{"id":637,"date":"2017-06-13T15:46:32","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T23:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=637"},"modified":"2017-06-13T15:49:25","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T23:49:25","slug":"designwitchery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/06\/designwitchery.html","title":{"rendered":"7 Secrets to Design Witchery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"design-goodbad\"
\nYou might not think there\u2019s magick in graphic design, but you\u2019d be very much mistaken. \u00a0The whole purpose of good design is to draw the eye, get people involved or interested, and create some sort of successful interaction from it all. \u00a0While graphic design may not exactly be spellcraft (though you sure can work some sigils into it, or apply colors in a sympathetic manner), it can be a vital thing to the business of Witchcraft \u2013 and Pwordism in general.<\/p>\n

Want people to know about your event? It needs a good graphic, an easy to read flyer, something that captures the eye and gets people to read. \u00a0It needs to be distinctive, yet clean and attractive. \u00a0It also needs to seem current to your target audience. Unfortunately, a lot of the event flyers and ads I\u2019ve seen recently look like they\u2019ve taken inspiration from 1990\u2019s websites a la geocities gif-frenzy\/graphic overload. \u00a0As if the mode of thinking is: more is more, and better if you can\u2019t actually read the thing. Witchy does not mean include every magicky graphic ever.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to embarrass anyone by pointing out their flyers or websites. \u00a0Heck, I\u2019ve had a few over the years that I would prefer to delete from the design folder of history. I could make a tumblr of bad design examples that would keep me busy every day for years. \u00a0Let\u2019s not focus on that. \u00a0Instead, let\u2019s start making some awesome ads!<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t claim to be on the cutting edge of what\u2019s hot in graphic design (I\u2019m 20 years past school for that, though I\u2019m good at spotting trends) \u2013 \u00a0BUT I know what works, and have some simple guidelines to follow. \u00a0So if you have an event or shop or thing you want to promote, and are going to fire up Photoshop, paintshop, gimp, word, or whatever you use to make a flyer, here\u2019s some tips to follow that will steer you well.<\/p>\n

(In no particular order, they\u2019re all important):<\/em>
\nUse no more than 3 fonts on a single piece of advertising.<\/strong> \u00a0That includes your logo. \u00a0So if you have a name logo, that\u2019s one font. Then you could choose an additional font for headlines, and one more for text\/small print \u2013 that is easier to read. \u00a0And you\u2019ve hit your limit. Sans Serif fonts (like Arial, Helvetica, Verdana) are best for small type, as they\u2019re clean (think \u201csans decoration\u201d). Serif fonts are fancier, so they are more for grabbing the eye. \u00a0Look for fonts that are easy to read versus look cool. \u00a0Cool points don\u2019t matter if you can\u2019t read it!<\/p>\n

Do not use busy graphics as your background image.<\/strong> \u00a0Yes, that is a lovely picture of faeries tripping, unicorns jousting, or naked maypole dancing \u2013 but don\u2019t use it behind your text. \u00a0Nobody can read anything you put on top of it, no matter what color you use. \u00a0It hurts the eyes and makes people less likely to keep reading.<\/p>\n

\u00a0If you do use an image, make sure you have permission to use it.<\/strong> \u201cI found it on google image search\u201d does not mean it\u2019s free for you to use. \u00a0Ask permission of the artist\/photographer\/designer, or invest in stock images. \u00a0Don\u2019t be that jerk who says \u201cwell, easier to say I\u2019m sorry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Does your ad satisfy the who\/what\/when\/where\/why?<\/strong> \u00a0Meaning if it\u2019s an event, who does it involve, what\u2019s happening, when and where is it happening (day\/date\/year), and any other important details (website\/email\/complete phone number\/reservations\/tickets\/etc). \u00a0Especially for things on the web \u2013 put city\/state! If it\u2019s get spread, then people can know where it\u2019s happening, and share it in the right places.<\/p>\n

Consider your color scheme<\/strong>. If you want something to stand out and \u201cvibrate\u201d, use complementary color variations (blue\/orange, yellow\/purple, red\/green). \u00a0You can also do mainly monochromatic (one color) with a pop of something else to catch the eye. \u00a0If you\u2019re looking for something more harmonious, choose analogous colors (they\u2019re next to each other on the color wheel<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 check out the link for more color theory help).<\/p>\n

But KEEP IT SIMPLE.<\/strong> Too much text\/information makes it hard to read. \u00a0If it\u2019s a flyer, direct them to a website or phone number where they can get more information. Don\u2019t repeat text over and over. \u00a0More graphics is NOT better. \u00a0Less graphics make it more attractive to the eye and easier to read. White or open space is totally OK!<\/p>\n

For the love of the gods, SPELLCHECK and PROOFREAD.<\/strong> \u00a0Are you bad with typing stuff out and your layout program doesn\u2019t let you know if you\u2019ve made a typo? \u00a0Then put all of your text first into a document of some kind (Open Office has a great collection of free word\/spreadsheet\/presentation programs you can download), check the spelling, and then re-read it to make sure it makes sense. \u00a0Then read it again, and again. \u00a0Then have something else look at it again. \u00a0Then read it out loud to your cat. That helps.<\/p>\n

The following examples I created in about 10 minutes (total). \u00a0Photo is of me, by Carrie Meyer of The Dancer\u2019s Eye.<\/a> I could go back and tweak them more, but they\u2019re a quick example of what not to do, and what to do. \u00a0Obviously one is much easier to read and has most, if not all, of the relevant info on there.\u00a0Basically, the right combination of elements equals the right ingredients to a successful design \u2013 just like magick that works.<\/p>\n

\"Bad
Bad Idea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"good
good idea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You might not think there’s magick in graphic design, but you’d be very much mistaken. The whole purpose of good design is to draw the eye, get people involved or interested, and create some sort of successful interaction from it all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":640,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[297,295,298,293,296,294,52,7,4,138],"class_list":["post-637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-metaphysics","tag-ads","tag-bad-design","tag-business-of-witchcraft","tag-design","tag-flyer","tag-good-design","tag-magick","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft","tag-witchery"],"yoast_head":"\n7 Secrets to Design Witchery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You might not think there's magick in graphic design, but you'd be very much mistaken. 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