Consistency

Unless you’re designing a video game, consistency matters. Not to make things dull, but to keep attention focused on the good stuff. It’s like driving; because every stop sign looks alike, you can get where you’re going and carry on a good conversation while you get there. If, instead, stop signs all looked different — like, whatever; you know, creative — you’d spend the whole drive worried about whether you should stop, or where, or when, or how, trying to figure things out. You’d lose your good conversation and your peace, and it would be scary besides. That’s what consistency in design is about. Get the routine, navigational stuff consistent so your audience can settle in, then you can have fun with the real stuff. Let’s talk.

I *heart* Before & After

Because I know today’s Design Talk title is a recurring topic, always illustrated with a examples, I did a search for “consistent” on the Master Collection DVD’s search file. Forty seven documents on the DVD contain the word consistent.

One of the strengths of Before & After’s articles is that terms like consistent are not mentioned just in passing, they’re illustrated with examples and ideas you can apply to your own projects. So, while each quote below is interesting, remember that each one has a picture (or two) to go with it.

Issue 2, page 10 “Here’s how to set it up, fold it and lay it out for a consistent look from page to page.”

Issue 3, page 13 “Key to the makeover is the consistent use of VAG Rounded Black as an accent face.”

Issue 13, page 4 “Photos, quotes and text snap to vertical grid for handsome, consistent pages.”

Issue 26, page 7 “. . . We’ve illustrated here the most common three ways: 1) consistent typography, that is, one or two type families used again and again; 2) consistent color; and 3) recurring graphics . . . ”

Issue 37, page 22 “Consistent relationships of color, size and position lead the eye from lily to type.”

0683 Design a zig-zag brochure “Consistency is key . . . Change any factor and you’ll begin losing visual coherence.”

0604 Simple uniform, repetitive “Consistent application in real life is the key; just treat your logo the same every time — same placement, same color, same importance — and you viewers will get to know it.”

0607 How to design a second page “Be consistent and simple; not below the clean straight lines of sight”

0610 How to design small calendars “The key to a successful campaign is a consistence look — same sizes, styles and layout month after month.”

0630 Design a multi-purpose flier “This saves time, and if you have a series of fliers, you project a consistent look while not ‘reinventing the wheel’ on every page.”

0656 Design talk 11 “Be consistent: With this much going on, it’s important to limit the variables.”

0661 Design a catalog of rectangles “Consistent typography, irregular ‘interrupters’ and gray space fillers keep the spread lively and the design flexible.”

0672 Fun with words and pictures “Put words on one side, images on the other, which keeps the look constant no matter what’s on the page.”

0682 Design a card the easy way “The upper left corner makes a clear, designed statement — especially if it’s consistent on all pieces.”