DIY Graphic Design

In this economy it is understandable that business owners try and save money by creating some of their own marketing materials. While I am a firm believer in hiring a professional to create polished materials to represent your business, sometimes there is a need for something small, like a one-time event flyer, that makes more sense to do yourself.

The most common design flaw I see is the use of a font that is so overused I nearly fall asleep the second I look at it. So the best tip I can give you: Choose a different font! Stay away from Times New Roman, Comic Sans and Papyrus! Computers come loaded with lots of fonts. Not all of them are great, but look through them to find something that can work for your piece. Also, create some interest by using different variations of the font you’ve chosen. Example:

Now this example isn’t going to win any design awards, but you can see how just a few simple variations of text weight and size creates more visual interest and makes the message easier to read. So toss Times New Roman and check out the other fonts you’ve got!

Naomi Catalina
Designer at Large