Technology Learning Activity

The TLA covers the fundamentals of desktop publishing that you will need to create professional-looking publications for both print and online. Good design techniques will also be introduced. Using these techniques will let you create eye-catching publications very quickly.

What You Will Learn About: ✦ desktop publishing then and now ✦ effective/good design ✦ steps to follow for good design ✦ typeface and fonts ✦ logos ✦ calendar ✦ promotional materials ✦ websites

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Desktop Publishing

Desktop Publishing It wasn’t too many years ago that producing a full-color brochure, business cards, or a proposal was an expensive, time-consuming task. The final work had to be prepared out of the office at a commercial print shop. Today, electronic publishing, also called desktop publishing, makes it possible to produce high-impact, professional-looking documents economically—using a computer, printer, and page layout software. Because of desktop publishing capabilities, even the smallest companies and organizations can produce publications such as brochures, newsletters, proposals, business cards, and even a web site.

Desktop Publishing

Page layout software, such as Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher, Pages, or iStudio Publisher, lets the user electronically combine text, pictures, and photographs in publications; view, arrange, and rearrange them on the computer screen; and finally print them on paper or publish them online when satisfied with the design. Scanners and digital cameras, even your cell phone, let you easily use pictures and other graphics in your publications. Microsoft Publisher is one of the most popular page layout software for small and medium-sized businesses. It also has many uses in schools for both teachers and students. You can use it to produce school newsletters, catalogs, and flyers. It is also useful for publishing your reports and other school projects. As you become familiar with this software, you will find more and more uses for it. Even though software like Microsoft Publisher is easy-to-use, it is a powerful, complete desktop publishing software. Adobe InDesign is one of the leading, commercial desktop publishing products. It is used to design and create some of today’s leading magazines. It is more complicated to learn because it does so many more things, but learning Publisher, Pages, or iStudio will be a good introduction to professional products like Adobe InDesign. All desktop publishing softwares allow you to build your publications by adding elements such as text, pictures, and graphics a piece at a time. These objects can be placed on the page however the user wishes— even overlapped, sideways, or upside down. Each of these objects is considered a separate piece of the publication; therefore, a publication is really a group of many different objects arranged on a page.

Effective Design What makes some publications easy to read, understand, and remember while other publications are forgotten, ignored, or confusing? The difference is usually the design of the page.

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Think About This! Think about commercials and advertisements you’ve seen recently. What caught your attention in the ones that you remember? What made some good and some bad? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

There is an old saying that says “one picture is worth a thousand words.” That is something to remember as you plan your publications. Effective use of pictures will make your publications more effective. Like most things you do, creating a well-designed publication requires planning. First you need to identify your purpose. Are you trying to introduce a company, advertise a product, or send birthday greetings? Once you’ve decided this, it is easier to decide the type of publication to create. The next step is to identify your audience. You have to decide what will appeal to the audience you want to attract. For example, if you are planning flyers for a school dance, you would use a different style than if you are planning flyers for a sale at an upscale art gallery. Identifying your audience makes it possible to target your publication to its intended audience. The next step is to experiment with different ideas and layouts. You can look at similar products to get ideas as to what works and what doesn’t work. You can also sketch ideas on paper or play with designs on the computer. Getting ideas from other people’s designs is a good way to start, but it is important to remember that you can’t copy exactly what someone else has done.

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Desktop Publishing

______________________________________________________

Think About This! Have you ever really liked commercials that your parents thought were silly? The ad was probably designed to appeal to someone your age instead of someone your parents’ age. How would it be designed differently if it were aimed at your parents? Remember it is important to design your publication so that your intended audience will want to read it. Briefly describe a commercial or advertisement that you liked and your parents didn’t. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

Desktop Publishing

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ How would you change it to make it more attractive to people your parent’s age. Describe the new commercial/ad below. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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There are several important things to remember as you plan your publication’s layout. One of the most important things is that simple is better than complex because the more complicated your publication is, the more hidden your message might be. Effective design includes proper use of visuals, typefaces, groupings, and alignment. Each plays an important role in the design process. Implementing the following guidelines will help you create a successful design. Your design should also be consistent; the elements on the page need to go together. Fonts, graphics, and the use of white space should reflect the same style. Don’t mix cartoons and serious art; don’t mix many fonts on one page; don’t crowd one page and have lots of empty space on another. Inconsistent designs look cluttered and confused.

