43
votes
Accepted
Why should lines be avoided in tables?
Edward Tufte is the one that coined the term chart junk to refer to extraneous visual elements that tend to clutter, rather than clarify the data being presented.
This can refer to all sorts of ...
- 49.8k
35
votes
What makes this POS design look dated?
Other answers focus on how to improve the design, but since you asked why the design looks dated:
Font too small. The very left looks less dated than the rest, why's that? On the left, the font size ...
- 451
19
votes
What makes this POS design look dated?
Considering this is a POS system, I'd say the functionality is there. The buttons are big, relatively easy to read, and they are organised in groups, which would facilitate me finding what I'm looking ...
- 26.1k
15
votes
What makes this POS design look dated?
At first glance, I can't quickly tell what is what (and I have experience with restaurant POS systems). To me, the items in grey at the right of the UI don't seem to belong together. The yellow items ...
- 39.9k
14
votes
Layperson friendly software or filetype for editable/formatted form?
Tell your client "no". This is why you are hired.
Would you ask a chef for his/her recipes so you can "make this on your own"?
Would you ask an architect to make plans you can &...
- 197k
13
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between layout and design?
They are really closely related.
Layout is defined as the arrangement of predetermined items on a page. Basically, you're given the pieces and they are arranged.
Design is defined as the art or skill ...
- 197k
13
votes
How can I place the product on a social media post better?
I, personally, won't never rely on the lower left corner of an advertisement to convey anything. It's a dead zone, easily forgotten or overlooked by the viewer.
I, perhaps mistakenly, get the feeling ...
- 197k
12
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of always locating/starting new chapters on odd pages?
It's recommended to start new chapters on the recto page of a manuscript, as it establishes a predictable flow for the reader to follow. The resulting occasional blank pages are actually a part of ...
- 1,068
12
votes
Why should lines be avoided in tables?
I think you may reconsider the issue of your question by focusing on the table purpose instead of any general guideline.
For instance, if the readers need to compare the content of different rows, it ...
- 259
12
votes
Intentionally Left Blank Pages In InDesign
In many legal documents, I've been required to place a text box on the page that reads "THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK", so the reader doesn't think there's something missing. In your case, where ...
- 1,880
11
votes
What makes this POS design look dated?
Design aside, is it functional, and do the people operating it understand how to use it? There is an element of don't fix what is not broken if that is the case.
Yes, it looks dated, but many till ...
- 1,031
10
votes
Accepted
Usage of blank space in trade banner and text-positioning
This is merely my opinion... take it all with a grain of salt.
Realize that I know nothing about your company, it's audience, the target market, the nature of the trade show. What you sell, what you ...
- 197k
9
votes
Why should lines be avoided in tables?
I don't believe you or your coworker are right. The more important issue is readability. Spacing on its own can effectively do this, lines / shading can often help to use less space.
Here we have a ...
- 22.9k
9
votes
What makes this POS design look dated?
I'm not a design professional either, but since I have to consider this kind of thing when building mobile apps....
Ditch the old-school win32 3d effect. It's literally out-of-touch in an era where ...
- 191
8
votes
InDesign: Adding space before the first paragraph
Enable the Paragraph Rule: Above for your style. Set its weight to 0 and (you never know) its color to [None]. Check "Keep in Frame"; then, use "Offset" to move the paragraph down.
Apart from using ...
- 4,168
8
votes
Accepted
How do I progress my design aesthetic beyond the linear minimalist style i use for everything?
Some thoughts first.
There is a chance the feeling of stealing could be because you try to explore a finished product too deeply and not the general idea, the initial feeling.
1) Do not look for ...
- 33.3k
8
votes
Layperson friendly software or filetype for editable/formatted form?
To answer objectively, you can attempt this with Google Slides, Figma or Canva, which are sort of cloud-based, Powerpoint-similar apps.
The client would still need to sign up and get used to the ...
- 27.4k
7
votes
Is it possible to learn `Adobe-Indesign CC` quickly?
Basically, what you're asking is:
Is it possible to quickly learn this job you guys've been doing your
entire working life?
Short, but blunt: just knowlegde of a certain piece of software is ...
- 24.3k
7
votes
Why use Photoshop for Web Design
This has been asked several times and I will still say the same thing each time. The best place to develop websites is in the browser which is the environment it will live in. Photoshop and ...
- 18.2k
7
votes
Accepted
How can I attractively crop a photo that contains only part of a person (model)?
I would...
Extend the table the width of the ad (easy to do in this instance, just copy a section, paste, then transform it to stretch the width. Not a lot of clean up is needed).... crop closer to ...
- 197k
7
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between figures illustration and images?
Typically, figures are directly referenced in the text or are visual implementation of what is being explained in the text. i.e. "See figure x". Figures are used to better explain through visuals or ...
- 197k
6
votes
Master pages with elements that are locked!
To me it sounds like the master page objects are in a layer that is locked.
There are couple ways to figure out layer it might be.
If you only have a few locked layers:
Toggle visibility of your ...
- 15.2k
6
votes
What is the graphic design term for this element on a layout?
I've not come across a standard term for these. They've been variously referred to as "splash," "screech" and "decal" in conversation with different designers over the years.
- 47.1k
6
votes
Accepted
How to align elements to Bootstrap grid?
The Bootstrap Documentation doesn't seem to have a great example for this as far as I can tell.
I set up an example to try to visualize what Bootstrap does with the columns (I added your guide lines ...
- 507
6
votes
InDesign: Adding space before the first paragraph
One solution is to vertically offset the text negatively as much as you need and set a space after enough to compensate.
This isn't the cleanest of workarounds—To edit the text you need to select the ...
- 39.9k
6
votes
Usage of blank space in trade banner and text-positioning
Claustrophobic text:
I think your current issue is that this text is too similar to the text below. It's a tad bigger but otherwise same color, same weight. I would try to increase the differences so ...
- 8,458
6
votes
Are drop shadows on screen elements considered good UX, or distracting?
Drop shadows can help UX as one method of introducing elevation. According to Google Material Design's guidelines, elevation is helpful when you need to:
Allow surfaces to move in front of and behind ...
- 236
5
votes
Accepted
What is the graphic design term for this element on a layout?
Callout is what I generally refer to them as. A call out doesn't necessarily have to be literal. It can "call out to the viewer" not merely "call existing content to the foreground".
Clients can ...
- 197k
5
votes
How to deal with "poor design" client feedback
If that is their feedback, 'the design is somewhat poor', then I'd like to turn that around and tell them that their feedback is 'somewhat poor' as well. And then I'd be mild.
Seriously, this is a ...
- 24.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible