Less = More!

Art by Ali Jabbr

Did you have a problem recognizing any of the iconic figures above? even though most of the details were removed they were easy to recognize. This type of art is considered to be Minimalism which describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts

The same concept applies to graphic design, but why would you want to have a minimalist approach to your graphic design?  it’s simple; LESS = MORE. When designing it’s easy to add all the information readily available but sometimes the very best designs are those that strip away all that is unnecessary, all the decoration, and leave us with a simple message that is to the point and easy to remember. One way to make your designs and Business cards stand out is a “less is more” approach like in the samples bellow

A lovely minimal business card design, created by Mihail Mihaylov, a graphic designer and illustrator from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Beautiful, eye catching and simultaneously sparse and restrained,
by designer Jakob Eriksson say a lot.

A well thought out minimalistic business card will not only be more attractive it will be more memorable and get the point across with ease. The next time you need business cards don’t be afraid to go with a minimalistic approach.

PMS Colors (Pantone Matching System)

When printing, color matching always becomes a problem. A good solution for this is The Pantone Color Matching System. The purpose of PMS Color is to create an accurate matching system in different locations without having direct contact with each other. PMS color standardizes colors in the CMYK process. The CMYK process is a method of printing color by using four inks — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Most of the world’s printed material is produced using the CMYK process, and there is a special group of Pantone colors that can be reproduced using CMYK. However, most of the Pantone system’s 1,114 spot colors cannot be simulated with CMYK but with 13 base pigments (15 including white and black) mixed in specified amounts

In a typical Pantone workflow, you select a shade from a range with a swatch book. Less accurately, you can also preview shades in Photoshop and Illustrator. It’s impossible to display metallics or neons on a monitor, and on-screen accuracy for spot and process colors depends on good monitor calibration. The swatch book is always the definitive guide, and you should treat the on-screen version as a rough preview.

Pantone products assume that standard stocks are being used, so if you’re using non-standard, you should check compatibility and perhaps organize proofing to check performance.

Finally, deliver your project to the printer or manufacturer with a separate shade reference for each Pantone color you use. From thenon it’s their job – but you should get your project back with the exact shades you specified.

Keep in mind that while PMS Colors are always accurate they can become expensive; Pantone colors should be used when the color has to be 100% accurate and you are willing to pay the price.

How to set up a file for print, properly

PROOF READING & SPELLCHECK

The most common causes for reprinting files are often grammatical errors & misspelled words. Don’t forget the most important & easiest part of setting up your files is checking your own work. Read your documents thoroughly and spellcheck.

FONTS

Beautiful typography & layout can be ruined if a font is missing from the file. When a font is missing it gets replaced by a default font, changing the original typography and layout. Converting your type to outlines in Illustrator is a great alternative; remember sending the font is always the best and more secure option.

RESOLUTION

Making sure your files or images are in the correct Image Resolution (referred to sometimes as DPI dots per inch) is crucial for non-pixelated images, great looking designs and just general quality. A rule for print is an image resolution of 300 dpi. Anything below 300 dpi will not produce the best quality, images below 72 dpi will always pixelate.

CMYK vs RGB

CMYK Cian, Magenta, Yellow and Black is the color mode used when printing. RGB Red, Green & Blue is the color mode used to display color on monitors.  A  lot of the colors you create in RGB mode are not achievable using standard four-color process printing. It is always best to create your document from the start in CMYK color mode to ensure that you have a better idea of how your colors are going to print.

Keep in mind if you are designing in any of the Microsoft Office programs, none of those programs are specialized in printing. Your color won’t be set up in CMYK and your color will never be accurate

Deciding to Use Black or Rich/Packed Black

When printing with black color, there are two types of black you can use.

• Black – 100 K: can be used for body copy and bar codes
• Rich Black – 40 C 40 M 40 Y 100 K: should be used when using blocks of black

Note: Rich/Packed black specifications may differ from printer to printer, so you should ask your printer what they recommend.

RICH BLACK vs BLACK (100 K)

Below, you will see the difference between rich black and black.

It may be hard to tell the difference when preparing files on your monitor screen depending on your monitor type and monitor calibration since PC screens show richer colors in RGB. Therefore, it is wise to get a printed proof when printing blocks of black.

Print Layout & BLEEDS

Here is a diagram of a typical document for print designs.

If you haven’t designed for print before the bleeds may seem a bit foreign. The bleed area is what bleeds out of the page & will get cut off. You have a bleed so your artwork gets cut without a white border around the edges. The trim line is the finished size of the piece & where it will get cut. The Live Area is the area considered safe to keep any important information within. For example, if an ad’s trim size is 8.00 in × 10.00 in, the live area might be 7.75. in × 9.75 in.

Bleed Area: The more bleed you can offer, the better. The minimum bleed you need for a printed piece is 0.125 in all around  (1/8 in) but some specs require more than that.

IN CONCLUSION

Before submitting a file to your printer;

1. Always proof read and spellcheck.
2. Make sure the color mode is always CMYK.
3. Use the proper resolution in your images.
4. Don’t forget to outline or include your fonts
5. Set up a proper bleed if your design project needs a bleed

Following these simple steps will save you money and time when printing your design projects