I am a moron at graphics. Can I learn enough to make a cool white paper with this in 2 days?

[nameforguywithnoshins.tony]

Hi there.  Basic question: Should I buy this software?

will start with a joke:   

• what do you call a guy with no shins? 
  • tony.  

so i'm looking for input from smart graphics folks .   I am finalizing a white paper for a foundation that myself and a few others helped to form about 6 months ago.  Very cool group fousing on Veterans Mental Health (John P Mayhugh Foundation) 

Anyways, the content for the paper is solid, but it doesn't look cool.  I want it to look snazzy and sharp, but have recently had to accept that that i do not know what i am doing in graphics programs.  have tried a bunch of week and month long trials and pay memberships for adobe illustrator, and a few other advanced* programs and have never gotten more than a fraction of the way to a finished progduct. 

would this be another waste of 10 hours to buy this software, or can 2-3 days of work produce something cool if the person behind the doesnt understand graphics stuff.  

for reference, imagine you are dealing with graphic design equivalent of homer running his internet company.  cutco or edgecom or interslice?

 

 

[MikeW]

Snazzy and sharp doesn't actually need artwork. Especially foundation white papers. It does need a good layout and proper use of color.

If you are using graphs those do need to be clear, illustrate the info it is presenting and again, have a good use of color and perhaps be graphical in nature.

The same can be said for tables if used, though skip the graphical part.

The cover/title page can make good use of graphics or images. For those they need to be appropriate and subordinate to the verbiage and I would suggest looking on stock art/image sites and pick a few, download the not for use comp versions and try placing them and review them over a few days. Then pick one or start over. 

One can use whatever word processing or layout application you are already using.

Mike 

[toltec]

To be perfectly and brutally honest, it wont help, at all 

If it is a multi-page document, you would probably be better of with Microsoft Word using one of their templates. There are thousands of them available for free on the web, many look pretty decent and they are fairly easy to customise,. To achieve the same results in a "blank page" program like Designer is going to take an awful lot of learning and hard work.

Anyway, most designers simply copy something they have seen and "adapt" it for their own needs.

 

[IanSG]

2 hours ago, toltec said:

To be perfectly and brutally honest, it wont help, at all 

If it is a multi-page document, you would probably be better of with Microsoft Word using one of their templates. 

Agreed - but don't use something like .docx as a distribution format.  It's ok when everyone's using systems with identical setups, but if the style is important you need to use PDF (or paper).

[gdenby]

I see that the foundation already has a logo. That would just need to be inserted as needed. AD is probably not appropriate, because while it can set up pages, it is not a page-layout program, which have many features to span layout over a whole document.

Most likely as mentioned above, going w. pre-made MS Word templates would be a good idea. Familiarize yourself w. the white paper styles appropriate for the audience you are aiming at. Some may be graphics intensive, but others will more likely respond better to a simple but exact text layout.

[firstdefence]

Less is more, readability is more important than flashiness, The site is almost like a White paper and to an extent the White paper could reflect the sites style. There are a few design flaws but nothing major.

[Wosven]

Perhaps for now it would be best to use Word 's templates and spend a little time learning more about white paper and composition, choosing illustrations, etc., while waiting for Affinity Publisher.

Once at ease doing your template in Word, and knowing few tricks that give a "professional" look in a publication, it'll be easier to learn to use Affinity Publisher and to create a new template  in Affinity Publisher that will look the same as your initial Word's template.

[firstdefence]

I think just find a white paper you like the look of and try to emulate it. You don't say which Operating System you have but a very good Desktop Publisher is Scribus: https://www.scribus.net/downloads/stable-branch/ available for Multiple Operating Systems including Mac Windows and Linux. 

Bonus note: It Free and actually very good.