the problem and how the design should solve it.

The project problem varies based on the project type. For example, university students sometimes have problems finding books and resources in the library, especially on weekends when there are no employees to help them.

The suggested solution is to design a website that can help students both on campus and off campus to access the library’s database and easily find the book they are looking for when they visit the library.

Another project scope may involve solving a problem of low sales for a specific product. The solution, in this case, may be designing a campaign that will help draw attention to the new product and introduce it to the target audience.

6. Target audience

If you do not know your audience, how can you find a suitable idea or concept to solve the client’s problem? The creative brief should include clear information about the target audience, including demographic information. For example, if you are targeting children or young people, you might consider using bright colors in your design and a causal layout style. On the other hand, products targeting old people would likely be best designed using larger typography and easy-to-follow instructions.

7. Timeline

One of the most common problems designers face is that they do not have a clear understanding of the project’s overall time frame and the amounts of time assigned for specific design tasks. This factor can affect the decision about which style of design the team should pursue. Some design styles may require more time to create and could depend on external resources that can put a timely design delivery at risk.

Design is one industry that can involve a long period of brainstorming and developing the creative concept. If the project deadline is tight, this can put pressure on the brainstorming stage and force the design team to reach a workable solution in a shorter time.

8. Budget

The budget is another significant limitation for projects. Honestly, I have never seen a project that is not tight in its budget, especially in design. Many clients have difficulty estimating the design budget for their project, so most designers strive to achieve their best creative idea within the lowest budget available, unless the client is generous enough to increase the design budget.

Generally, the budget is one of the most important factors listed in the design brief because it helps designers understand the project limitations.

Breaking both the timeline and budget into phases or milestones within the creative brief can help you more accurately envision the demands of the project and ensure it will achieve its goals along the way.

9. Design specifications and style

In some projects, designers need to know about project specifications and styles, such as website standards and support for mobile and tablet devices, which is known as responsive design. If the client would like to implement standards-compliant responsive design, the team should consider making versions of the design layout that fit different mobile and tablet screen sizes.

10. Data research

Data research involves any previous research and design-related information that can be helpful in the design process. Data research can include information about the target audience and how the market interacted with previous campaigns.

Ultimately, the design brief does not have a fixed form or structure. It should be smart enough to supply the design team with enough pertinent information to ensure a professional design process and output that helps solve the client’s problem.

The above tips are all helpful guidelines you can use when initiating a design project or getting feedback from the client. You can use the basics explained above in addition to other necessary pieces of information depending on the needs of the design project at hand.

]]> 2
7 Deadly Typeface Usage “Sins” Tue, 27 Aug 2013 01:31:12 +0000 In a previous series of articles, I tried to shed light on the two main typeface scripts in human history, which are the Latin scripts and the Arabic calligraphy scripts:

Creative Examples of Calligraphy Art
Arabic Calligraphy in Contemporary Design

Along with this long history, typeface is the initial and most important visual element in your design that delivers the design message to the audience. Unlike the other visual elements in a design, typefaces are used to visualize the text and paragraphs in your poster or layout. So, they should be used carefully to ensure readability for a wide range of audiences who will see the design or content.

Although many books and courses try to pinpoint the above-mentioned concept, the truth is really shocking. Many designers, and allow me to admit that I have seen a lot of them, are committing real crimes against typefaces in their designs. Some of these crimes are language-related and others are general and can be noticed in different languages. One example of the language –related mistakes is the wrong usage of Arabic calligraphy scripts. The general mistakes include readability issues and text colors. In this article, we will reveal some of the deadly sins that are committed with Latin typeface usage in the designs.

Bad Readability

As designers, we are attracted to creative typefaces and fonts with special styles, but are there specific fonts that we should use in our design? Many new designers make this mistake while they are building a design layout. Although unique font styles and glyphs may look more creative than the simpler ones, they can be hard to read and follow, especially in long paragraphs.

When choosing a design typeface, you should consider the characteristics of your audience and the amount of content that will be written using the font. For example, for a kid’s game UI and design you may need to choose a casual font that young people can read easily. On the other hand, business designs require decent and standard fonts. Paragraphs usually require standard fonts in order to make sure they are easy to read and follow the information through the lines.

Generally, if you get confused about the fonts in your design, just stick with the readable fonts that can work with multiple purpose designs and text lengths, such as Helvetica, Cambria, Arial, and Myriad Pro, etc.

