Alpha Lambda Mu

Graphic Design

When I began to create the flyers, graphics, and digital content for my fraternity I laid out a few things.

1. Use the light and dark areas of a flyer to provide contrast

This will help grab the viewer’s attention. Try placing light text on a dark area of a photo (or vice-versa).

2. Balance the placement of text and graphics

You never want your poster to feel cluttered or crowded. Ask yourself, “Does every element have room to breathe?” and adjust until the answer is yes.

3. Consider adding a border

Borders create a frame for the contained content and can help the poster stand out from wherever it’s placed.

4. Add contrast with font size, style, and color

As a rule of thumb, don’t use more than two typefaces in a document. Instead, use font weight to differentiate sections of text — many fonts offer bold, regular, and light options for font weight. The use of color, all caps, and italics also draw attention to particular points of a message.

If you choose to use multiple typefaces, choose ones that are different enough to look deliberate.

5. Align elements for a balanced look

If you’re serious about designing a great flyer, consider using a grid system. A grid consists, of course, of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines (i.e. rows and columns), often based on optimal proportions for the document’s size.

Try aligning your text content in the center of the document for a pleasing symmetrical look. Or, align text to the right or left side of the doc, with a margin that works best with other graphical elements.

Or, align text to the right or left side of the doc, with a margin that works best with other graphical elements.

6. Try the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is when you break down the image or document as a whole into thirds horizontally and vertically. Placing the most important information on one of the intersecting areas can help with structuring the layout of text and graphics. his image is broken down using the rule of thirds. Adding text or graphical elements to any of the intersecting points can result in a polished result.

7. Make sure your content placement is deliberate

That doesn’t mean that headers, body text, images, and graphical elements like banners must all be aligned with each other. Just make sure any deviation from a left/right/center alignment is deliberate and logical.

8. Don’t discount the power of color

Color can visually enhance a message and help highlight particular points of that message. Colors also evoke emotions that can support your overall theme.

Try using similar or complementary colors throughout a document to provide a consistent visual experience for the viewer.

9. Use the highest-res photos you can get your hands on

If you upload low-res image files, you’ll likely have issues when it comes time to print. Your best bet is to use photos that have been saved at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) For displaying your flyer on the web, 150 ppi is usually sufficient.

10. Design your print document for full bleed

Most printers aren’t capable of printing content right to the edge of paper. This can result in a white border around your content. To achieve a design that extends all the way to the edge, you’ll need to use a technique called full bleed.

Full bleed is a process where you extend your design beyond the borders of a finished piece, increasing the size of your document. Then the paper is trimmed after printing to make sure the ink goes all the way to the edge of the paper.

Web Design + Marketing

What is a brand?

The word “brand” is used pretty loosely these days. For example, people might use the word “brand” to talk about logos, though a logo is just one part of a brand. It’s a symbol that represents a deeper emotional tie.

A logo, packaging, typography, and personality all represent a brand, along with customer service, price, product quality, and corporate responsibility, but a brand is a bit more intangible. It’s emotional, visual, historical, and human. It’s an experience that separates different products and services in a world where quality is often comparable or the same.

Clear brand purpose and positioning

The first part of establishing a brand identity is determining what your purpose and positioning is. The brand purpose is the big reason for your existence. Brand positioning is the naming of who your product is for and why your product is a better option than the competitors. Defining these will inform your strategy as you create a logo, decide on a color palette, etc. A process called Purpose, Position, and Personality is useful for answering these questions.

Likable brand personality

Something I’ve heard several times is the question, “If your brand were a person, what would he/she be like?” It might be a bit cliche at this point, but it’s a smart way to think about brand personality.

And brand personality is an important thing to consider. It will come through in every part of your brand identity design if you get it right, but if a personality isn’t established, customers will get mixed messages and have trouble connecting with your brand.

Using an arrow to tell users to scroll a web page it’s like using “click here” on a button that doesn’t look like one. This is not Design. It’s not even Art, cause you’re explaining it.

Simplicity is very hard, we already know that. But sometimes what it looks like a simple solution is just laziness; something that is simple to design but not necessarily simple and enjoyable to use.

Final thoughts

There may be redesigns and re-evaluating ahead, but starting off with a strong, confident brand and a unified brand identity will add clarity to everything you do. And though change may be necessary in the future, stay fiercely consistent so that your brand is the one that comes to mind when someone has a problem you can solve.

Fraternity site.