What is a Publication Designer?

I guess it’s time I define myself a bit.  I designed this website mainly as an avenue to advertise my skills and abilities, and yet I’ve pretty much let my portfolio speak for itself. So now I will take just a bit of time to explain my professional skills and goals.

As you have probably noticed, I’ve labeled myself a publication designer.  What I mean by this is that while I am capable of designing more than books, catalogs, and newsletters, my best skill set and interest lies in just those types of layouts. If you have a lot of text and a message that is best presented with words rather than images, that is exactly the kind of task at which I excel.

I love the written word, and I’m not afraid to spend time reading and understanding the copy that is given to me for layout.  Just like a diamond is more impressive in a beautiful setting, a message is better portrayed when its setting suits it–and how could I know what suits it if I don’t read and understand it. With the types of tools that are available to the designer in this era of high resolution computers and graphic applications, there is no reason that any text should be displayed raw and unadorned.  Even the simplest book can benefit from a proper setting, making it interesting to look at as well as read–and you have to look at it to read it, after all.

So what is a publication designer?  A publication designer is a graphic designer whose skill set and experience is best used when applied to large quantities of text meant for publication–such as books, magazines, newsletters, and catalogs.  Presenting the information (the copy) in the best manner for interest, readability, and comprehension takes precedence over all other design considerations.  Attention to detail is key in a publication designer because consistency over the entire project is a must. Also, a publication designer has to be very good at the production side of design work.  When dealing with large amounts of copy, coming up with a workable concept is only 10% of the project, the big chore is applying that concept consistently across multiple pages.

So that, in a small blog post, is what I mean when I bill myself as a publication designer.  If this sounds like a role that you need filled, please feel free to contact me for a project bid.

Diane King, publication designer
Design that respects the message.