From the course: Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

Transform a product sheet: Put your words here, not there

From the course: Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

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Transform a product sheet: Put your words here, not there

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- Hi everybody, John McWade, senior author here at lynda.com. What we're looking at today is a product sheet that's definitely a before. Its purpose is to identify the connection points in the back panel of this audio product. The good news is that the data is all here and correct. There's a numbered list, corresponding numbers on the product, and the company information at the bottom. The bad news, besides being unattractive, is that it has a functional problem. You have to read the numbered list, then refer to the corresponding number on the product to see what it's referencing, or go the other way, you read a number on the product, then run to the list to see what it is. So it's back and forth you go, 1, check it out, 2, check it out, 3, check it out, and so on. That's a lot of unnecessary hassle. Here's a better way to do it, erase the page, then place the product in the middle of the page as big as you can make it. I'm gonna pause here and point out that I've added a reflection. This isn't necessary, but I did it to make less utility, you know, to give the product some gloss, make it more lifelike, like it's in my home. More touchable, more pleasing to deal with. Then instead of numbers, or even a list, just put the labels in orbit around the product with lines that go straight to their reference points. Then put the contact info in a single line across the bottom. And what a difference. But that's all it takes to transform both the look and function of this thing. It's simple, it's clear, and it's attractive. The new typeface is Myriad Pro, the heads are semi-bold and the captions are light for contrast. You can see it here compared to Times. Myriad is a sans-serif and it's extremely simple. It's very clean, very open, very easy to read, totally suited for this, for labels, for details, for small type, for virtually anything on the web. Black against white can be pretty stark, so I've softened it with grey. The semi-bold is 85%, the light is 55%. The difference gives it more contrast, which is even clearer, and it adds some dimension. On white the lighter things get, the more they recede. So that's it. You can apply this to all kinds of product presentations. Key thing is before designing, before making this, think about how the reader is gonna interact with it and ask yourself, "Can I make it clearer? "Can I make it simpler?" In this case it required getting away from that number thinking. Discard those lists and put the labels right on the product. And that's your design for today. See you next time.

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