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PUBLICATION DESIGN EXPERTS
experienced
We know exactly what is needed to make it work
When it comes to publication design, we at Tobi Designs are specialists. Even in this online age, the need for the printed page is still very much alive. People still value the visual and tactile quality of print publications. Publication design requires unique skills for organizing large amounts of information, keeping the reader engaged, balancing images and content to successfully communicate a message. We are veterans of this discipline. In contrast to “full service� studios, we do one thing, and we do it well. Our clients count on our sense of imagination as they do on our competency. We bring the double-spaced manuscript to life in your publication.
clean
Cleanliness is next to godly design
Most of us recognize “clean design� even though we may not be able to describe the particulars of how it is achieved. Simply put, we create clean design with form and color, placed with order, scale, proportion and balance to create an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of image and text. As is true of many things, it is essential to build upon a strong foundation. Our first task in any project is to create the framework that will provide the support for the page layout. We establish clear hierarchies of page elements: running heads, folios, footers, section heads, titles, subtitles, subheads, bylines. The whole equals more than the sum of its parts. We believe that design should complement and not obscure the message.
articulate
A rich vocabulary allows us to say exactly what we mean
Articulate design requires solid concept generation. This is where our knowledge and experience as humans becomes invaluable. We find the broader the creator’s background and interests, the more ideas he is able to generate. It is from this that design emanates. Our comprehensives, or preliminary designs, are diligent explorations of typography, imagery and layout. We push the boundaries to enhance the pacing of a publication, creating multiple textures much like different movements in a musical score, maybe even creating something unexpected that might delight or surprise the reader. However, in the end it is just as important to edit ideas as it is to generate them. Like Michelangelo who cut away everything that was NOT David from a piece of marble, we also distill the design so there is nothing superfluous. Our already overstimulated culture cannot afford to see or read fluff.
contemporary
We communicate relevance with contemporary design
What do the fashion runways of Milan have to do with your publication? Although it may seem like something happening clear across the world, we are all subjected to and influenced by trends whether they be fashion or other. As creative professionals, we must stay current. We watch. We notice. We remember. We research on the web, tv, the news and in magazines. Since our publications are read by a modern audience, we strive to attain an overall look-and-feel that is contemporary. Our primary function as designers is to enable communication, and we could not do that if we were living in a vacuum. Even if a design calls for historical references, use of present-day aesthetics that tie it all together keep it relevant for the reader.
engaging
An integrated experience is engaging
Good publication design keeps a reader engaged. We give the reader options to move around with multiple points of entry when appropriate. Readers find relevance when they can choose how they take in the material. Bells and whistles do not always get the job done. It is about creating a happy marriage between image and content, regardless of the medium. When it’s called for, we research specific issues concerning our target audience in order to integrate a wider perspective. The global village requires being sensitive to regional cultures, customs and graphic vocabularies in order to stay relevant with multiple audiences. We blend common values into a publication in order to create a strong relationship between reader and content.
imagination made real
50#* %&4*(/4 Tobi Designs is a leading publications design firm. We help companies and non-profits build relationships through their annual reports, custom magazines, books and white papers.
If it has pages, turn to us.
382 49th street oakland california 94609 tel: 510.594.2003 fax: 510.654.8102 www.tobidesigns.com