First Step in Designing a Panel
The first step when designing a good panel is to find a letter style that goes with the clients business. That alone is a creative process. If you don't have a bank of fonts to choose from, no problem, you can search one of the many font banks like "Fonts Com". Most of these companies have a "Type Tester" so you can see wha the letter style looks with your clients name before purchasing.
Lets say you've found what you want in a good graphic letter, then the next step is to build or find a good panel shape. I'd suggest starting out with something simple. Keep in mind the negative area's within the panel. They can work for you or against you. Large vacant spaces, without any imformation in them are a killer. That's one of the reasons you should build your sign shape around the copy. If you try to cram lettering into a pre-fab shape you'll be squeezing or pulling the letters around. That seldom looks very good. I'll be showing to develop panel shapes a little later down the road.
One of the rules of design, which you can test for yourself, is every thing within the panel has a magnetic quality. For example the closer two lines of copy come together they tend to read as a single thought. Not only that the closer an object gets to the edge of the panel or frame the more tension it causes. I'm sure you know this when a line of copy gets too close to the frame, it looks wrong and make you uncomfortable. All this has to do with negative space. Which will work for you or against you. One way or the other Negative Space is in play at all times. Keep your eye on the negative spaces to see how they work. It's the foundation for good design. Until you understand the use of negative space you'll struggle to make powerful layouts.
Here are a couple of examples by Gary Anderson who has built the panel around the copy.
Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com
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