Wednesday’s promotion tip for authors

I’d like to show you how a skilled graphic designer, like Maria G. Nozza, can take a good design and turn it into great design, as the before and after design makeover at left, and below, shows.

After making a few, relatively simple changes, the instructions to accompany a series of Published & Profitable writing worksheets change from being merely OK to projecting a far more professional and purposeful image.

The before, or original, instructions

On the scale of things, the original instructions, above, are not particularly bad; it’s just that the elements of the page do not relate very well to each other.

The line length of the text call-outs at the top appear unnaturally long. The flush-left placement of the worksheet image undermines the page balance.

In addition, the red Reader Change Planner text is distractingly bright. There’s also confusing duplication at the top of the page, where the Published & Profitable cycle appears by itelf at the top of the instruction sheet, and is repeated in the thumbnail of the worksheet sample.

The after, or modified, instructions

Maria made a series of relatively simple refinements that greatly improved the appearance of the instructions without discarding the structure of the original design.

Most of the refinements have to do with spacing. The thumbnail of the worksheet was moved to the right to add provide some breathing room on the left.

The original thick call-out lines were reduced in thickness, and space was added between the right-hand border of the worksheet image and the text in the call-outs.

Note how a series of colored rules, i.e., graphic-speak for lines,  organizes the page. A thick pair of lines frame and draw attention to the worksheet image with its 3 call-outs. In addition, thinner rules attached to the Level l subheads now add emphasize to the subheads. In addition, subhead text is now set in color.

How do you computer the value of a design makeover?

Some might call the above design makeover a bit of an overkill. After all, the original “before” image was readable and usable, even if some of the details were not as finely executed as the details in the bottom, or “after,”  illustration.

There’s more to meet the eye, however. Maria’s makeover added greatly to the instruction sheet’s usability. The tabs in the header area at the top of the first page now orient the user to the type of document in their hand. The “web-inspired” navigation bar header at the top of the page allows me to use this same basic layout for worksheets, instructions, newsletters, or reports & tips.

More important, Maria used Adobe InDesign CS3 to set up different colored master pages. These use color to indicate the stage in the 4-step Published & Profitable process where each of the worksheets and instructions are intended to be used. Red is used for planning worksheets, blue is used for writing worksheets, yellow is used for promotional worksheets, and green is used for profit worksheets.

Maria also created 4 Master Pages, one for each of the accent colors. Instead of having 4 separate files, one for each file, now a single  “master” file contains sub-files formatted for each of the color choices.

Was the design makeover worth it?

It’s sometimes had to evaluate the benefits of project like this–especially since the original was usable. However,the true value of the makeover becomes apparent when a prospective client looks at the design and is left with an impression of professional execution. Those interested in similar design makeover can e-mail Maria G. Nozza for details.