Read
The most important book you will ever read on sign composition and layout is the book,
Mastering Layout—On the Art of Eye Appeal, by Mike Stevens. (1986. ST Media Group).
Mastering Layout
In this book, Stevens takes the mystery out of creating effective sign layouts. His approach emphasizes that
good design is a learned skill and not something you're born with or without. Stevens provides tools to understand principles, such as dominance, visual hierarchy, proximity, rhythm and the use of negative space. Many of us believe this is the best book ever written on layout! I date my entire career as either "Before Mike Stevens" or "After Mike Stevens." I re-read this book every year and regularly give it as a gift to aspiring sign artists.
Sign composition is special
Sign composition is the red-haired step-child of the graphic design industry. It has special requirements placed upon it that are not always taught in design courses. For example, the average sign is viewed for probably 1.5 to 1.6 seconds, and so requires almost instantaneous reading and digesting. In addition, distance reading is a huge factor, so legibility and readability are more important in sign composition than in any other segment of the graphic design industry. Most artists in the sign industry as a whole are mediocre. A very few are outstanding. The
Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well among us sign goobers.
But reading can fix this problem. Further, learning to manipulate software is not the same as learning graphic design, any more than learning to use screwdrivers and wire strippers is learning to be an electrician. Anybody can learn software. But only a special few are good at sign layout and composition.
Here is an old review of
Mastering Layout by the late Steve Shortread—
Review by Steve Shortreed
The SignMan...Fergus, Ontario
"If I was ever forced to give up all my books except for one, this is the book I would keep. I can't think of any one source that has helped me design better and more effective signs over the years than this gift the late Mike Stevens left to us all.
The first chapter on Natural Layout is a goldmine once you understand the ideas Mike is talking about. I had the privilege of sitting in on 2 of his workshops over the years and I have seen longtime signmakers instantly drop bad habits and improve their layouts following the suggestions in this book. It's simple, but powerful stuff!
What Mike really did with this book was give us a vocabulary to describe design elements that were just abstract ideas in the past. Terms like negative space, line value, formal vs informal layout and my personal favorite...compulsive graphic relativity.
I could go on forever about the virtues of this book. Every new employee at our shop was given a copy of their own. I suggest you do the same."
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A second book to acquire is
The Elements of Graphic Design by Alex W. White (First Edition, 2002, and Second Edition, 2011, Allworth Press. Get either one. The first edition is dirt cheap, but in some ways easier. The second edition is big with lots of pictures. The graphics are superior in the second, and the writing is more polished in spots. Get both. Oh, there is now a third edition (2022) Get all three). The first chapter alone in White's book—on negative space—is worth the cost of this book. Chapter six, explaining the importance of dominance, is also worth the cost of the book. Hell, the short
preface is full of wisdom. And the chapters are arranged in such a way that they can be read individually without losing much continuity, a boon to short attention spans.
The Elements of Graphic Design
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Some additional books that are valuable:
On Web Typography by Jason Santa-Maria. The principles he explains are valuable for sign makers. He explains saccades, which is the way our eyes read. And he shows the difference between readability and legibility—crucial to understand for a sign maker.
Two books by
John McWade—
Graphics for Business and
How to Design Cool Stuff. McWade is a genius in explaining layout and composition as it applies to numerous design projects. Almost everything he says can be applied to sign work. The illustrations in his books are like pure gold.
Layout and Design for Calligraphers by Alan Furber. Don't let the title throw you off. This simple book does not just apply to calligraphy but is full of insight for sign people. His illustrations showing how the principle of dominance works, and how white space enhances it, are priceless. Look at page 24 and you will never view large lettering the same again.
Logo design
Logo design is historically a particularly weak area for sign makers. Many of us are good at illustration and drawing, but suck at logo design. Much of the reason for this has to do with flawed expectations as to the purpose of a logo.
For an eye-opening discussion of logo design, and its job, watch this video featuring Sagi Haviv of
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (New York). Pay particular attention to the story surrounding the development of the
Chase Bank logo by Tom Geismar.
What is a Good Logo? Sagi Haviv
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"By far, the greatest weakness in the sign industry today is in the area of layout/design/composition. Most sign makers lack expertise. This is no exaggeration. And many have bad habits, making the same mistakes over and over. Inferior layout is so commonplace it is viewed as normal. But this is nothing new. It's just that now, with easy access to computers and design software, the sign industry is overwhelmed with what's bad and inferior. Paul Rand said a long time ago, "The public is more familiar with bad design than good design. It is, in effect, conditioned to prefer bad design, because that is what it lives with."
Brad in Kansas City
2 
from CA
