Do's and Don'ts' of design work

There are many different things that you should and should not do, when designing work, and when I complete my ancillary, there are things that I am going to make sure I don't do, as well as things that I should include in order to get good marks.

DO's

• I need to make sure that I stick to two clear fonts as a maximum. I need to make sure that they complement each other and link well to my artist. They also need to be appropriate to the genre, and the sizing needs to be appropriate.
• The colours on my ancillary work should be a maximum of three colours, and make sure they go well together and fit the genre correctly. So I wouldn't pick a bright pink colour for my work as it would not match my artist or the genre correctly.
• I need to ensure that the photos I use are clear and in focus and that they are an appropriate shot-size for the panel. Also that they are generically appropriate.
• I need to follow the rule of thirds composition.
• I need to include all the other details, such as the barcode, date, copyright information, title of the album, artist name, record company logo, website and artist website.

DONT's

• I need to make sure I don't include any unnecessary effects. If I do use any text or image effects they must suit the genre.
• I must not stretch mages to fit the panels, if the image is not the right image to start with, then don't use it. Stretched images will lose me marks.
• I must not place text across the face of the artist.
• I should not just use fonts because I like them.
• I must not feel that I need to include images on every panel. I need to do my research carefully and follow the conventions of the genre closely. Too many photos will lose marks.