Whether your task is to design a sales brochure, a display ad, or a newsletter, the purpose is the same: to communicate a message to an audience and to produce a desired response. Put simply, you want to say something to someone so that the person takes a specific action. What this means is that the design you develop is not just about appearance – it is also about the performance of the target audience. Thus good design is measured equally by form and function.
In The Desktop Publisher’s Idea Book, Chuck Green describes five steps that form the basis of good design:
• Set the goal
• Compose the message
• Choose the medium
• Select a design
• Illustrate the message