By Dana Baedke
Even if a business hires someone to do graphic design, business owners should know how certain graphic design elements can affect the message, graphic designer Ernie Valtri told dozens of members of the Women’s Business Forum™ in March.
Specifically:
Typeface alone can evoke feelings about your brand and influence your message. "The affect can be negative so be careful," said Valtri. Decorative typefaces should be used for large type only, whereas simple “sans serif” typefaces ("without flags" or the curly-cues on the letters) should be used for smaller type that is more legible.
Page composition –the copy, the shapes that make up the design and the relationships between them – is very important. There are three basic “eye pattern” movements that represent how people view pages: “circular,” which is good because it keeps the viewer engaged longer; “centric,” which draws attention to the content in the middle of the page; and “capital F,” which reflects how people view websites – viewers look across the top left to right, then down the page, spending just seconds to find the content they are interested in.
“Photoshop,” or editing photos to enhance their appearance, change colors or add elements, also helps convey just the right message. However, he cautions, be careful not to misrepresent the product.
Valtri, who created Object Design, a complete graphics design studio for the print world, in 1999, has a 35-year background in the design industry. He holds a degree in Art Education from Penn State and has studied abroad at Durham University in England. He is also an accomplished fine artist in sculpture, printmaking and woodworking.
The Women’s Business Forum™ (www.WomensBusinessForum.org, 267.337.6073) is a non-profit organization that educates, mentors and inspires women business leaders and entrepreneurs in building successful businesses. It offers free group meetings and Mastermind sessions, special educational sessions throughout the year, one-on-one mentoring opportunities and valuable business resources.
