One thing that I see when amateurs do their color brochure printing is that they overdo some of the special effects that Adobe Photoshop or other software applications offer. I know it is great to try out these new desktop publishing applications.
However, sometimes it does go a little overboard that it makes the color brochures look a bit cheesy or amateurish. Therefore, as a warning for would be designers, I have here five Photoshop or application tricks that you should not overdo. Keep this in mind, and you will have better outputs in the future.
1. Shadows – The use of shadows is really a good move in most cases. Shadows lift up certain text and images to make them pop-out more. However, the problem with some people is that they use shadows too much. They put shadows on all titles, headings, subheadings and even the body text. When this happens, the whole color brochure becomes littered with “floating” text and design elements, which will look bad and amateurish.
It is best to use shadow effects only for a few elements in a design. The title and some images are where most of your shadow effects should be. Do not overdo it by using it on almost everything you see.
2. Color strokes – When using color strokes, you should also be careful on where and how you use it. Color strokes are great for text and shapely images since they provide a kind of border or background to these design elements. In the proper places, color strokes can be effective. Especially for logo designs and special images for emphasis, color strokes add that well-rounded element that ties a design element together.
The problem with other people using this feature though, is that it gets used around in some areas too much. Using this feature on all images and titles makes for a messy layout. You are putting in splotches of color strokes everywhere if you overdo this. That is why it is best to reign in this effect in and only use it in one design element per panel.
3. Glow effects – Many people also like the use of glow effects. These are specialized color strokes that make design elements look like they have a bright glow around their edges. Now, while using glow effects can be great for many design elements in brochures such as titles and images, many amateurs typically overuse this effect to the detriment of the color brochure design. They use it on titles, headings, text boxes, images and sometimes even on dividers. Having too much glow effects in one brochure printing can lead to a very bright and messy layout. So make sure you only use this effect in only one element.
4. Image cleaning – Another overdone Photoshop trick is the cleaning up of images. While it is good to retouch and enhance the look of your images, too much cleaning up may actually hamper the look of the image, making to look constructed and cartoony. This is especially true if you try to clean up people faces too much. That is why you should be subtle and refrain from cleaning up your images too much.
5. Texture filters and effects – Finally, texture filters and other filter effects should be used in a careful way when it comes to formatting. Filters are great to use in one design element, but using them too much in images, at the background and even in text makes for a messy design. It is only appropriate to use these filters sparingly and only when you need to add some detail to a simple design. It must not be the main aspect of design since this will only make the layout messy.
So be careful of your decisions in adding special effects for your brochure printing. Reign in some of that creativity and be subtle with your additional designs. You do not have to go all out with the effects.
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