ChurchIT – Supporting ministry with IT

Computers offer the kind of production capabilities that used to require huge amounts of time, money and professional help, all in the home office (or living room).

The problem is that some of that professional help was not just getting arcane equipment to work, but valuable judgement. The Non-Designer’s Design Book is invaluable for anyone involved in producing any kind of print project, be it newsletters, headed paper or giant posters.

Getting hold of design software is relatively easy and even word processors are capable of quite complex desktop publishing. The challenge is turning that blank page into something that both catches the eye and transmits the correct information.

I know people whose fingers itch with lethal hate when they see Comic Sans (not out of malicious enjoyment but the grim determination of those working for the greater good) but some constructive replacement is still needed.

The Non-Designer’s Design Book starts with four simple principles of good design:

• Contrast
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Proximity

Once these are established and demonstrated, Robin Williams moves on to that most tricky of decisions, colour. It’s not enough to pick one colour but there is an art to picking the right colours to compliment each other.

There are enough variations to ensure the the repetition principle does not get out of hand. The rest of the book is made up of tips specific to different projects such as newsletters, flyers and letterheads.

There are quizzes throughout the book, just to make sure you are paying attention. The answers can be found at the back of the book. Some of this did come as something of a surprise. While good design is undoubtedly a gift, it is also something that can be learnt.

The book is impeccably laid out, as might be reasonably expected. Even better, every font used is named so it is an even more practical than it first appears.

This (and the full colour throughout) probably contribute to the price tag. But at £24 it is still cheaper than filling an ink jet printer and will probably pay for itself in faster design, not to mention vastly improved quality. Strongly recommended.

£23.99 – ISBN13 978-0-321-53404-0 ISBN10 0-321-53404-2

First published on The Sheep Dip,  a Christian-run website offering quality material for church newsletter and magazine editors to use for a small fee.