Design: type, layout and meaning

Ages 13 to 17 Read alone · about 55 minutes

Read together

Design is solving a communication problem visually. A poster must catch attention, give the key information and be easy to read. Designers use hierarchy (the most important thing largest), contrast, alignment and white space.

Typography matters. A typeface sets a tone: a serif face can feel traditional, a rounded sans serif friendly. Choose at most two typefaces. Check contrast: for ordinary text, accessibility guidelines ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 between text and background.

Good design includes everyone. Do not rely on colour alone to carry meaning, because some people cannot tell certain colours apart. Add words, shapes or patterns.

Do it

1. Choose a real event, such as a church or neighbourhood gathering. List the key information: what, when, where and how to join.
2. Sketch three poster layouts on paper. Decide which element is most important and make it largest.
3. Make one design with software or on paper. Use two typefaces at most and check contrast between text and background. Is it readable from a distance?
4. Test it: show it to three people for three seconds. What did they remember? Revise.

Talk about it

• What do you want people to notice first?
• How have you made your design accessible?

For the grown-up

Design skills help with school, work and community life. The contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 comes from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Some people, including many men, are colour-blind, and good design does not depend on colour alone. Arrenite's own pages follow these ideas.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Ellen Lupton, Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students, 2nd ed. (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010)
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, success criteria on contrast and on use of colour

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.