Good layout is important for good fliers, advertisements, newsletters, newspaper and magazine spreads, Web pages, brochures, posters, and other types of visual documents. The same four design principles of appropriateness, balance, focus and flow, and consistency apply to all types of graphic design. Appropriateness is important in design because it relates to how well elements match the purpose and audience. You must choose fonts, graphics, and layout carefully so they are “appropriate” for the purpose and audience. The product or service advertised should match the advertisement’s appearance. If you are carrying a heavy bag on one arm and nothing in the other, your body tends to lean to the direction of the weight. You are unbalanced. The same goes for design. Balance is how the elements “weigh” on the page. Darker, thicker, larger elements are “heavier” than lighter, thinner, smaller elements. A mix of large and small elements helps the reader determine what is more important. Larger graphics and type indicate they are more important elements than those that are smaller. Balance doesn’t have to be symmetrical. In fact, symmetrical or perfectly balanced design is rarely used because it can be boring. Keep the layout simple, yet interesting. Contrast can make your layout stand out from others. Make it count. You can do this by using small and large font, thin and thick lines, dark and light colors, and vertical and horizontal elements. The size determines

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Why does something catch your attention? Is it the color? Uniqueness? If you’re listening to the radio, what keeps you from changing the station? Something sparks an interest in you. The same goes for design. As the designer, you must design the layout in a way that ignites interest in your audience.

the importance — the larger the text or graphic, the more important it is to the layout. The key to contrast is making items different. If they are too similar, they create conflict. Be bold in your design. Picture yourself at a basketball game. Your focus is on the ball, watching to see where it goes and if it makes it through the hoop. The flow of the game depends on where the ball goes next. In design, you must have a focus and flow to keep the layout entertaining and effective. If you watched a basketball game without a ball, the game would be worthless. If you don’t have a dominant element, or focal point of the layout, then your design will be worthless. Focus is where the reader’s eye goes first. It’s what he or she is drawn to on the page. Use only one dominant element; more than one can be confusing, as the viewer doesn’t know where to look first or what may be the most important element.

Desktop Publishing

The path the reader’s eye travels in the path created by the page’s elements is the flow. White space is the open space in the design. It is good. Too many elements on the page can be distracting and busy. White space also can create interest. It can draw the viewer’s eye to a certain element on the page and can be used in focusing attention to the element and increasing the flow of the content. A well-designed print layout must have visual organization. In basketball, if there is no strategy or rules, the game would become chaotic and boring. The same goes for design — there must be some pattern to the elements. When reading English, we read from left to right, top to bottom. Therefore, the same principle can be applied when creating the layout of the design. This may be referred to as the Z pattern. The majority of layouts should work with natural eye movements. However, layouts that use visual cues can also be effective. Advertisements in which the organization and visual path are unclear don’t capture readers’ attention. What color do you associate with the word stop? Probably red because stop signs and stop lights are red. What color do you associate with the word yield? Do you think of yellow yield signs and yellow lights? Consistency gives us guidance.

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Consistency is the “glue” of the design. Repetition causes expectation and familiarity for the reader. Consistency gives the reader visual cues and the document consistency and unity. You can do this by simply using the same font for the headings and subheadings of the document. Bullets and lines are other simple ways of using repetition to keep a flow to the design. The more pages to the layout document, the more important consistency is to keeping it effective.

Typeface In addition to visuals, text is important to a layout. A typeface includes a certain style of type that includes all the characters in all sizes. Even though there are hundreds of typefaces available to designers, certain typefaces, such as Times Roman, Arial, and Helvetica are more widely used than others. All typefaces can be categorized into three areas: serif, sans serif, and decorative.

The typeface used must reflect the mood or personality presented in advertising copy and should be appropriate for the product or service being advertised. Typefaces can convey a specific feeling or emotion or depict a certain lifestyle. For example, a script typeface may indicate sophistication, while a font that is bold and heavy may indicate power.