Here are some examples of good typeface designs, and some bad ones that you should avoid in your designs:


Not Enough Leading

Typeface leading is simply the space between the lines inside paragraphs. If the space is too small, the text will be hard to read and follow, and the lines will be too close to each other. On the other hand, large spaces between lines do not give a professional look to the design and consume a vertical space that you could use to add more content to the layout. Usually, the default leading is the best choice, especially when using professional fonts.


Some designers need to adjust the leading in order to fit the text in their design. If so, you have to use this trick carefully to keep the text readable.

Bad Tracking and Kern Usage

The difference between tracking and kern is a little bit confusing, so let me clarify it first. Tracking, also known as letter-spacing, refers to the constant space between letters. It affects the whole word or block of words in an equal amount of increased or decreased space.

Kern refers to adjusting the space between characters to create a proper arrangement of the letters in a word. The kern value is letter-related, which means it is different for each letter. The wrong usage of the tracking and kerns can lead to inconsistent typeface appearance.

In the figure below, you can notice the difference between the tracking space and kern value.


Too Many Fonts in the Design

How many fonts can you use in one paragraph? One of the common mistakes is using too many fonts and styles in a design layout. The typeface and styles should be used wisely to serve the content. For example, Italic style can be used for terms.

Too many fonts and styles can be confusing for the reader and the paragraph will not look consistent. Therefore, you should only use a limited number of fonts in your layout. For example, you can use one font for titles and another one for the content.


Inconsistent Font and Style Usage

When you think of adding fonts and style to a design layout, it should be consistent with the general design layout. It is a plain and simple idea, since the typeface is part of your total design concept.

The paragraph text should follow one style regarding the font’s typeface and style. Consider following the same settings for letter-spacing and leading through the whole layout.


Losing Color Contrast

As mentioned above, readability is the most important factor that you need to consider when working with typefaces. Additionally, the contrast between typeface colors and the background is another important factor that ensures that the viewer can read the design easily. The contrast becomes even more important for long texts and paragraphs.

If you are not sure of the color that you should choose for the typeface, start by adding the text in black and a very light background color. This can give you an idea about the suitable color combination to choose.


Faulty Capital and Lowercase Letter Usage

This mistake is related to language usage more than it is to the design rules. However, it affects the design layout for typefaces and paragraphs. The use of capital and lowercase letters depends on how you style the paragraph header. For example, some styles only use capital letters for the first letter of the first word in a title, while others use capital letters for the first letter of every word in a title. In order to get a better layout, you need to unify the usage of capital and lowercase letters in the whole design.



Typeface is a very important, if not the most important part of your design. Thus, committing any of the above-mentioned deadly sins will affect your design badly and make it hard for the audience to read the design content or message of the advertisement. If you feel confused and would like to avoid the mistakes above, just stick with simplicity and default typeface settings.

]]> 3
Creativity and UX: the Beauty and the Beast Thu, 08 Aug 2013 04:32:25 +0000 Do not blame me or other creative designers because when we have an art background, we are used to using maximum creativity inside the artwork.

I have read an article a few years ago in Adobe’s Design Center about style versus design by Jeffrey Zeldman, who put an end to the long time confusion about the difference between design and styling. Since then, design has had a wider meaning by controlling the major visual elements on a website or application, with the style controlling a smaller amount of visual elements, such as text size, menus, etc.

Actually, there are three levels of visualizing an idea or project. The first and the highest level is the art level. On this level, the artist has all the freedom to visualize the idea without any restrictions. The second level is the design. In most cases, the design is restricted by some rules, such as the usability and how the user or the viewer will interact with it. The design is also restricted by the output media specifications. For example, a website design must follow web standards and comply with the developed work on the website.

The last level in idea visualization is styling. On this level, the designer has a limited niche of creativity as the designer’s tasks are related to change the text size, headers, links, etc.

As mentioned previously, user experience guidelines will lead to design limitations which creates a continuous conflict between the designer and UX experts when applied. Along with every new creative idea, the UX stands to change it based on how the user will interact with it. The creative idea appears like the exotic beauty in the story of the “Beauty and the Beast”, while the UX plays the role of the beast who looks freaky physically, but inside he is kind and wise enough to take care of the exotic beauty of the idea.

For sure, I refer to the good things inside the beast when I compare him with the UX expert role in the project.

