When designing for multilingual content there are a number of factors that will affect your composition and typographic choices. Knowing these ahead of time allows for a smooth transition of content from one language to another. Whether it is print or web, it is best to know exactly which languages you will be working with, and how the viewer will encounter these language options before you begin with the layout. We will go into web-specific issues later, but first, here are a few key universal points to keep in mind when determining the layout and typography for your composition. (more…)

By Eric Benson

Part III: Sustainable printing and the graphic designer

“The single most important problem is our misguided focus on identifying the single most important problem.” – Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography at UCLA. (From the book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.” Penguin Books. 2005.)

It is fairly simple to call a few printers in your local area and find one that gives you the best price on paper and printing and also meets your busy schedule. It’s a job well done as soon as you drop off your CD packed full of files at your chosen printer and take a breather before starting your next big design job. But what if price and deadlines weren’t the only variables that led a designer to choose a printer? What if we paid more attention to the printer’s business practices? Could this improve our overall quality of life? In general, when we design something the idea is to make things better. Whether we are improving the economy (through advertising and sales) or making things easier and simpler to accomplish (via products or better designed instructions/communications), the design intention is to create a catalyst in our society for positive economic growth or social change. (more…)