"It's my budget, Doc"...Letters collide with numbers

What good outcomes can result from the collision between creative professionals and budget professionals in today's economic climate? None, you say? Read on...

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I can think of two and will discuss them presently. This post will the first of several occasional topics for saving your budget, without losing your sanity, under the heading "It's my budget, Doc".

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First, this is the ideal time to insist that your final in-house proof be checked and approved seriously by anyone who will later be tempted to tear the printer's proof to pieces. Your boss shouldn't be able to simultaneously cut your creative budget, and cost you extra money by forcing rework and new proofs once the job is at the printer. This may be the ideal time to get their attention by speaking loudly in a language they understand...MONEY!

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Second, invest in typographic skills. I have always thought that an informative exam question for a student designer would be a one-color business card. If your layout makes an immediate, coherent impression, and the information on the card is instantly navigable, you have really achieved something special. Much of the success will depend your use of type.

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Effective use of type is not only economic, needing neither graphics nor color, it adds a unique depth to your page layouts. In the graphic-intensive environment we all inhabit, color, motion, and sound come at us all the time. The printed page, however, needs to do more than just convey a mood because it may contain a considerable amount of information. To convey that information effectively the page must not only get your reader's attention, but hold it long enough for the page to be read.

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Readers tire easily, and you can take advantage of three thousand years of human effort by continuing your study of the noble art of letter forms, and their relationships one to another.

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So here is your plan for the next few days. On Sunday afternoon, go to your local bookstore and peruse the volumes on hand relating to typography. Perhaps you might enjoy a cappuccino while you read, and feel the warmth of being surrounded by the printed word. Maybe you will even purchase the book you find the most valuable.

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On Monday, you will return to work relaxed and refreshed. When you show your boss the final proof of your next project, and they glance at it saying "I'm sure it's OK", roll the proof up tightly and swat them across the face. As they recover, and you have their full attention, say to them "I need you to check this carefully, if we have to rework and reproof that will cost money, and, in case you hadn't noticed, that stuff doesn't grow on trees".

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What a great way to start the week...call or email me to let me know how it goes. Until then, see you online!

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Hugh Butler

Your friend in the printing business

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Artwork reproduced with permission from The James Madison Institute