So, let us talk more about creativity and user experience to understand each one’s role and how to end their conflict safely to have a happy ending. After reading this article, you may want to apply what we will have discussed to the latest Apple iOS 7 updates regarding UI design and usability in What Are Your First Impressions of Apple’s New iOS 7?


The visual appearance of a website is what attracts the visitors to check it and dig inside it. Based on our own experience, we can tell that when you have a very useful website with a bad design interface, it is impossible to attract visitors to come to the website and want to learn more about your project.

The website design is restricted by many factors, such as web standards, development requirements, and the user experience of the website. Breaking any of these rules can turn your design into a project garbage. For example, a design that does not meet web standards, file sizes, and other web related concepts can be useless and you might end up with a non-user-friendly website. Also, creating a design that cannot be used to display the site’s functions will turn your design into trash.

A website can be launched without user experience, because that part is related to the website’s visitors and how they can interact with the website. This point cannot be figured out without implementing the user experience process and testing during the design and development process of the website. Wrong functions make it difficult for the visitors to use the website. When the design attracts them to visit the website, the function and the service provided through the website is the real purpose behind their visit. A user-friendly website answers the needs of its visitors and helps them use the website’s functions much easier and faster than a non-usable website.

User Experience

Now that we have discussed the creative part of the story, let us move on to the UX part and see how we can judge what is the most important part of a project, and what has the highest priority in our flow of thinking. While the UX limits the creative designer’s work to some extent, at the same time it ensures that the project’s functions, services and design will be seen by the end user. However, we designers should also consider this point because it is very important to have our design be seen. The design is mainly created to serve its function and the project’s purpose.

The intersection between the creativity and the UX is marked by the visual elements that are used to display the content and functions, as well as the general structure of the application or website. We can mention these intersecting points as follows:

Design Structure

First and foremost, the design structure is the first step when working on designing the UI. It contains the structure of all the creative elements in the design. However, building the right structure saves us from a lot of trouble to make sure that the design will be usable.


Links and navigation systems are the gateway to all of the applications, website functions and services. A bad navigation may not only harm the design’s usefulness, but it also kills every chance for the user to get what he or she needs in the design. While creative navigation styles may be interesting and attractive, they also need to be usable and allow the user to navigate through the website’s content without missing any part because of a bad menu design.


A website or desktop application is not a painting where the designer can freely play around with the colors and combinations. As I have said, the visual elements should always serve the content. Based on this rule, the colors must be used wisely to serve the usability. For example, a high contrast between the text color and background is essential to make it easy for the users to read the content; black text on a white background represents the best combination for displaying the text.


The main purpose of using media, such as images, animation, video and sounds is to support the content and deliver it in a more effective way. However, the overuse of media will distract the user from the main content. Basic usability requires using the media wisely so that it does not affect the content badly.

The Creativity-Usability workflow

Although UX experts and designers may have conflicting interests, their common goal is to have a successful project and provide a useful experience for the customers through it. However, it is good practice to have the UX expert learn about design and how designers think, and vice versa. This will help narrow the gap between a wild creative design and a wise, analyzed user experience.

Similar to the rest of the project workflow modules, the creativity-usability workflow aims to improve the process to come up with a product that ensures a creative and unique appearance besides being user-friendly and easy to interact with. This part of the whole project process works to ensure a better interaction between the creative and UX experts.

The following steps only focus on the creative UX process, so you will find that other project developing steps are not mentioned:

1. Drafting and Brainstorming

This is the first step where the creative designer starts to draft an idea and the basic concept. After completing the first draft, the designer and the UX expert discuss the idea and how to comply with the user experience specifications as well as the project content.

2. Completing the Design

Based on the agreement between creative designers and UX experts, the designer starts to work on the design and finalizes the design steps to achieve a complete layout. This step also includes working on the development of the website or application to complete the design functions and have a full view of the working design.

3. UX Preview and Testing

After completing the project, the UX expert has another role which is to make sure the project development results meet the UX rules. After the UX preview, the final step is UX testing to see how the design, development, user experience, and every other part works to provide an easy-to-use final product.

4. Feedback

User experience is actually more than simply analyzing the customer interaction with the project and more than just some rules to follow. Getting feedback and comments from the users themselves is an important step to continue the development process and keep the improvement flow of the website or application to always meet the clients’ needs.


