Bad Practices in Graphic Design

Throughout most of any given working day, professionals employ best practices to resolve problems. In the world of graphic design, designers employ best practices but also use their creativity to sometimes break the rules. However, there are times when corporate communications suffer from bad design. So, instead of discussing best practices, let’s take a look at some (but not all) bad practices in design.

1. The logo dominates the design. For some reason, people think good branding is about placing their logo everywhere in a big, bad way. This is at the top of the list of bad practices because of the amateur appearance it lends to an overall design. For all those who disagree, then here is something for you: www.makemylogobiggercream.com.

2. Make it red and bold. This is another bad habit driven by inexperienced designers or those who think they know something about design. Obviously there are times when red is appropriate but when a beautiful color scheme is utilized to portray elegance or professionalism, placing a large red and bold call-to-action screams “look at how cheesy I am.” Just don’t do it.

3. Too much copy. Are you ever in a situation when someone is talking your ear off, and you wish they would just stop? Everyone has. The same goes for copy in advertising. People often try to fit a novel onto a single page. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us actually had time to read a webpage or other form of advertisement for ten minutes? Today, no one has time. Say what you have to say in a concise manner. Looks like I better keep this article short.

4. Large typeset body copy. Another example that screams, look, this was designed by a novice! Just conduct the following exercise to see my point; type a paragraph of text three times. Set one paragraph to 12 point, maybe even 14 point for all those who really like it big. Then set the other two at 11 point and 10 point. Add a little leading or line spacing to the 10 and 11 point paragraphs.

5. USING ALL CAPS FOR LONG LINES OF COPY. ALL CAPS MAKES TYPE DIFFICULT TO READ AS PEOPLE RECOGNIZE WORDS BY THEIR SHAPE. USING ALL CAPS FORCES PEOPLE TO LOOK AT EVERY LETTER WHICH CAUSES ANOTHER PROBLEM OF NOT ONLY LOOKING RIDICULOUS BUT ALSO WASTING PEOPLE’S TIME. Oops, sorry about that. See what I mean?

6. Filling as much white space as you can. “There’s some white space, make the logo bigger. There’s some more, make that copy bigger, and add a box behind it with a thick border.” People like to breathe and good design does as well.

7. Design without purpose. Isn’t it great when you see some beveled type with a drop shadow applied? Or how about some abstract “edgy” design element that ends up dominating the design? Good graphic design facilitates the communication of messages. It allows people to interact and absorb intended thoughts. Graphic tricks are neat but the best designers know when to use them and when not to.

Avoid these bad practices like the plague. My level of sarcasm shown above stems from the fact of being guilty of committing these atrocities myself. We all learn from our mistakes, right? Learn from mine, and give an instant lift to the quality of your corporate communications. Of course if things still aren’t looking like they should, consult with an expert. Just don’t tell them to make the logo bigger please.