What are the essential books on the topic of the objective qualities of effective graphic design? [more inside]
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism on Nov 22, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm looking for a way to snazz up my documents (and in particular my thesis) so it looks a lot less like the canned default Word/Pages themes. Any suggestions on some nice looking (free to cheap) fonts and document layouts I can use anywhere from short report and research proposals to my full-blown thesis? [more inside]
posted by doctor.dan on Sep 13, 2009 - 10 answers

Are there any good blogs or books specifically about the design of rowhouses or other long, narrow spaces? [more inside]
posted by electroboy on Jul 16, 2009 - 7 answers

What are some examples of "classic" webiste design? [more inside]
posted by SouthCNorthNY on Jun 1, 2009 - 14 answers

Accidental Graphic Designer: I have to make a photo-collage calendar for work. By tomorrow. I have hundreds of pictures, decent Photoshop skills, and the ambition to make something beautiful. But, Oh God, no clue. Hope me? [more inside]
posted by Methylviolet on Jan 28, 2009 - 12 answers

Where do you go for page layout (for print materials) inspiration? Websites, books, anything? Extra difficulty - education material for children P-12 written by professionals.
posted by b33j on Jan 15, 2009 - 3 answers

[Interior decorator filter] Help us arrange/decorate an 11-x-16 living area cum office cum tv room for minimal dollars and maximum effect. [ghetto blueprint and list of requirements included] [more inside]
posted by mr. remy on Dec 19, 2008 - 6 answers

Other than Quark's own CopyDesk, what "story editors" exist out there that dovetail nicely with XPress 7? [more inside]
posted by Wild_Eep on May 28, 2008 - 2 answers

How can I put together an amazing portfolio for potential employers, as an advertising student? (I have the content, but need to decide what to put in the portfolio...and more importantly decide what to house my portfolio in!) [more inside]
posted by whiskey point on Mar 11, 2008 - 7 answers

Can you recommend some beautiful / well designed non-fiction books? Topic is (mostly) irrelevant. [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Dec 31, 2007 - 32 answers

Help a design-impaired mind finish his dream project. [more inside]
posted by howiamdifferent on Nov 19, 2007 - 9 answers

Design filter. Help me layout a circular dial. Both InDesign and Illustrator are making this very tricky. Is there a plugin or other program that can help? HELP! [more inside]
posted by spakto on Nov 19, 2007 - 4 answers

How can I extract the font and color information from an *Illustrator* file's paragraph styles and character styles? An ordered plain-text list would be great, coded CSS based on style names even greater. [more inside]
posted by pinto on Aug 29, 2007 - 1 answer

A member of my community has recently died from cancer. I offered to design an invitation for his wake and could use some guidance. [more inside]
posted by a_green_man on Jul 17, 2007 - 5 answers

Given that I'm somewhat proficient in website coding (php, CSS, xhtml and so on) how can I constructively educate myself on actual design? What resources exist that will make me a better designer? [more inside]
posted by geodave on Apr 19, 2007 - 17 answers

I'm in college. I'd like to be trained to do editing and layout for a living. How do I proceed? Do you know anything about Simon Fraser's Editing program? [more inside]
posted by ITheCosmos on Mar 10, 2007 - 10 answers

I use tables in Indesign for lots of layout control purposes - they are fantastic for building very complex grids and forms. I often use them to build graphs as well, even simple bar graphs, but am having a big problem now. [more inside]
posted by luriete on Feb 6, 2007 - 9 answers

Where can I find a good print-design professional on the web- who'll do a small job? [more inside]
posted by carterk on Aug 6, 2006 - 9 answers

CSS, 3-column layout, max-width on the centre column, side columns "sticking" to the centre column. Possible? [more inside]
posted by Leon on Jun 17, 2006 - 8 answers

In regards to design and press printing. Towards the bottom of this Paper Specs article it touches on an overprint varnishing technique called "dot-on-dot varnishing." Is anyone familiar with this technique and care to elaborate on how it is accomplished and the effect it has on the final piece? [more inside]
posted by monsta coty scott on May 29, 2006 - 4 answers