While the creative design is the beauty, the user experience is the kind beast that may look freaky, but has a great kindness and wisdom inside concerning the design that needs to be viewed and the user can use easily. Creativity and usability are two faces for one aim, which is providing a unique and friendly interactive experience.

]]> 4
Breaking the Code of Golden Ratio in Design Fri, 19 Jul 2013 03:30:23 +0000 So, when starting to build a creative idea, you should only focus on the idea itself and then think about how it conforms to the design rules later. The reason is very simple, the creative idea is the core of your design and none of the rules are able to invalidate a unique concept. Furthermore, some of the most famous and beloved logos break some rules that are thought to be deviant by many designers.

What is the Golden Ratio?

Throughout the history of design and architecture, there has been a common ratio used by artists that proves to be able to proportionally arrange the elements in the design in an attractive and pleasing artwork.

This ratio is known as the Golden Ratio, Golden Rule, or Golden Section, and some refer to it using the Latin letter Phi. Fibonacci Sequence describes the Golden Ratio as an equation that rules the relation between two sections in a design. So, dividing section A by section B results in the ratio value of 1.618033987. And, if you divide the value of A+B by A, it equals the same ratio value as the figure below shows.

Many of you may be aware of the rectangle shape below, but how does it apply to the Golden Ratio? Actually, the rule is simple, if you divide the size of square 8/5, it results in the Golden Ratio, 1.61. Subsequently, dividing the square 5/3 = 3/2 = 2/1 = 1.61.

So, if you draw a spiral shape that follows the flow of these squares, you will end up with a guide that shows you how to arrange the elements in your design. The important elements in the design that you would like to focus on can be added as the figure below.

For more than 4000 years, artists and mathematicians have been applying this ratio in paintings, designs, and architecture, as the following images demonstrate.

Finding the Golden Ratio in Your Design

After understanding the Golden Ratio, you can apply it to your design or logo easily by using the square grid or spiral above as a guide. While you are building your design on paper or using any design tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. These applications allow you to add this spiral or square grid as a guide layer and use it to arrange the elements in your design.

The following list of tools can help you to generate the Golden Ratio in your design by entering the sizes you would like to use in the design:

Atrise Golden Section

In addition to the tools above, Adobe Exchange provides a free template that you can use as a guide when you design your logo to apply to the Golden Ratio. The Golden Spiral can be downloaded and opened in Adobe Illustrator.

Applying the Golden Ratio to Logo Designs

Logo designs of famous brands are good examples of applying the Golden Ratio, especially when you would like to learn to apply it in your own design projects in a practical way. Here are some logo design examples:

National Geographic

A very simple logo like the National Geographic logo can be a good and direct example of the Golden Ratio. The ratio of the length of the yellow rectangle and the total width equals the Phi number 1.61.


Bp is another example of applying the Golden Ratio in a circular form. So, the ratio of the radius to the close circles equals the Golden Ratio.


The Toyota logo consists of three ovals, a big oval that includes two intersected ovals in a horizontal and vertical arrangement. The intersection of the two ovals is placed in the Golden Ratio of the logo, which is the percentage shown in the figure below. This logo provides a bit more complicated example compared to the two previous ones that show the ratio in a simple and more direct way.


Another example of the Golden Ratio is Pepsi’s new logo. If you simplify the logo to its outlines, you will find that it consists of two circles. A large circle which includes a smaller one placed in the top right. The percentage of the radius between the large circle and the smaller one is the same Phi value of 1.61.

The examples above appear to apply the Golden Ratio, but there are various other logos out there. Some apply the Golden Rule and some do not. The lesson is that rules are not deviant. If you believe that your creative idea really needs to break the rule, then go a head and do not be ashamed of it. Sometimes, the Golden Rule will help your idea stand out from the crowd and sometimes it will not.

]]> 2
Super Realistic Pencil Drawing Examples Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:21:48 +0000 Pencil drawings depend mainly on graphite pencils that have different shapes and manufacturers, though some artists use graphite and other pencils, such as charcoal pencils in the same artwork. Generally, the materials used in pencils vary from graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, carbon pencils, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils.

Before we dig into some of the most amazing pencil drawing artwork, let us learn some fun facts about pencil drawings that some of us already use without knowing the rule behind it.

