free advice
Many desperate acts of design (including gradients, drop shadows, and the gratuitous use
of transparency) are perpetrated in the absence of a strong concept. A good idea provides a
framework for design decisions, guiding the work.Think more, design less.
Just as designers should avoid filling up space with arbitrary visual effects, writers should
remember that no one loves their words as much as they do.Say more, write less.Always work with a sharp blade. Although graphic design is not a terribly dangerous
occupation, many late-night accidents occur involving dull X-Acto blades. Protect your
printouts from senseless bloodshed.May your thoughts be deep and your wounds be shallow.
Cheap stuff is usually cheap because of how it’s made, what it’s made of,
and who made it. Buy better quality goods, less often.Spend more, buy less.
In an era of exurban sprawl, closely knit neighborhoods have renewed appeal.
So, too, on page and screen, where a rich texture of information can function
better than sparseness and isolation.Density is the new white space.
Rather than force content into rigid containers, create systems that are flexible and
responsive to the material they are intended to accommodate.Make the shoe fit, not the foot.
Amateur typographers make their type too big. The 12-pt default—which looks okay on
the screen—often looks horsey on the page. Experienced designers, however, make their
type too tiny: shown here, 7.5-pt Scala Pro.Make it bigger. (Courtesy of Paula Scher)
218 | thinking with type