Corporate design ::: design that equals subtle excellence

While there is no set definition of what a corporate design should look like, there are some points that should be considered:

1. Reduce Noise - this means that a design should Not be 'busy'. A professional design must be easy to read. An extreme example of this is when creating a corporate folder design, a designer may, only, place a .5 to 3 inch graphic on a back page that might be 14 inches in height.

2. Distractions - avoid elements of a potential design that can 'lead' a reader away from the purpose or message. This can be tricky, though, as some elements that 'appeal' to our eyes may not be assisting in 'getting the message across'.

3. Consistent - a design being consistent is a major 'stronghold' in establishing a design as being professional. Examples of this include:
- using 1 to 2 fonts throughout a design (3 in some particular cases; but your eyes will likely tell you if there is a conflict)
- use consistent colors; if you have brown and orange on page 1, use atleast 1 of these exact colors on other pages in the design, as an example

4. Brand identity - identify your brand through out design piece. Examples of this are repeating your logo on all pages. Other less prominent examples could be repeating a slogan or promoting a, slightly, different version of a logo.

Other elements for consideration include: white space, font size, graphic quality and coherency among others.

Lenny Vineham
Inner Web Solutions
http://www.innerwebsolutions.com