{

20 Rules
for good design
Adapted from Design Elements: A Graphic Style
Manual. 2007 by Timothy Samara
}
Rule no. 1
{Have a concept}
It doesn�t matter how amazing things look,
if there is no message, no idea, no
narrative, then itʼs not good design.

Make sure the selected images and type

styles support each other stylistically, AS
WELL AS reinforcing the intended mood
and message.
Book Packaging. Designer: Thomas Csano

*
In this product packaging design, zippered
plastic bags with evidence stickers become
the packaging for a series of detective
novels. The books themselves become like
artifacts of crime, supporting the concept
behind the books.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 2
{Communicate-
don’t decorate}
Form carries meaning, no matter how subtle
or abstract. Similar to Rule No 1, this rule is
about supporting the concept.

Form that�s not right for your particular

message will communicate messages
that you don�t intend- including that you
don�t know how to choose forms that are Brochure. Designer: And Partners

meaningful to your audience and that you

don�t care what�s meaningful for them.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 2
{Communicate-
don’t decorate}
It�s fine to experiment with shapes, details
and cool effects in image making software.

But if you simply scatter these all over your

composition without considering what they
mean, how they support or take away from
your message, then you are just creating
a mass of jumbled junk that is not good
design.

Less is more!

Poster, Studio: Tenazas Design 1999

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 3
{be consistent}
Speak with one visual voice.

This is where you need to think about how

all the parts of your composition relate to
each other.

Good design uses a singular visual

language or internal logic to address all
parts of the design, so that they reinforce,
restate and reference each other, not only in
shape or weight, but conceptually as well.

If one element seems out of place or

appears disconnected from the others,
then the overall message is weakened.

Website. Designer: Research Studios

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 3
{be consistent}
You can achieve this by a applying a
consistent theme or use of colour, shape,
angle, form relationships, typography,
placement etc

Remove any elements that appear out of

place or that do not support the message
that you are communicating.

Be decisive, be consistent!

CD Packaging. Designer: Lehni - Trüb

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 4
{Use 2 typeface
families maximum}
OK maybe 3....

Choose your typefaces for specific purposes.

Make decisions about the typefaces you
select, how they will be applied, and for
what purpose.

*
In this brochure for an orchestra, bold
abstract organic marks are balanced by
quiet typography. Sans-serif body text and
notation provide ease of reading while the
stately serif titles add warmth and contrast
and visually complements the imagery.
Brochure. Designer: Voice

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 4
{Use 2 typeface Would a serif or hoefler text

families maximum} sans-serif be best ? helvetica

A single type family with a variety of

weights and italics should be enough on
its own, adding a second can be nice for
texture, but donʼt overdo it. Perhaps a script Shelley LT

Think about what you are trying to or display font? Sönderfistad

communicate and how your choice in

typeface can reinforce that.

A change in typeface usually signals a

Or a single
change in meaning or function.
typeface family? Mrs Eaves

Too many typefaces are distracting and

can confuse the viewer.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 5
{create a clear
visual hierarchy}
A good design should focus the viewer on
one important element first, and then lead
them through the rest.

Once you capture the viewer with a big

shape, interesting image, loud colour or a
dramatic type treatment, you can then lead
them through the rest of the information in a
logical progression.

*
The dramatic title treatment on this theatre
poster is likely to draw the viewers attention
from thirty strides away, and in a sequence
if decreasing contrast, weight, and size, it
leads us through the rest of the information. Poster. Designer: Rudi Meyer

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
{create a clear
visual hierarchy}
You�re designing something to grab the
audiences attention, to get them the
information they need, and to help them
remember it afterward.

If there�s no clear focus to start with, you�ve

already lost the battle.

Poster, Studio: Frost Design

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule No. 6
{Pick colours on
purpose}
Don�t just grab some colours out of the air.
Think about what colours might mean to
the audience, and select colours that will
enhance your message.

Colour effects visual hierarchy, the legibility

of type, and how the viewer makes
connections between different elements.

Poster. Designer: Stereotype Design

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule No. 7
{less is more}
If you can do it with less, then do it!

Generally, the more stuff that is jammed into

a space, the harder it is for the viewer to
see what they are supposed to be seeing.

If the idea is clear without adding more,

then don�t; if the idea isn�t there and it�s not
visually interesting, adding to it probably
won�t help.

If you�re not sure about something in your

composition, take it away, and you might
see that it�s better without it.

Uncomplicate things, be clear and simple.

Brochure. Designer: LSD

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 8
{Negative space is
powerful}
Space calls attention to content, separates it
from unrelated content, and gives the eye a
place to rest.

It is just as important to compose negative

space as it is to arrange the forms within it.

When you don�t deal with negative space

at all, your composition can feel dead and
disconnected. Poster. Designer: Loewy

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 8
{Negative space is
powerful}
A lack of white space can be oppressive, it
overwhelms and confuses the viewer.

It makes the point of interest harder to

locate and visual hierarchy difficult to
recognise.

Create negative space- don�t just fill it up!

Poster, Studio: Cally Keo

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 9
{treat type as
image}
Type is a visual element - it is made up of
lines and dots and shapes and textures.

The type treatment in a composition should

be considered as important as the images
used.

Brochure. Designer: Cobra

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 9
{treat type as
image}
The type treatment used needs to visually
relate and work compositionally with
everything else on the page.

*
In this poster by David Carson, extreme
negative tracking leads to letter overlap
in the header, while the copy text uses a
combination of tracking sizes.

The adjustments made within the text reflect

the weight of the form in the background.
Poster, Designer: David Carson, 1995

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule No. 10
{Type should be
friendly}
Typography can be expressive.

BUT it should still transmit information- be

it in the meanings of the words or in the
suggestiveness of the letterforms themselves.

