- Clients rarely turn over content for a publication
in a nice neat package.
I usually receive a file of different text documents,
a hard drive of images and data in raw form.
Putting this all back together again
in a cohesive way is challenging at best,
but that's the fun part of the job.
My first step is to edit.
Go through all the documents and
begin to prioritize all the information.
Often there will be multiple duplication's of information.
For example, one article may tell the story of
research and development on a project.
Another may be the way team members
found information on that same project.
These basically tell the same story.
Combine them or delete one.
I do the same with any raw data.
What can be edited to make the document
more dynamic and not repetitive,
is a list people duplicated with the information
that can be combined into one list.
Now that I've edited the information,
I can begin to design the grid.
Clearly, I'll need a structure that allows for flexibility,
but at the same time I need to be rigorous
about the rules with real estate and typography.
The reader needs as much help as possible
to navigate the complex content.
So apply guidelines such as all images sit below a hang-line
and all captions run above.
Begin with one typeface in different sizes
rather than several that can be confusing.
Use the page dynamically.
You may need to divide the spread
into clearly different types of information.
A sidebar is a good technique to do this.
Think of this as another voice,
stepping in to tell a different story
separate from the rest of the page.
Raw data is dull, so I like to use the opportunity
to incorporate charts and diagrams.
I use multiple ways of delineating the information,
bar charts, pie charts and diagrams, whatever.
They will appear cohesive
as long as they are sized to stay within the grid structure
and relate with color and typography.
Complex content requires not just a more complex grid,
it also needs to walk the fine line
between dull rigid sameness
and incomprehensible dense information.
Working with a grid and maintaining real estate
and typographic standards will allow for
more visual diversity.
That's more fun for you and better for the reader.