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- "Advertisements" graded project--layout formats.
- The design elements created/gathered in the first step of the project must now be combined into an effective whole.
- Color selection
- Steps needed to create a 2-color print job
- Define a spot color swatch
- Edit --> Deselect All.
- In the Swatches palette menu, select New Color Swatch.
- In the New Color Swatch dialog box, select Spot on the Color Type pop-up menu.
- In the Color Mode pop-up menu, we would now select the color library that the print shop will draw from to print the schedule. Since we don't know what colors will be actually used, select Pantone Solid Uncoated, a widespread standard.
- In the scrolling list of Pantone swatches, select a color to your liking. Click OK.
- Note that the new entry in the Swatches palette has a 'grey dot' icon next to it, indicating it is a spot color.
- For all color selections throughout the document, use only the new color swatch in addition to the default, [Black].
- Verify 2-color print job settings
- When you are all done designing the two ads, run the command File --> Preflight.
- In the Preflight window, click on the topic 'Colors and Inks' on the left. A list of colors used in the document is displayed: make sure it contains only two items.
- Parts of a layout
- Headline.
- Attracts the reader and introduces the ad. While the contents are left to the copywriter's skills, the designer is responsible for not obscuring the meaning. Key issues are proper line breaks, and correct placement of punctuation.
- Copy block
- Expands on the subject, closes the sale. Again, the designer's job is to make the type legible and attractive--especially when the copy runs long. For some layout formats, copy may be broken down into separate captions, sidebars, etc.
- Art
- Includes photographs, illustrations (paintings or line art), borders, and rules.
- Logotype
- Also known as logo, signature, or sig cut. Identifies the advertiser--take care not to obscure or hide it. May be accompanied by an insignia or trademark, and possibly a slogan.
- Basic layout formats
- Some common design schemes you might want to consider (list adapted from The Design of Advertising by Roy Paul Nelson). Literal and loose interpretations of each layout are described:
- Mondrian layout
- Literal: the underlying grid is made visible by black rules, dividing the space of the ad into multiple abutting rectangular sections for copy and art.
- Loose: the rules are toned down or dropped. The rectangular modules are retained.
- Picture-window layout
- Literal: a single, full-bleed picture takes over most of the ad space, forcing the small amount of copy to a corner of the page--generally at the bottom.
- Loose: a design dominated by one large picture (or a very few, tightly integrated, smaller ones). The copy may be tied to the graphics by echoing alignments within the picture, or by surprints or reverses.
- Copy-heavy layout
- Literal: text-only design, formal proportions, symmetrical balance. Heavy emphasis on typographical details.
- Loose: the copy dominates, by its amount and placement. Graphics are primarily used to break up the mass of text, in alternative to subheads, pull-quotes, etc. A popular variation is the big-type format, in which typography becomes the illustration.
- Frame layout
- Literal: the ad is enclosed by a border. Used especially when the ad will appear on a crowded page. The frame separates the ad from the items surrounding it.
- Loose: the composition features a prominent element (for instance, the foreground of a photograph) which partially or completely encircles the bulk of the ad, focusing attention on its center.
- Circus layout
- Literal: the design comprises a wide variety of contrasting elements. Type treatment also changes dramatically, including reverses, inlines/outlines, novelty typefaces.
- Loose: any layout with a decidedly informal, asymmetrical balance. A design grid is retained to keep this lack of order within reasonable bounds.
- Multipanel layout
- Literal: a series of equal-sized picture compartments, accompanied by captions. Only the headline and sig break away from this rigid arrangement.
- Loose: any picture sequence used to put across all or part of the story told by the ad. The captions may turn into speech balloons for closer interaction, or they may be dropped to foreground the images.
- Silhouette layout
- Literal: all design elements are clustered together to crete a recognizable shape--often, that of a capital letter (commonly T's, L's, and inversions of the same).
- Loose: the opposite of the frame layout, relying on surrounding negative space to emphasize a group of isolated elements.
- Rebus layout
- Literal: small illustrations are inserted within the body of type, replacing a word while sugesting its meaning. The pictures are all sized similarly for a rhythmic effect.
- Loose: text and pictures mingle closely, with the overall meaning arising from their combination. Pictures may supplement words--rather than replace them.
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