Graphic Design Tips
Designing a Small Chart Promotional Piece
By John McWade
Before & After Magazine
Dateline: July 18, 2005
More Graphic Design tips
You’re up to your elbows in eggs and flour, the recipe’s
calling for a quarter cup of corn starch, and all
you can reach is a tablespoon. Quick! How many are
in a quarter cup? Smart you. Stuck to the ’fridge door
is Stacy Thomas’ handy measurement chart; one
look, and you keep cooking without missing a step.
Such usefulness is the idea behind these flat,
lightly magnetic vinyl charts; pass them out to your
customers, and you stay in their kitchens forever.
They’re great for visibility.
But, of course, to be visible, they must be kept,
and for that they must be attractive and easy to use.
The keys to this are good organization and visual
simplicity. Here’s how to transform a hard-to-read,
clip-arty gimmick into a sleek kitchen helper.
Before: It’s Festive and Informative, But...
The original 4” x 7” magnet has the “use-me” qualities of a good promotional piece,
but it’s complicated and unattractive. That’s because the space wasn’t designed.
...the Type is Almost Right
Helvetica is a versatile typeface, but at small sizes and low resolution
ink (or pixels) can obscure its fine detail and fill in small apertures.
After: Start Over with Clearer Type
A clear typeface is key to any chart. Look for simplicity—straight lines, plain junctions,
no extra curlicues—before stylishness, which can be conveyed by other elements.
Spread it Out
The magnet looks like it’s about cooking, but actually it’s about numbers. To make
numbers reader-friendly, put them in columns, and spread them out.
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