Designing
With Templates
Jumpstart
your Designs
In
desktop publishing, templates are pre-designed documents that we can use
to create business cards, brochures, greeting cards, or other desktop
documents. Some types of templates include:
• Mix
and match elements — using a Wizard or by choosing items from a
list that the software assembles into our final product.
• Pre-designed
formats for documents where all we add are our own words in place of
dummy or placeholder text. Graphics and typestyles are part of the template.
• Pre-designed
formats for documents that have placeholders (grid lines, boxes, dummy
text) for key elements — text and graphics. We add our own text
and graphics and choose the appropriate typefaces.
Many
programs include their own set of designer templates for a variety of
documents. You can also design and save your own templates. Let's look
at some of the ways that templates can work for you.
Pros & Cons
You
might have heard (or even thought it yourself) "Real designers don't
use templates" or, "Templates are a substitute for real design." But
there are times when using one is the most appropriate choice. Some times
and ways that templates can work for you:
• Save
time.
• Offer
your client a less expensive alternative to your original, made completely
from scratch designs.
• Use
for routine forms for your own use (invoices, etc.) so you can spend
more time on client work.
• Maintain consistency with newsletters or between
related marketing pieces.
• If
you're a non-designer, use templates to give a more professional edge
to your own marketing materials.
• Build
your first Web page with templates until you become more comfortable
with Web publishing.
• Maintain
page-to-page consistency in a large Web site and simplify updates.
Remember,
in many cases templates are designed by well-known designers. We often
look at the work of others for inspiration, using templates is simply
another way of borrowing from the talents of those around us. Starting
with a template is a smart idea. However, there are still many ways to
personalize them without sacrificing the benefits of speed, variety,
and consistency.
Tips
for Using Templates
Use some of these suggestions to make the most of the templates you use:
Selection. Choose
a template layout that is appropriate to the job. Choosing a design that
is inappropriate or that requires too many alterations defeats the purpose
of using a template in the first place.
Graphics. Add
your own clip art and graphics in place of any pre-selected graphics
used in the template. Graphics also include rules (lines). Change the
size or placement to better fit your own text.
Type. Change
the typeface, leading, or alignment of the text. Be sure to choose a
typeface that is appropriate to the design of the template. Some layouts
and some typefaces have their own casual or formal tone. It's usually
best to stay close to the type choices (if any) used in the original
template if you're unsure.
Color & Paper. The
layout is only one part of the overall design. Simply changing the paper
or changing the colors used in your document can cause dramatic changes — even
when the layout stays the same.
Save. Whether
it's a modified template design or one you've created from scratch — save
it as a template. If it's right for one job, it may be right for another.
If it is a newsletter or one of many pieces in a coordinated marketing
package, you save yourself time down the line.
Inspiration. Ever
found yourself staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank screen, unsure
of where to begin? Use templates as a starting point. Just browsing through
the various templates — even ones unrelated to your current design
project — can give you ideas and start you on the road to laying
out your own original masterpiece. Our About
Graphic Design Guide, supports the use of templates. Here are some
of her thoughts:
Templates
can be a lifesaver when your back's against the wall with a deadline.
There's nothing worse than a deadline and a blank page. Remember, the
template is just the starting point. You
can modify it!
Also,
when you create a design you're particularly proud of, save it as a template.
You don't have to reuse the design exactly, but it's much easier when
some of the groundwork (styles, grids, fonts) have been laid.
Judy
Litt
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