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Breaking the rules can be fun—
but first you have to
As I was introduced at a design workshop, the host said: "...and while I don’t want to steal any of Ed’s thunder, it’s important for you to know that—when it comes to design—there are no rules."
That was a difficult moment for me because I do not support what he said. Not for an instant. Perhaps the strong belief in design rules is what sets me apart from other designers.
Yes, I do believe that design should involve experimentation. Without that, we’d never grow. But I also believe that the risks of experimentation should be grounded upon our knowledge of what works and what doesn’t.
I remember reading years ago: “Minds are like parachutes—they only work when they are open.” I agree. But I also recognize the fact that even sky-surfers wear those parachutes. Their risk comes to an end a few hundred feet above the ground because they know and appreciate the law of gravity.
I want my clients to know and appreciate the rules of design.
When I meet someone who tells me “I really enjoy breaking the rules,” my immediate reaction is to ask them to tell me what some of the rules are. Thus confronted, the dilettantes will usually retreat and the real designers will show their strength.
Some of the rules are obvious:
1. For the most part, we print in black ink on white paper, not the other way around.
2. Headlines go above stories, not below them.
3. Text type has to be large enough to be read comfortably.
4. Your nameplate goes near the top of page 1.
5. Photos should be captioned.
6. Type should run horizontally, not vertically.
Some rules aren’t so obvious, but are necessary nonetheless:
1. Content drives design. Once you know the nature of the content, then you can decide how to design it. For example, you’d design a sports agate package differently than food page.
2. Less is more. The more bells and whistles geegaws and gimmicks you place on the page, the more clutter and the less professional the look. For example, a drop initial might work well at the beginning of a feature story—but not if it’s set bold italic, outlined and with a drop shadow.
3. Black and white are colors, too. Resist the temptation to use color just because it’s available. No, that nameplate in yellow does not look better because it’s in color. It looks worse. And the magenta headline on your feature page only demonstrates that you do not understand the principles of color.
4. Structure is important. Pagination software allows us to set type as wide or as narrow as we wish—and that’s precisely why we must set and adhere to standard measures for our pages. A page with too many type widths becomes a hodgepodge for readers.
5. Negative space matters. Especially on open pages, how you treat space is as important as the structure of the page. Jazz musicians will tell you that the greats—Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bill Evans—often were great because of the notes they chose NOT to play. Good use of negative space helps raise you from layout to design.
6. Typography is the key. If you have the typography in your newspaper right, your readers will forgive a multitude of other sins. But run your text too small—or in a typeface that is not easy to read—and your readers will eventually give up the struggle of trying to read you.
Those are some of the design rules I live by. And—even with my mind wide open—I believe those rules are as immutable as the law of gravity.
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