In the world of design there are the sexy projects—and the frumpy ones. Or at least that's what some say. There are the Nike print ads, and then there are Word Doc templates. But, I think all projects deserve design love. One of the things I like doing as a designer is getting a simple document (preferably one that's just a wall of text) that has no clear design direction and finding the best way to organize information and present it in a clean, and sometimes fun, way. It's the nerdy part of designery. You need your Word Doc research table branded, or a more engaging one-sheet? I'm your gal! You've got some boring charts and graphs to share, let me at 'em.
Left: Original flyer design that was posted in patient services checkout areas and presented in plexiglass stands. This design is fully branded with colors and approved icons, but lacks personality and warmth. The information could also use some help with hierarchy. Right: This is my redesign. I chose one branded color and created a monochromatic design. The concept tells more of a story and brings the viewer into an Oregon-inspired scene. The heart icon is reimagined. Gifts from the heart spring from an envelope. Giving info is provided on a stamp. The hand is in grayscale, and is gender neutral because my designs need to be representational of Planned Parenthood's goals for equity and inclusion.
Left: This was the MS Word table I was provided with and asked to brand and make more accessible. The end product was an internal cheat sheet for staff. Right: This is the cheat sheet branded (with logo and color) and turned into a clean and easily readable flow chart. It's important in design to know when artsy is needed, and when functionality rules. This was a case of the latter, so that's what I delivered.
Organizing information takes many forms depending on the content and audience. Even the driest material can be turned into something enjoyable to experience, or at least pleasant to look at. The most important tools for this design process are understanding the content and developing a hierarchy with design elements, size and placement of headers and body text; using color as a branding tool; and utilizing image for storytelling when the opportunity presents itself.