Technology for writers: Visual design � the basics
Visual design for writers THE BASICS
Widen your portfolio or improve your self-publishing with design basics from Chris Glithero
As a writer, you’re used to tapping into your creativity to express ideas on the page for all to see, and as you do so, you are following a variety of accepted rules and principles to create something that your audience will find attractive. Those same skills can be applied in order to create compelling visual designs, and there are a number of reasons why adding design skills to your quiver might be highly beneficial.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at the basic principles of visual design, and some of the tools that you can use to create your designs, but first we should examine some of the situations in which design skills may benefit writers.
Why design?
You can of course get by fine as a writer without ever lifting a finger to design anything – you will just need to pay others to do it for you. But the benefits of doing your own design go beyond that – you will retain full creative control of your output and present things exactly as you see fit, without the need for a middle man. It can also be highly satisfying, and quite a lot of fun. Here are a few examples where you might like to flex your design skills.
Book covers
Many people do, of course, judge a book by its cover, and if you’re self-publishing your book in print or as an ebook, this is something you’ll need to take care of yourself.
Websites
Whether you’re promoting your book via your website, using it to offer your writing services or using it as a vehicle to express your thoughts or research, good design can make it stand out.