CRAP -from brickfish

Original post date: 4 Aug 2008 

So, I was just looking at some ad designs, and I saw some problems that came up again and again.  I learned these basic little things in a class I took that can completely change how well something is designed.  I thought I would share it.  

Before you go off on a hissy fit about me saying how bad peoples designs are and how much better I think I could do, and how I haven't even done one.  It is coming, so just wait for it.

CRAP - that is all a design needs to be, is CRAP.

C - Contrast - If the colors are to close together, and you can't see the difference in them, it can be hard to read.  Nothing is worse than a green background with red text.

R - Repetition - Having the same type of thing repeated.  The best use of this is fonts, having the same font on the whole design.  Not to say you can't have more than one, but know when you are doing it so it doesn't become overwhelming.

A - Alignment - Ah, my favorite.  Centered text is horrible, nobody wants to read it!  Lining up things along one side is nice.  Things that have no alignment just look busy and are hard to read.

P - Proximity - Sometimes things can get to close.  Everything needs some 'white space' or blank space to be able to read right.  But be careful, they can get to far away as well.

Just a few little tips that can make a world of difference.

Disclaimer:  This post was originally made on the website Brickfish.  It was entered into a contest, got lots of views, votes and comments.  Brickfish has changed, even got removed altogether, since I originally posted.  However, I didn't want to loose these again, I put a lot of time into them.  So, now you can enjoy them here on my blog as well.