Edwardian Script ITC, 24 point Impact, 18 point

Mixing too many typefaces can create a feeling of being unorganized. Keep the number of typefaces used to a minimum, no more than three in a layout. However, if you want to mix typefaces, choose those that contrast well. If the body text uses a serif typeface, choose a sans serif typeface for the headings. An example of this would be to use one for the headings and sub headings, one for the body text, and one for the title of the document. Make the size contrast as well. Making the headings two points larger than the text doesn’t make them stand out. The contrast must be apparent to be effective. A point is a unit of measurement for the font. Common textbook and newspaper size is 12 points. Text type is generally no larger than 14 points, but should not be smaller than 8 points, depending on the font and the nature of the text. Multimedia-Desktop Publishing CIMC — Copyright © 2010

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A serif typeface has small finishing strokes, or “feet,” at the end of the main stroke of the letter (such as Bookman or Times Roman). A sans serif typeface does not have finishing strokes at the end of the main stroke of a letter (such as Helvetica or Arial). Sans means “without”; therefore, sans serif means “without feet.” A decorative typeface is any typeface that doesn’t fall into the serif or sans serif category. Each style has a purpose.

WEB ACTIVITY Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Desktop_publishing. Remember that the information on Wikipedia is submitted by its users and may not be totally accurate. Read the information, thinking about what you’ve learned. Is there anything that you think might be incorrect? What would you add to the information to make it more complete. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

Desktop Publishing

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Visit two or more of the websites listed below. List some informtion you learned as you browsed the sites. http://www.fudgegraphics.com/ http://designm.ag/ http://bestdesignoptions.com/ http://bonfx.com/ http://desktoppublishing.com/ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

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Activity 1 Identifying good design What You Will Do: Look at examples of publications and choose the one you think is the better designed.

What You Will Need: • paper and pencil

What to Do:

CIMC

A

News & Updates

B

Fall 2008

New CIMC Employee Kathy Wood has joined the staff of the CIMC and has already demonstrated her versatility. Kathy came to CIMC from the Stillwater NewsPress and brought her newspaper experience with her. While her primary job is to create exciting formats for CIMC curriculum, Kathy also lends her skills to the printing plant as needed.

News & Updates...........1 Product Spotlight....... 3

Projects & People........ 4 About Us........................ 4

Tips & Techniques....... 5 Recipe File..................... 5

Fall 2008

News & Updates New CIMC Employee

Customer Survey Project

In This Issue:

CIMC Update Kathy Wood has joined the staff of the CIMC and has already demonstrated her versatility. Kathy came to CIMC from the Stillwater NewsPress and brought her newspaper experience with her. While her primary job is to create exciting formats for CIMC curriculum, Kathy also lends her skills to the printing plant as needed.

During the week of August 25, CIMC sent a curriculum survey to all of Oklahoma’s FACS and Ag Ed instructors. An amazing 299 instructors completed and returned the survey (a response rate of 33%)! The results gave CIMC feedback about the usefulness of specific curriculum components, general curriculum features, packaging options, and other valuable information. We very much appreciate the time and consideration shown by everyone who responded to the survey. The results will provide guidance as we develop new curriculum and revise existing curriculum.

Customer Survey Project During the week of August 25, CIMC sent a curriculum survey to all of Oklahoma’s FACS and Ag Ed instructors. An amazing 299 instructors completed and returned the survey (a response rate of 33%)! The results gave CIMC feedback about the usefulness of specific curriculum components, general curriculum features, packaging options, and other valuable information. We very much appreciate the time and consideration shown by everyone who responded to the survey. The results will provide guidance as we develop new curriculum and revise existing curriculum.

CIMC Update

Permission Requests As you know, CIMC curriculum is protected by copyright. The same copyright law that safeguards the products from any commercial publisher also applies to CIMC products, from the very moment that the content is created. Each year, the CIMC Manager receives some requests for permission to reproduce content from CIMC curriculum. Sometimes, it is possible to grant these requests, such as when parts of a teacher edition are missing (after a change in teachers), or to allow for a unique classroom activity. Some components are also meant to be copied, such as the unit written tests, and include a statement to that effect. Unfortunately, it is not possible to grant permission to reproduce an entire curriculum or even a large percentage of the content from any CIMC product. An important reason is to protect your investment as taxpayers. Copies made at the local level might help to meet an immediate local need, but they do not contribute to the return on the investment of state tax dollars (an investment that out-of-state customers have not made) to produce curriculum. What CIMC can do is produce products that respond to identified needs, and print those products at a cost that no other publisher–or copy service—can match. Simply let your program specialist know about your need, so he/she can communicate it to CIMC.