What website layouts work best for a site selling some books and/or software? Ideas? Examples? What about NOT-recommended ideas and examples? [more inside]
posted by zek on May 15, 2006 - 5 answers

Getting a zine printed. Have you any experience with this? [more inside]
posted by airguitar on Mar 7, 2006 - 15 answers

Is there an affordable/free design application for OS X that will save in one of the following file formats?: .indd, .qxd, .ai, .eps, .psd [more inside]
posted by al_fresco on Feb 26, 2006 - 8 answers

Recommendations for online Quark-based book layout and/or design resources? A free template for Standard Paperback format would be supremely appreciated.
posted by davebush on Nov 18, 2005 - 3 answers

I've been asked to lay out a book for a small publisher. Aesthetically, I have a good idea of where I need to go with this. But this is my first foray into book design. What sort of application should I be using? I'd like to learn a bit about LaTex (I'm on a Mac running 10.4.1), as this seems like the most cost effective and professional route. Ultimately, I need to deliver the document in PDF format. Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated!
posted by aladfar on Jul 1, 2005 - 17 answers

Page layout: not indenting first paragraph nor paragraphs after subheadings... who made this rule? [more inside]
posted by CaptApollo on May 18, 2005 - 9 answers

Need help designing a sports collage [more inside]
posted by askmatrix on May 18, 2005 - 2 answers

Can anybody recommend some magazines with good page design? [more inside]
posted by Hildago on Mar 20, 2005 - 19 answers

Amateur artist needs help setting a price... I'm a Canadian college kid and an amateur artist. I got an email a few days ago from a musician in England asking me to design a CD cover for his band, based on him having seen a picture online of the only commissioned artwork I've ever done (a small painting that I sold for $125 American).
He's asked me to set my price, and I've got no idea. I'm not a professional by any means, and I'm just a kid, and pretty broke anyway, so I'd be happy with relatively little, but I don't want him to think he's getting some kind of bargain-basement deal. What should I take into account here, and how should I go about negotiating a price with him? Is there anything else I should know about this kind of transaction?
Thanks in advance.
posted by anonymous on Feb 13, 2005 - 16 answers

I have been hired to layout a newsletter for print and for publication online. There is an editor who compiles the articles, edits for length, and etc. In this situation, who should be responsible for the copy editor duties? I find that it is a pain to finish the layout and then hear back from the editor that there are several spelling, punctuation, and line break mistakes that need to be corrected (which is generally hard to do in DTP software). Is it unreasonable of me to expect that the copy-editing should be done by the editor and not the layout person?
posted by achmorrison on Jan 21, 2005 - 18 answers

Now that I'm a Print Designer for the next few days, what sites should I go to for inspiration when I get stuck? As a web designer I would go to K10K or Design is Kinky, or check out the newest sites at MoLuv. I am looking for things like online mags in PDF or Flash, people's print portfolios, or just anything else that is similar to print in terms of layout or design.
posted by banished on Nov 24, 2004 - 8 answers

I have been assigned as Project Manager for a project to design our company website. In order to understand how it will be navigated and ensure that all the project stakeholders understand its high-level structure, we will need to create a sitemap / site outline. Can anyone recommend any software or methodology ( sticky-notes on a wall? ) for doing this? I have tried using Visio, and it just seems too cumbersome.
posted by jasondigitized on Jul 23, 2004 - 11 answers

What are the essential reference works for someone interested in typography, especially the aspects dealing with layout? I have and adore "The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst, an amazingly useful, well designed book. I also am fond of "The Non-Designers Design Book," by Robin Williams but I'm looking for things like the Bringhurst rather than the more general advice in Williams's books.
posted by Grod on Jun 12, 2004 - 8 answers

Design sites: Does anyone have any good links to sites with design ideas and tips at a medium-to-advanced level? I'm talking dead-tree here, no CSS thanks. There are plenty of sites about fonts and online design, but I want to do cool things with a nice piece of A4. [more inside]
posted by bonaldi on Mar 10, 2004 - 4 answers