Pencil Grades

One of the important factors that help artists to create realistic pencil drawing effects is the hardness of the pencil. Many of us see the letters HB or BB carved on the pencils, but only a few really know what they mean. The letters refer to the pencil’s grading which ranges from “H” for hardness to “B” for blackness. There is also “F” for Fine, which refers to pencils that can easily be sharpened.

The range of pencil hardness to softness includes 20 grades, which are 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, and 9B. Where the 9H is the hardest pencil and 9B is the softest. Each of these pencil grades has the capability to produce a specific range of shades at different hand pressures. So, many artists prefer to use a specific range of pencils in their drawings.

Pencil Drawing Techniques

Through a quick look at the pencil drawing artwork below, you can notice a difference in how each artist uses the pencil. Even in the same drawing artwork, some artists mix two or more drawing techniques. Although a pencil is a very simple tool, you can create multiple effects with it using your imagination, talent, and experience. Generally, there are four main pencil drawing techniques, which are described briefly below:

Smooth Shading

In this style, the artists draw the lines softly and gradually produce smooth shades that hide the pencil lines. This technique can be done using different pencil grades, but generally soft pencils can give you more dramatic and realistic effect. Soft pencils can help you add darkness to the artwork unlike hard pencils.


This method uses hatching to create the contrast between light and shades. The artist starts to draw cross-hatched lines with different density based on the light and the shadows in the artwork. For example, the artist draws fewer cross-hatched lines to reveal the white paper in the lightened areas and increases the hatches to make it dark in the shadow areas.

Circles and Scribbles

In this technique, small circles and scribbles replace hatches. This technique can produce a more artistic look and feel as it adds a texture to the artwork.

Contour Lines

Unlike the above, the contour technique uses simple and clear lines to create the object and give it volume. For example, the artist can use the lines to create curves or edges. After reviewing these pencil-drawing facts, the question that comes to mind: What is the secret behind people’s attraction to pencil drawing, even in the age of the digital world? It may be because of the dramatic effect of black and white drawings, or the ability to create amazing artwork using hand-drawing and simple drawing tools. Share your ideas with me and if you think pencil drawing still has the same grace it used to.

While you think of an answer to this question, I would like to share with you some super realistic pencil drawing examples that can give you a preview of the techniques we have discussed in this article.

Anne Teubert

Henrik Moses

Mark Stewart

Diego Fazio

]]> 6
Restructuring a Hedge Fund Communication Design – Making the Content Right so the Design Can Begin Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:55:06 +0000 Like many wealth managers Harvey Abrahams has a PowerPoint presentation that rarely gets shown. It’s used more often as a hand-out or leave-behind. Harvey says he never actually shows the whole presentation. “I just pick out a relevant page,” he told me, “then I do my pitch.” Harvey called on our design firm to, “make his presentation look more professional.” I met with Harvey, co-founder and hedge fund manager for Akeida Capital, to discuss his presentation to investors.

The Akeida Environmental Fund invests in renewable energy and seeks out highly qualified projects with strong returns. Designers like to create beautiful images. We love the style, the color, the balance between image and type. And yet, a pretty picture is never enough. The foundation of content must be organized in a logical way and presented clearly so that the visual communication can support the values and positioning of the company, product or service.

Key Messaging

Harvey and Marisa Harary, Akeida’s head of business development, spent a lot of time sharing their sales presentation and explaining the key messages of the Akeida methodology for investing. Marisa was proud of the renewable energy that resulted from their investment and how it was good for the environment. Yet, Harvey insisted that, “it’s not about the environment. This was about business.” He stressed that investing was serious business and their primary goal was to provide a low risk investment solution that made money for their investors. Based on what Harvey said, we created a marketing statement for Akeida. “It’s not just about the environment. It’s about business.” The new statement encapsulated Marisa’s concern for the environment while capturing the fund’s positioning on being primarily about business.

Looks Aren’t Everything

For Akeida Capital, we looked at the 50 or so slides they provided and found that “looks” were only part of the problem. Re-organizing the content and creating a more compelling case for investors was vital. In this case the content was quite good. In the PowerPoint presentation there are good examples of how the Akeida Environmental Fund works including the types of projects they invest in, the methods they use to invest, the process for evaluation and the credentials of the team who handles the transactions.

Content Organization

We went through the presentation and divided the slides into three categories:

1. Opportunity: Define the opportunity for investing in renewable energy and share the specific investments, timing and offerings that are now being considered.