New Designs Redesign is a word that describes a lot of the activity at the CIMC over the past few months! The CIMC has a new design for its curriculum covers. We wanted a design that everyone could recognize as a CIMC product. Look for the new design, shown here, on both new and reprinted products. Kathleen Kincaid, CIMC Marketing Specialist, has worked with the agency’s artists to redesign

the popular CIMC Catalog. In addition to a new look, the catalog includes streamlined product offerings and a spotlight on new and most popular products.

Permission Requests As you know, CIMC curriculum is protected by copyright. The same copyright law that safeguards the products from any commercial publisher also applies to CIMC products, from the very moment that the content is created. Each year, the CIMC Manager receives some requests for permission to reproduce content from CIMC curriculum. Sometimes, it is possible to grant these requests, such as when parts of a teacher edition are missing (after a change in teachers), or to allow for a unique classroom activity. Some components are also meant to be copied, such as the unit written tests, and include a statement to that effect. Unfortunately, it is not possible to grant permission to reproduce an entire curriculum or even a large percentage of the content from any CIMC product. Copies made at the local level might help to meet an immediate local need, but they do not contribute to the return on the investment of state tax dollars (an investment that out-of-state customers have not made) to produce curriculum. What CIMC can do is produce products that respond to identified needs, and print those products at a cost that no other publisher–or copy service—can match. Simply let your program specialist know about your need, so he/she can communicate it to CIMC.

_______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Multimedia-Desktop Publishing CIMC — Copyright © 2010

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1. Look at the examples below and decide which is better designed. Explain why you think so.

C

D

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Desktop Publishing

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2. Think of a magazine, newsletter, or newspaper you have read or looked at lately. Describe one that is well-designed and tell why. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Multimedia-Desktop Publishing CIMC — Copyright © 2010

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Activity 2 Create a logo What You Will Do: When you hear the words Golden Arches what do you think of? Most people will say McDonald’s®; in fact, even very small children recognize the golden arches. There are many other well-known logos such as the Nike Swoosh and the Coca Cola script.

What You Will Need: • computer with Publisher, Pages, iStudio, or other desktop publishing software

What to Do: 1. If you are unfamiliar with the desktop publishing software you will be using, take a few minutes to work through tutorials. Tutorials can be found on the software’s website. 2. Today you will design a logo for your school or for a business or a team. Decide whether you want to design a logo for your school or for a company or a team. Sketch some ideas on paper. 3. Thinking about the design principles you just read about, choose your favorite logo design. Think about the font or fonts you might use. Decide what artwork to use. 4. Create your logo. Use any features of the software you need to use. Save and/or print it for your teacher.

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Desktop Publishing

• paper, pencil, and other art supplies to create a design for a logo

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Activity 3 Create a calendar What You Will Do: You will create a calendar customizing Publisher’s template design or creating your own calendar from scratch.

What You Will Need: • computer with Publisher, Pages, iStudio, or other desktop publishing software

What to Do:

2. Open Publisher and scan through the calendars template designs. As you do, think about the kind of calendar you want to create. Do you want to use it to keep track of homework assignments and school events? Do you want to list family birthdays and celebrations? After you decide what you want to do with your calendar, choose a calendar to create. Remember you will be customizing the look of your calendar 3. Thinking about the design principles you just read about, choose your favorite calendar design. Think about the font or fonts you might use. Decide what artwork to use. 4. Complete your calendar by experimenting with the calendar elements and by replacing text and graphics to make the calendar your own. Fill in any information, such as homework or events. Use any features of the software you need to use. Save and/or print it for your teacher.

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1. If you are unfamiliar with the desktop publishing software you will be using, take a few minutes to work through tutorials. Tutorials can be found on the software’s website.

