Good Design is Crap.

You read that right. Before I put my dollar in the swear jar, let me clarify exactly what I mean by "crap".

One of my favorite college professors taught me "good design is crap" in one of my first editorial design classes. "Crap", in this context, is actually an acronym for contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

1. The idea behind contrast is to avoid elements on the page that are too similar. If the elements are not the same, then I try to make them very different. Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on a page and is what attracts the eye in the first glance.

2. Utilize repetition with visual elements of the design. Now, you may be thinking: "Keira, you just told me not to have too much of the same thing. Doesn't that contradict the contrast principle?" Listen. You can repeat colors, shapes, textures, spatial relations, kerning, leading, tracking, fonts, sizes, scales, and concepts without exhausting the elements. This strengthens organization and unity.

3. Alignment is critical. Nothing should be placed arbitrarily. Ever. Elements should have visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean look. Grid views and guides in Illustrator and InDesign help make alignment a no brainer in the creative process.

4. Proximate items relating to each other should be grouped. When several items are in proximity, they become one visual unit rather than separate. This is especially important when organizing information, reducing visual clutter, and building a clear structure.

And there you have it. Cheeky as it may be, I utilize this regularly in my own design process and these principles are the first four things that I look for in designs as a consumer. Do you have an acronym or similar tool that you use in your creative process? Drop it in the comments, I'd love to hear about it. I'm glad I have the crap list and continue to use it every day as I aim to be the best media designer I can be.