“Did you use a graphic designer?” 

…is what your colleagues may say if you follow some of these DIY design rules. If not, you’ll at least get a “this looks great.”

I believe graphic design is a process built on years of work and refinement. Stuff you can’t fit into a single post.

But if your goal is for your document to be easier to navigate, easier to read, and easier on the eye then you don’t always need to summon a local graphic designer to make it happen.

Here are five of my DIY design tips for when you have to go it alone… 

1. Headings should be double the size of body copy.

Three times the size if you feel bold. This use of proportion sets a clear journey for the reader’s eye, and creates a balance of scale with the core content.

An example would be that if your body copy is 12pt, your headings should be 24pt or 36pt. On the subject of 12pt…

2. Body copy should never be smaller than 12pt for print.

Great graphic design choices are accessible ones that consider the full audience. The RNIB Clear Print Guidance is full of useful details but if you want some quick read / quick wins, they have their own DIY design guidance: Top Tips Guide For Accessible Printed Information and Communication.

3. No more than two typefaces: one for headlines, and one for body copy.

If I had to recommend any I’d recommend a serif (Georgia, Times New Roman, Baskerville) for your core text / what you have the most of as they are easy to read and available on most computers and web browsers for digital docs. For headlines something like Arial would offer nice contrast.

4. DIY design is about consistency

Once you have your font and sizes hold yourself to them.

Whether conscious or subconscious, readers pick up on patterns and rules quickly. A key part of a graphic designer’s role is to establish and remain consistent to the rule you create.

If there is an unexpected passage in a different font or size it jars. Is it a new rule? Does it mean something different? Is it more or less important? Have they missed something?

It pulls the reader out of the flow which makes it less easy to read. It also looks sloppy.

5. Use bold, italic, and underline text with purpose.

If everything is in bold weight for emphasis, nothing is emphasised. The reader may miss it.

Use them to make the reader’s job easier, so they engage with and remember your content. At it’s heart that is what most graphic designers strive for.

Use the above DIY design tips wisely to create documents with visual appeal that invite readers in, and shape content that is easier to engage with and retain. All without a graphic designer.

But when you do need a graphic designer drop DC Design Works a line.