Don't Try This at Home

This morning I woke up with a pretty bad toothache. Instead of calling the dentist, which I felt was a waste of my time and my money, I decided to take care of the predicament myself. I grabbed a pencil, a pair of pliers, some duct tape and proceeded to remove the problem tooth. Although it didn't exactly turn out so favorably. In fact, I did much more damage and caused myself some unnecessary and agonizing pain.

Perhaps this analogy is a little extreme, and I'm not relating "working with a designer" to "a trip to the dentist", but I'm using it to illustrate the fact that certain tasks should be reserved for professionals. Your dentist doesn't have to tell you, "Don't try this at home." (I hope!) Dentists have the proper education, the proper experience, and the proper tools to perform their job appropriately. The same goes for graphic designers.

All too often, people feel that, if armed with Microsoft Word and a clip art stash (which will be a future topic), they too can be a designer. Not true. In fact, by attempting to "design"; something on your own, you might be doing more damage than you had thought. Poor design can give off a negative image of yourself or your business. Here is an example.

Let's say I want to create a flyer about this blog. I put on my non-designer hat and created this first option using Word, clip art, and whatever else I could find lying around. (click image for a closer look, if you dare)



It's cluttered. There are way too many colors going on and the ones that are there don't coordinate. The clip art is squished. My eye has no clue where to go.

Now, this second option I just threw together in a matter of minutes for demonstrative purposes, but you get the idea. (It honestly took me much longer to create the Word version of the flyer because Word is not meant for such things.)



It coordinates with the site, is easy to read, and gives off a more professional image. The accurate tools and a knowledge of the principles of design can go a long way. So, wouldn't you want to emanate the most flattering representation of yourself? I thought so. In order to do that, you must relinquish creative control to those folks that paid good money for their education in that precise domain. Trust us. It's our job to make your business look good.

Oh, and don't forget to floss.

"Adobe" Does Not Equal "Acrobat"

I thought we'd begin this vault of knowledge with an easy topic. Software. It's cut and dry, easy to define, and such a vital part of most designers' lives. However there is some general confusion surrounding this area that can (and should) be simply clarified.

All too many times have I heard a coworker ask, "Can you send me that brochure in an Adobe file?" I understand, of course, that they are looking for a .pdf document. I used to take the time to correct them, ("Oh, do you mean an Acrobat file?"), but after a while I gave up. Here is the run down. Adobe is a software company whose products include (but are not limited to) Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat. So asking for an "Adobe" file is comparable to asking for a "Mars" when what you really want is a "Snickers."

I also receive quite a few questions regarding file editing. Let's say I create an awesome flyer in Adobe Illustrator, and coworker, Eduardo*, wants to review the piece, but he doesn't have Illustrator loaded on his computer. Aside from printing a hard copy (which is so 1998), the least complicated way to accomplish this is to save the file as a .pdf and email it to Eduardo. Eduardo then opens the file in Adobe Acrobat and realizes that he would like to reword the entire document, for the fifth time. He asks, "Can I just make the changes myself so I can stop bothering you?"

The answer is no. You must continue to bother me. What happens if you need to edit a PowerPoint file and you don't have PowerPoint? You attempt to open the document in Word, and you get something that looks like this:



Same idea. Graphics software and Microsoft Office are not interchangeable. While it is easy as pie to convert a Word document into a .pdf, it is not so easy to convert a .pdf into a Word document. If you know ahead of time that you are going to need a file that you can edit yourself, please discuss that with your designer prior to commencement.

*names have been changed to protect the innocent

Welcome to The Non-Designer!

Hello creatives and non-creatives! As you might have read in the description to the left, I'm hoping to use this as a knowledge base for non-designers, written by designers, regarding all the little helpful tips that might possibly make both of their lives easier (and maybe even a bit prettier) in the end.

I'm going to assume that the following topics will come up over the course of this site:

• The Difference Between "Adobe" and "Acrobat"


• White Space Is Your Best Friend


• Realistic Deadlines


• Do Not Try This at Home


• Photoshop: Not Magic


• Word: Not Design Software


• The Logo is Big Enough


• PMS: It's Not What You Think


• Designer does not equal Muralist

...and many more!


I can't count the number of times someone has said to me, "Oh, your job is so much fun!" The general public seems to think that we sit around jovially, with crayons and paste, making pretty pictures all day. Though I wish it were true, alas, that is not the case. It's hard work. And it would be nice if the world understood a bit more about our profession.

Thus begins the education. Stay tuned.