2. Strategy: Share the process for investing, method of earnings, etc.

3. Capabilities: Tell the prospective investors why they should trust this team, background, experience and biographies.

Harvey and Marisa wanted to know why this was the right approach for them. I explained that new investors want to know what the investment is (Opportunity), how you are going to do it (Strategy) and that you are the right team to get this done (Capability). This all needs to be told in a compelling narrative.




Caption: Three visual themes that support the Akeida Capital investment philosophy.

Visual Communication Themes

Once your storytelling is in order, you need to find visuals and a format that presents your case in a professional manner. Norman Cherubino, creative director at Langton Cherubino Group, created a series of visual themes:

1. Vistas: Great outdoor images showing vast spaces in nature where renewable energy may be found.

2. Patterns: Extreme close-up images from nature, like a microscopic view of the patterns in a leaf, emphasizing the organic patterns in nature and the systemic method of investing.

3. Micro/Macro: Abstract world maps superimposed over images of nature emphasizing a global approach.

While I was presenting the visual themes, Harvey had this puzzled look on his face. I thought I might be losing him, so I asked him, “What’s wrong?” He started shaking his head and said, “You guys really put a lot of thought into this.” I assured him that indeed we did put a lot of thought into this. Harvey told me he had no idea this much thinking went into a visual presentation. I looked over to him and said, “That’s what we do. We think about visual communication, you think about investment opportunities for hedge funds. I could never do what you do.” He shook his head again, “Believe me, you could do what I do, but I could never do this visual thinking.”

Now I can assure you that I would not be a good hedge fund manager. Our work in organizing content, creating themes and selecting the right images may seem foreign to Harvey, but investing in environmental renewable resources and grasping the intricacies of high-level finance were way beyond my forte. This approach applies to all visual communication whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation, a marketing campaign or a website. The important thing to remember is that communicating in simple terms is hard work. You need to step back and analyze the basic messaging, then apply a logical order to your presentation followed by visual themes that support the product or service being promoted.





Caption: Sample slides from the final presentation for the Akeida Environmental Fund based on the “Vistas” theme.

]]> 1
An Introduction to Working with Wireframes Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:40:14 +0000 In my last article, we talked about the Top 5 tools for Wireframing for Graphic Web Designers. Now I want to put the spotlight on the actual application of working with wireframes from planning to implementation. A wireframe is typically a visual representation of a minimalistic website layout structure and navigation. Preparation is always key in any project and Wireframing is a stripped down form of planning that can really help you focus on the skeleton of how your site works, as opposed to how it looks.

It’s important to understand why we create Wireframes and how they can more efficiently work their way into our design process.

Solve Problems

A wireframe is a means to solve functionality problems as well as save time on revisions or save money on reworking different elements on a site. Most wireframes are exceedingly flexible and easy to customize making revisions a no-brainer.

Functionality and Simplicity

Wireframes are about revealing the design’s function, not a design scheme. Don’t get too technical, this is about planning ahead.

Take Notes

Keep simple notes on the right hand side of your mockup, off of the design so that you can update the list with things that you want to mention or ideas that you have brainstormed about and want to propose. Correlate the notes with numbers on the design as not to clutter the wireframe.

Keep Everyone Involved

Keep in mind that not only the client is getting use out of the wireframe, don’t forget about your team! Keeping them involved will help everyone stay on the same page and add to the integrity of the planning stage.

Limit Revisions

Treat the revisions as a 3 round process including Initial Feedback, Revisions, and Final draft, that way you can start focusing on the design sooner.

Set a Deadline

Don’t forget that while you are planning ahead and this is all highly beneficial, once the wireframe is approved that’s when the design portion begins. Don’t spend too much time in the scope on wireframes or else you may see the design quality hurt during the final draft process due to lack of time.

Is Your Wireframe Consistent?

Consistency in your wireframe is imperative in keeping it clean and simple. It should not look confusing or have contrasting elements. Don’t hesitate to ask for constructive feedback from an internal source before submitting it to the client.

Be Creative, but Don’t Overdo It

Don’t feel limited by the wireframe, if anything, feel unlimited but don’t overdo it. You don’t want to make your plate too full or suggest erroneous things to design because they may become overkill in the design stage.

