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Graphic Design Tips

Designing a Small Chart Promotional Piece

By John McWade
Before & After Magazine

Dateline: July 18, 2005
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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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