For people used to the digital world, print design can seem challenging. However, there are 7 basic steps you can take to learn how to design for print. First, practice with terms you will see in the print design field. Next, learn how to use Adobe InDesign to create layouts that are both attractive and functional. Practice makes perfect and you will soon find that you can use the program effectively. You can also learn to use Photoshop and Illustrator to design print pieces.
Colors
There are two main models used in printing: CMYK (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and RGB (red, green, and blue). CMYK is a four-color process model, which uses a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. CMYK is a popular choice for print design and illustration, as it gives a more balanced look.
Spacial awareness
Spatial awareness is the ability to understand where and how objects are located within a three-dimensional space. It is a fundamental skill for success in many STEM fields. As a designer, you can use this knowledge to create a print design that appeals to your target market. This ability is important to creating effective layouts and visual designs. It is also important for understanding and analyzing the relationship between objects within a given space.
Text-heavy layouts
When using a print design, you should be cautious with text-heavy layouts. Too much text can be distracting. Instead, use a combination of fonts to draw the customer’s attention. Randomizing the font pairings can help keep the reader’s attention. Another option is illustration-heavy designs. Illustration-heavy designs are more eye-catching and can be more attractive to the customer.
Adobe InDesign
InDesign is a graphic design software program that asks you to describe your design intent when you open a new document. If you’re new to design for print, InDesign is a much simpler option than Photoshop. InDesign also doesn’t have a permanent image editing process like Photoshop, so you won’t have to worry about a variety of things, such as image quality and color output. Plus, resizing images in Photoshop can cause permanent distortion. InDesign does not have the same limitations, so you can experiment with different image combinations.
High-resolution files
To ensure that your images will look their best in print, it is imperative to prepare high-resolution files. The resolution of an image is its width by length. A resolution of 1280 x 1024 is higher than one of these dimensions. A megapixel is the same as the width of an image times a million. If you need to prepare high-resolution files for print design, you can prepare them in Adobe PDF format.