Make it readable and/or meaningful.

*
This typographic composition alludes to
reflections in water through the use of
mirroring and changes in value.

This also helps to create a sense of depth

and perspective.
Poster, Designer: Phillipe Apeloig 2003

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 11
{be universal}
It�s not all about you!

Usually a large audience, not a few people

who are “in the know”, has to know what
you mean with the shapes, colours and
images you choose.

Graphic design comes with an agenda-

sometimes small, such as getting people to
come to a film festival, or sometimes very
big, such as helping people to know what to
do in an emergency.

When you forget or choose to ignore this

agenda you jeopardize the clarity of your
message.
Brochure. Designer: Adams Morioka 1998

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 12
{Squish & separate}
Create contrasts in density and rhythm by
pulling some elements closer together, and
by pushing other elements further apart.

Give the spaces between things life by

making some things tighter and some looser.

*
Every space in this poster has a different
size, every element has a unique relation-
ship with every other. Some elements are
dense and linear while others are open and
round. Angles are contrasted with curves,
large shapes are contrasted with small.

Poster. Designer: Frost Design 2006

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
rule no. 13
{distribute light
& dark}
Images that are considered “good” tend
to exhibit a great deal of tone or value
change; from very dark through a range of
midtones to very light.

However, these areas of light and dark

should be in concentrated areas rather than
an even spread.

Create contrast and emphasis through the

concentrated use of dramatic light and
dark elements. Counter these with subtler
transitions between related values.

Poster. Designer: Paone Design Associates 2005

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 14
{Be decisive}
Do it on purpose or don�t do it at all.

Place elements with confidence, and make

clear decisions about size, arrangement,
placement and so on.

Decisiveness makes a viewer more likely to

believe that the message means what it says;
whereas an unresolved or weak composition
leaves the viewer lost and confused.

*
Every element in this simple composition has
been clearly and confidently resolved. The
text hierarchy is obvious through use of type
size and style, and the image is grounded
through its link with the title text and the
border. Poster. Designer: Stress Design 2005

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 15
{measure with your
eyes}
Remember, design is visual.

The eyes are funny things, they are often

fooled by visual stimuli— the notorious
optical illusion.

For example, if you have a square form and

a circular form with the same mathematical
height, the circle will appear smaller to the
eye.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 15
{measure with your
eyes}
Controlling optical illusions is necessary
when measured elements don�t appear the

align
way you intended them, due to this trick of
the eye.

If you align two elements by measuring,

and they don�t appear lined up, adjust them
visually.

In the end, it doesn�t matter whether they

really line up or not, the viewer will perceive
that they do.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule No.16
{don’t scavenge}
Create your own images!

Make what you need, and make it the best

your can - or pay someone else to do it for
you.

Try not to rely on what already exists. Don�t

use images straight from stock photography
and the internet.

*
All it takes to make an image new and
original is some meaningful manipulation.
Whatever the source of this portrait, it�s
been given a new, specific life through
colour change and texture.
Poster. Designer: Mutabor 2005

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule No.16
{don’t scavenge}
Sometimes the best designs come from
creative and meaningful solutions to this
problem, such as a couple of dots and lines
or a personalized scribble.

Personalized solutions are more likely to

support your message and not be muddied
by other meanings.

*
In this example a combination of
uncomplicated abstract shapes and lines
and a blur filter create a strikingly original
and conceptually appropriate image.
Poster. Designer: Clemens Théobert Schedler 2005

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 17
{ignore fashion}
Seriously.

If you design a project and style it around its

meaning rather than the audiences current
stylistic expectations, your design will mean
more to the audience, and is less likely to
blend in and be quickly forgotten.

*
Defying all nearly all trends currently in
vogue, this poster is neither photographic
or illustrative, itʼs not flashy or glamorous
or technically complex, and it doesnʼt look
digital.

It conveys energy and movement, is

attention grabbing and is optically very
powerful. Poster. Designer: Apeloig Design 2006

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 18
{create energy}
Give it life! Static equals dull.

Create the illusion of depth and movement

in your composition, your viewers are more
likely to hang around and get the message.

*
In this example the gridded cluster of dots
create the illusion of spatial depth while
interacting with the larger text to create an
outward movement.

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 19
{Don’t repeat
history}
The design of the past has its place, it can
be inspiring and useful in understanding
how communication and aesthetics have
changed, and how design thinking and
practise has evolved.

Learn from work of others- but do your own

work.

*
This design for a reissued version of a
significant art movement text represents the
energy and irreverence of the style without
mimicking it.
Book Cover. Designer: Marek Okon

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no. 20
{symmetry is the
ultimate evil}
Symmetrical visual arrangements are
generally static and offer little sense of
movement or direction.

Symmetrical arrangement also make

integrating non-symmetrical elements
awkward, and limits the designers
flexibility.

*
Although the black figure essentially is
centred in the format, it participates in
an asymmetrical arrangement of forms
— both positive and negative — that moves
diagonally from top left to bottom right.
Poster, Studio: Dochdesign

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Rule no.�21
{rules can be broken,
but never ignored}
These rules are guidelines, and by no means
should be taken as law.

Rules come with exceptions and can be broken

at any time, but not without consequence.

Check out page 248 in Design Elements: A

Graphic Style Manual by Timothy Samara for
a guide to the exceptions.

Consider these rules a starting point- a list of

issues to consider while you work.

Type Poster. Designer: Misprinted Type

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
 { go forth & create!
}
DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis
Bibliography
This lecture was compiled using material from the following source:
_________________________
Samara, Timothy. Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual. Rockport, 2007

DESN 190 Introduction to Digital Imagemaking | 20 Rules of Good Design | Lecturer: Kate Francis