Make Sure You are Using the Right Tools

There is a wide variety of software available for wireframing. As I mentioned in the introduction, Check out my article Top 5 Wireframing Tools for Graphic Web Designers for more info on great apps and ideas that you can use to get the job done outside of the usual design software.

]]> 0
Message = Mission Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:33:43 +0000 Recently, my 8 year-old son and I were in a local Asian restaurant and he looked around and said, “This is a really nice place.” We were in the Men’s Room. That is not always the case. What is a restaurant saying to its patrons when the restrooms are dirty and disgusting? I think it sends the message that this business doesn’t really care about its customers. Tom Peters writes in The Little BIG Things (HarperStudio), “It’s All About the Restrooms! A sparkling restroom with family photos in a small restaurant in Gill, MA shouts ‘We care.’

The devil—and a culture that demands EXCELLENCE—really is in the details!”


There are a lot of times when the physical spaces or visual representations of a company online, in print or in person are a slap in the face to the very customers that the businesses seek to attract. Poorly designed websites, incomprehensible instructions, illegible logos and sloppy communications run amok in businesses that say, “the customer comes first.”

In a blog that went viral, disgruntled customer—and graphic designerDustin Curtis expressed his feelings about American Airline’s website as, “I would be embarrassed–no ashamed–to have a website with a customer experience as terrible as the one you have now.” He went further and stated, “Your website is abusive to your customers.” Curtis clearly articulated how a bad website design can reflect the wrong message to a customer. (So much so, that American Airlines subsequently revamped its website!)

For many organizations there is a huge gap between the good work that is produced and how it is communicated to your public. Many years ago we were working on a new design for a printing company and when we met with the sales force we found out that they did not like to hand out their business cards. “They’re embarrassing,” said one of the salesmen. When a salesman does not want to hand out a business card you have a problem. If communications are sloppy and the websites don’t work properly the impressions pile up that this organization does not have its act together.


Take the time to plan your design and messaging. Review the instructions and navigation of your website and select images that really matter to your audience. That’s how you show that you care about them. How you handle the visual marketing for your company, products or services defines your relationship with your clients. It’s not rocket science to clean the bathrooms or replace the broken tiles, and yet why are there so many dirty and disgusting bathrooms out there?

]]> 1
Graphic Design Principles in Web Design Part 3 Tue, 15 May 2012 17:21:18 +0000 If you missed Part One and Part Two check them out!











University of North Carolina













Web Designer Depot






]]> 5
Inspire Users with User Experience Design Principles Wed, 09 May 2012 19:28:20 +0000 A successful User Experience Design (or UX design) should not only provide solid functionality, but also have a seamless experience for your user. The best UX designs are the ones that feel invisible, or stand to the side. In other words, they let the user roam around freely without having to force thought or questions. It should reflect how the users think, remain simple and focused, and be revised and refined before production.

“Simple is hard. Easy is harder. Invisible is hardest.” — J.L. Gassée

As Designers we often find ourselves struggling between business, science and art. UX Design is undoubtedly all of the above. Knowing the principles behind the art you are creating and how it can leverage a brand’s framework will help to create flawless experiences for a broad range of users.

Here are 4 to get you started along with some inspiring quotes:

1.Understand the problems you are trying to solve.

— Charles Eames

Your creation should address actual problems that are being faced by your users starting with urgent ones. Make sure that you can openly communicate the foundation of the problem before spending any time on it.

— Bertrand Russell

2.Know your target market.

— Thomas Mann

One of the greatest things about being a designer is being able to become the user and design the experience that you would desire as a consumer. Understand and know your user, learn about their skills and experience. Learn what they need to accomplish and how they react so that you can focus on what they really need before focusing on a beautiful design.

— Steve Jobs

3.Create normality out of chaos.

— Edward Tufte

As a Designer we have the ability to create normality out of chaos and clearly communicate ideas through by morphing words and pictures and controlling the user. Allow the user to focus on what is most important, understanding your interface. A clear chain of command will go great lengths in reducing the feeling of a complex experience, even though it may be. Embrace space. Don’t treat white space as part of the background. It’s an active element on the page.

“In music, silence is more important than sound.”
— Miles Davis

4.Keep it simple.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Simplicity in UX design is important because it’s key not to confuse the user. The more navigation and site architecture that are added the more the design can feel unintuitive. An invisible structure, visual cues and easily identifiable links can help users to find their way.

“It’s simple, until you make it complicated.”
— Jason Fried

]]> 2