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Activity 4 Create promotional materials What You Will Do:

What You Will Need: • computer with Publisher, Pages, iStudio, or other desktop publishing software • paper, pencil, and other art supplies, if needed, for designing

What to Do: 1. If you are unfamiliar with the desktop publishing software you will be using, take a few minutes to work through tutorials. Tutorials can be found on the software’s website. 2. Decide on an event or business and think about the types of publications you could create. Open Publisher and scan through the different template designs for the items you want to create. Decide specifically what you will create. 3. Thinking about the design principles you just read about, choose your favorite design. Think about the font or fonts you might use. Decide what artwork or photos to use. 4, Decide what you want to create. You can use the templates or make your own products. Remember, as you look at the publications, that your all your publications should have common design themes and/ or color schemes. 5. Complete your publications either by experimenting with the template elements and by replacing text and graphics to make the publications your own or by creating your own designs. Use any features of the software you need to use. Save and/or print it for your teacher. Multimedia-Desktop Publishing CIMC — Copyright © 2010

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You will create materials such as flyers, tickets, signs, and announcements for a school or business event. Before you begin, decide what event or thing you want to promote. It can be an actual event or one you make up. Possible events are a school carnival, dance, homecoming, or a big game. You can also use a business, either real or imaginary. The thing to remember is that you must create three or four items for the event you chose. For example, if you choose a school dance, you could create tickets, signs, flyers, and banners. The choice is up to you.

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Activity 5 Create a website What You Will Do: You will create a web site for your school, a business, or a team. You will be customizing one of the web templates or creating your own.

What You Will Need: • computer with Publisher, Pages, iStudio, or other desktop publishing software • paper, pencil, and other art supplies, if needed, for designing

1. If you are unfamiliar with the desktop publishing software you will be using, take a few minutes to work through tutorials. Tutorials can be found on the software’s website. 2. Decide on the theme for your web site. Open Publisher and scan through the different template designs for websites. Decide specifically what you will create. 3. Thinking about the design principles you just read about, choose your favorite design. Think about the font or fonts you might use. Decide what artwork or photos to use. 4, Decide what you want to create. You can use the templates or make your own products. Remember, as you look at the publications, that your all your publications should have common design themes and/ or color schemes. 5. Complete your publications either by experimenting with the template elements and by replacing text and graphics to make the publications your own or by creating your own designs. Use any features of the software you need to use. Save and/or print it for your teacher.

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Desktop Publishing

What to Do:

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Activity 6 Create an original project What You Will Do: You will choose a project to create using your own design and graphics.

What You Will Need: • computer with Publisher, Pages, iStudio, or other desktop publishing software • paper, pencil, and other art supplies, if needed, for designing

1. If you are unfamiliar with the desktop publishing software you will be using, take a few minutes to work through tutorials. Tutorials can be found on the software’s website. 2. Decide on a project you would like to create. Use the experiences you have had working on the activities in this TLA. If you don’t have an idea, ask your teacher for help. 3. Thinking about the design principles you just read about, choose your favorite logo design. Think about the font or fonts you might use. Decide what artwork or photos to use. 4, Remember, as you look at your project, that it should have common design themes and/or color schemes. 5. Complete your project. Use any features of the software you need to use. Save and/or print it for your teacher.

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What to Do:

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Review/Quiz Desktop Publishing Instructions: Answer the questions by filling in the circle beside the best possible answer. The first step in the planning process is ❍ a. identify audience ❍ b. identify purpose ❍ c. experiment with design ideas ❍ d. practice layout techniques

2.

True or false? Creating business publications is still a costly, time-consuming process. ❍ a. true ❍ b. false

3.

True or false? “Simple is almost always better than complex” is an important thing to remember when planning. ❍ a. true ❍ b. false

4.

Which of the following is not one of the four design principles. ❍ a. appropriateness ❍ b. balance ❍ c. variability ❍ d. focus and flow

5.

How many dominant elements should be on a page? ❍ a. one ❍ b. two ❍ c. three ❍ d. however many you want

6.

True or false? The less white apace you can plan on a page is better. ❍ a. true ❍ b. false

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1.

Desktop Publishing

7.

What is the “glue” of the design? ❍ a. z-pattern ❍ b. flow ❍ c. consistency ❍ d. balance

8.

Which of the following is a sans serif font? ❍ a. is this sans serif? ❍ b. is this sans serif? ❍ c. is this sans serif? ❍ d. is this sans serif?

9.

Which of the following is a common text type size? ❍ a. 2 point ❍ b. 56 point ❍ c. 12 point ❍ d. 24 point

10. True or false? Balance doesn’t have to be symmetrical. ❍ a. true ❍ b. false

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