2002 NLPES-Fall Training Conference Notes
Using Graphics to Tell the Story
Speaker: Jay Thurston, Art Director, Bold Impressions
About a year ago the Arizona Office of the Auditor General examined
their reports. They discovered that there were many inconsistencies among
their reports. They looked for professional help from Jay Thurston, Bold
Impressions.
Colors
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Graphic design is similar to the work we do as evaluators: one investigates
the needs of the audience, then chooses a design that best presents the
information.
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Having a good color scheme is important; it allows a reader to prioritize
and sequence items in the report.
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Using complementary colors helps to keep the readers' attention.
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Because of the way a computer monitor displays color, printed materials
will often look different than how they are represented on the screen.
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Colors should not stand out to the reader, because they will be stuck on
the colors, not the content of the report. For example, a pie chart should
not overwhelm the reader with its colors, but flow with the main color
scheme.
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There are two types of printing: Full-color, and Pantone.
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Full-color printing uses a series of screens with four colors (Cyan, Magenta,
Yellow, and Black) to develop the printed item. Knowing what a color will
look like printed is important. He suggested that a Color guide would aid
a person to know what something will look like from the press
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Pantone is ink pre-mixed to a desired color. It is possible to determine
how these colors will look when printed by using color swatches.
Design
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Separating tables, charts, and other important items from the report could
have a positive impact.
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Adding different shapes to a table is a good idea, just stay consistent
throughout the report.
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Legibility is enhanced by sending the drop cap (a large initial letter
at the start of the text that drops into the line or lines of text below)
into the background.
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Scaling your text adds value, weight, and movement.
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An important rule for adding graphics to a report-only include graphics
that add value to the report.
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The text font is important.
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Serif- Generally, serif fonts are to be used within the body of the text.
These fonts allow for easier readability. Times New Roman is an example
of a serif font.
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San-serif- These fonts are best used for Headings. They help set-off important
items. Arial is an example of a San-serif font.
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San-serif fonts are also better for the internet.
Software and hardware
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Design software packages such as Photoshop are excellent tools, but they
create their own problems.
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Experience - learning the software can be time consuming.
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Cost - software packages can be somewhat expensive.
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Each office should evaluate its needs, and then determine what can and
what cannot be done in-house, before buying a software package.
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The best way to learn the software is to play around with it.
Images
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Images are important to convey the message. A photographic image is always
better than an illustration. Photos project a professional image.
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Finding images off the internet is very helpful. He gave some warnings:
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Beware of copyrighted material. Make sure that you read the disclaimer.
He advised against limited copyrights.
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The cost of buying images can range from $50 to $150 for one image.
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Where to get images:
 2002
Fall Training Conference Notes
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