Message First, Aesthetics Second
A lot of people think “Oh just make it pretty” and you have a good goddamn stew. But have you tasted it? I’m all for food styling (I do it quite often) but it won’t make up for it tasting like cardboard. As professional designers, our job is to be visual communicators, to communicate effectively a message, a concept and/or a brand personality.

White Space (Less is More)
“Hey there is more space here. Let’s fill it up with more copy.” Have you ever tasted a stew with a million and one ingredients in it? Didja notice the hint of butternut squash? No? That’s what happens with more copy, image, (enter item here). There is a reason we have white space (which is not always white). The power of the message gets diluted the more you try to jam in. It is much more important to distill your message in bite-size portions where the viewer would be interested in wanting more. (Room for dessert?)

The Question of Bigness
“Make it bigger!” What happens if you add too much basil to a Rosemary Chicken Stew? Well it’s not a Rosemary Chicken Stew anymore. As designers, we look at our canvas (poster, website, ad, etc.) and must understand the balance of all elements needed for the project. We create a hierarchy of messages to deliver (guiding the viewer to what to read and react to first, second, third, etc.). We can make it bigger but also must consider that making it bigger may overpower the delicate flavor of the message.

Know your Audience
Now you might say that anyone can make stew, throw a bunch of carrots, potatoes and beef in and voila! But what if you are allergic to carrots? Or a vegetarian? A good designer should know. There is a lot of debate in the design world over what constitutes good design and what it all comes down to is a matter of taste. Would you serve sushi to a person who upchucks at the sight of raw fish? Probably not. So knowing your audience is one of the most important ingredients to your dish.

Make it Standout
What makes Alan’s Famous Stew different from any old and tired stew? What’s the secret sauce? Well, it’s a secret. You must be crazy to think I’d divulge that information! But it’s a question that designers tackle: How to make this work standout from the competition? How can we make the target audience engaged? There are a million things begging for your attention, so creating something unique and appropriate is something designers aspire to do.

That’s it for now. Now go get a bite to eat already!

Alan is a design chef at The M-Line, cooks a mean stew (and curry) and has a good healthy appetite.