Good Design in Print Media is Like Good Engineering

June 10 2015

Good design is not just skin deep. It is not about simply making print media look good. It is about making it work well. Just as a well-engineered vehicle or mechanical system often has enough visual appeal to be called beautiful even without any intent to make it pretty, good design of print media is about delivering something that does its job well first and foremost. Ugly clutter obviously gets in the way of effective communications.

These days, customers are inundated with information from all sides, at all times. In order to stand out, companies need to make every communication with their customer stand out. Each piece of literature needs to be designed with larger strategic goals in mind, such as brand loyalty.

One good way to further these goals is good use of color. It can be a means to keep the company colors front and foremost, to highlight especially important information and to make a document more attractive as well. New technologies are making such approaches both easier and more affordable.

But color should not be used as if it is lipstick being put on a pig. Pretty colors do not make up for poor writing, poor organization of information, typos and other fundamental defects. The writing itself is fundamental to good communication. Like good engineering, the fundamentals must be done well in order for it genuinely merit compliments.

Here are some best practices that are useful when trying to design better customer facing print media for a business:

• Color should be used strategically, not artistically. The goals should be to promote the brand and highlight important information.
• Both graphics and white space should be used first and foremost to foster understanding. The document should look good, but this is not art. All elements must be purposeful first, pretty second.
• Use language that is easy to understand. The goal is communication. Avoid jargon as much as possible.

It always costs more money to attract new customers than to retain old ones. Every document sent to existing customers should treat them as if they are still being wooed. It is always a mistake to treat prospective new customers better than existing customers. The on-going experience of existing customers should be a positive one where they feel respected. They should look forward to hearing from the company, not dread it. That is largely up to the company.