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7/29/2019 Before and After 0625

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Before&After

Continued

XiBAmagazine.com U

Build a picture path 0625

A single row of photos carries yourreader from heretothere.Build a picturepath

Continued


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Before&After XiBAmagazine.com U


BOOT SALE

Model 462

Build a picture pathIts out of the ordinary, attractive and easy, tooa single row of photoscarries your reader from here to there.

Heres an easy way to make your message

stronger. Turn your page sideways, and line

up a half-dozen (or so) identically sized

photos starting at the left edge. Put your

copy on the right, and the readers eye will

follow the path directly to it. Like this:

Here There

Our eyes naturally drift left to

right. Starting on the left, the

picture path picks up this natu-

ral motion, accelerates it and

stops it right at your message

logo, title, sale prices, whatever

you put at this end.

Thomas Wright

Paint catalog2006

Swatches, palettes,ideas, advice

www.twpaints.com


3/12

Before&After Build a picture path 3of 7 XiBAmagazine.com U

3of 7 Build a picture path 0625

Its as easy as 1 2 3

3 Set the focal point Add a focal pointtypically

your logo or a photoat the end of the path. Silhou-

ette the image for eye-catching contrast(freeform vs.

straight); a slight overlap links the two naturally.

1 Use a panoramic page To get the reader moving,

page and path must run the same direction. A 2:1 ratio

(above) is excellent online, for small spaces (ads) and

as a single printed sheet (postcard, flier, poster).

2 Make a path Arrange your photos in a single row

starting at the left edge and stopping short of the right.

(The short gap will hold the reader on the page.) No

space between photos; you need an unbroken sweep.

4 Add the words Place your copy near the paths

end along a vertical axis. Dont upstage the images;

use a conservative typeface, and let the path do the

work of leading the reader to your story.

Thomas Wright

Paint catalog2006


www.twpaints.com


4/12



More is betterFewer photos slow the paths move-

ment; their large size demands attention (a fine asset

but not here), forcing the eye to scan each individu-

ally and not the path as a whole.

Things to watch for . . .

Eye level is the most natural

place for the path. Avoid uni-

form spacing (right), which cre-

ates distracting stripes.

Use a white gap about this

big (above) to stop the readers

movement. Too small and the

eye keeps right on going (right)!

Small

Medium

Large

No bumps Most effec-

tive are images identical

in size and shape; irregu-

larities will slow and even stop the reader.

Same

Same

Same


5/12



Before Seven snowboarderssome are close up, some are far away, each is positioned differently in the frame, and

some frames have different proportions. To get the images more alike, first enlarge or reduce until everyones the same

size, then crop into a similar positionin this case, everyones centered in the square.

The tightest natural cropping makes this your

control image; crop all others to match it.

Scale, crop, align

A picture path is most effective when its images are similar enough that the eyejust glides along. Size, cropping and alignment are key . . .

AfterThe eye still sees seven different images, but now theyre similar enough to read in a continual sweep. Thats what

you want. This is not the place for images that stand out and arrest your attention.


6/12



BOOT SALE

Model 462

4a

Typefaces

1 (ab) Goudy Old Style | a)26 pt,

b)10/12 pt

2 Myriad Pro Semibold | 10 pt

3 (ac) Clarendon Light | a)50 pt,

b)20/26 pt, c)10 pt

4 (ab) Clarendon Bold | a)36/24 pt,b)18/24 pt

Images

6 (am) iStockphotos.com | a b c

d e f g h i j k l m

7 Photos.com

Article resources

Colors

C0 M0 Y0 K65

C0 M0 Y0 K45

C0 M0 Y0 K30

C15 M100 Y100 K0

7

8

9

10

1aThomas Wright

Paint catalog2006


www.twpaints.com

2 1b 5f

3a

3c

6

Image row5ae

(left to right)

Image row5gm

(left to right)

4b 3b

8

9

10

7


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Before&After

7of 7 | Printing formats

XiBAmagazine.com U


Build a picture path 7of 7

Before & After magazine

Before & After has been sharing its practical approach

to graphic design since 1990. Because our modern world

has made designers of us all (ready or not), Before &

After is dedicated to making graphic design understand-

able, useful and even fun for everyone.

John McWade Publisher and creative director

Gaye McWade Associate publisher

Vincent Pascual Staff designer

Dexter Mark Abellera Staff designer

Design advisor Gwen Amos

Before & After magazine

323 Lincoln Street, Roseville, CA 95678

Telephone 916-784-3880

Fax 916-784-3995

E-mail [email protected]

www http://www.bamagazine.com

Copyright 2005 Before & After magazine, ISSN

1049-0035. All rights reserved

You may pass this article around, but you may not alter

it, and you may not charge for it. You may quote brief

sections for review. If you do this, please credit Before

& After magazine, and let us know.To feature free

Before & After articles on your Web site, please contact

us. For permission to include all or part of this article in

another work, please contact us.

Subscribe to Before & After

Did you learn from this article? Subscribe, and

become a more capable, confident designer

for pennies per article. To learn more, go to

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E-mail this articleTo pass along a free copy of this article to

others, click here.

Join our e-list

To be notified by e-mail of new articles as

they become available, go to

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Before&After

Back | Paper-saver format

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For paper-saver formatPrint: (Specify pages 912)

Before & After is made to fit your binder

Before & After articles are intended for permanent reference. All are titled and numbered.

For the current table of contents, click here. To save time and paper, a paper-saver format of this article,

suitable for one- or two-sided printing, is provided on the following pages.

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Format: Landscape

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Save

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For presentation formatPrint: (Specify pages 17)


9/12

Before&After|www.b

amagazine.com

1of4

Buildapictu

repath0625

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path

BOOTSALEMode

l462

Asinglerowof

photoscarries

your

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derfromher

etothere.

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uilda

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epath

Heresaneasywaytomakeyou

rmessage

stron

ger.Turn

your

pagesidew

ays,andline

upaha

lf-dozen(orso)identicallysized

photos

startin

gattheleftedge.Putyour

copyontheright,andtheread

erseyewill

followthe

pathdirectlytoit.Li

kethis:

Here

There

Oureyesnaturallydriftleftto

right.Startingontheleft,the

picturepathpicksupthisnatu-

ralmotion,acceleratesitand

stopsitrightatyourmessage

logo,title,saleprices,whatever

youputatthisend.

T

homasWright

Paintca

talog2006

Swatch

es,palettes,

ideas,a

dvice

www.tw

paints.com


10/12

Before&After|www.b

amagazine.com

2of4

Buildapictu

repath0625

0625Buildapicture

path

Itsaseasyas1

23

3SetthefocalpointAd

dafocalpointtypically

yourlogooraphotoattheendofthepath.Silhou-

ettetheimageforeye-catchingcontrast(freeformvs.

straight);aslightoverlaplinksthetwonaturally.

1Useapanoramicpage

Togetthereadermoving,

pageandpathmustrunthe

samedirection.A2:1ratio

(above)isexcellentonline,f

orsmallspaces(ads)and

asasingleprintedsheet(po

stcard,flier,poster).

2MakeapathArrangeyou

rphotosinasinglerow

startingattheleftedgeands

toppingshortoftheright.

(Theshortgapwillholdthere

aderonthepage.)No

spacebetweenphotos;youn

eedanunbrokensweep.

4AddthewordsPlaceyou

rcopynearthepaths

endalongaverticalaxis.Dontupstagetheimages;

useaconservativetypeface,andletthepathdothe

workofleadingthereaderto

yourstory.

ThomasWright

Pai

ntcatalog2006

Sw

atches,palettes,

ideas,advice

www.twpaints.com

MoreisbetterFewerphoto

sslowthepathsmove-

ment;theirlargesizedemand

sattention(afineasset

butnothere),forcingtheeye

toscaneachindividu-

allyandnotthepathasawho

le.

Thingstowatchfor...

Eyelevelisthemostnatural

placeforthepath.Avoiduni-

formspacing(right),whichcre-

atesdistractingstripes.

Useawhitegapaboutthis

big(above)tostopthereaders

movement.Toosmallandth

e

eyekeepsrightongoing(rig

ht)!

Small

Medium

Large

NobumpsMosteffec-

tiveareimagesidentical

insizeandshape;irregu-

laritieswillslowandevenstopthereader.

Same

Same

Same


11/12


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Before&After|www.b

amagazine.com

4of4

Buildapictu

repath0625

0625Buildapicture

path

Before&Aftermag

azine

Before&Afterhasbeensharingitspracticalapproach

tographicdesignsinc

e1990.Becauseourmodernwor

ld

hasmadedesignerso

fusall(readyornot),Before&

Afterisdedicatedtom

akinggraphicdesignunderstand

-

able,usefulandeven

funforeveryone.

JohnMcWadePublisherandcreativedirector

GayeMcWadeAssociatepublisher

VincentPascualSta

ffdesigner

DexterMarkAbelle

raStaffdesigner

DesignadvisorGwen

Amos

Before&Aftermag

azine

323LincolnStreet,Ro

seville,CA95678

Telephone916-784-3

880

Fax916-784-3995

[email protected]

wwwhttp://www.bamagazine.com

Copyright2005Be

fore&Aftermagazine,ISSN

1049-0035.Allrightsreserved

Youmaypassthisarticlearound,butyoumaynotalter

it,andyoumaynotch

argeforit.Youmayquotebrief

sectionsforreview.If

youdothis,pleasecreditBefore

&Aftermagazine,and

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anotherwork,please

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