Overview

In this era of electronic designs and interchangeable assets, it is easier than ever to construct a layout that allows for efficient and seamless edits and reuse. Yet despite the increasing mutability of design methods, many designers refuse to take the time to build usability—and reusability—into their work. Some designers claim ignorance of their options, others say a lack of time prevents them from adding flexibility, and still others believe there is little payoff to the time spent in doing so.

I say poo to those excuses. It is only in very few instances that the time spent getting it right at the start does not pay off over the sum total of a project or projects.

Editing: Reusability Over the Short Haul

Let's face it, it is extremely rare for content in a design—pictures, text, data, etc.—to come to me in a finished form. Invariably, the author has changes to the content while I am working on the design. These kinds of changes can be viewed as a short-term reusability issue.

Understanding the nature of the assets in a particular design is the first step toward planning for the unknown. Edits to different styles of content will lend themselves to different reusability considerations. There are few universally applicable techniques. Understanding the content stems from both design experience and being attentive to clients.

Does the client contact the agency every day with small text changes? Then I leave text boxes with a little extra wiggle room at the bottom just in case the one small text change causes the whole paragraph to reflow.

There are so many different asset combinations that it would be difficult to touch on a significant portion of them in detail here. Being aware of and implementing the settings and techniques that save editing time over a project's length are largely a function of experience, either learning it the hard way or following the advice of those more experienced in design. Designing for short-haul edits is the first level in designing for usability and reusability, and the skill is worth the time for all serious designers to be actively improving.

Repurposing: Reusability Over the Long Haul

The next level of designing for reusability concerns thinking ahead to future projects. Repurposing—taking an existing design and reusing it—is a common occurrence in the design world. There are two kinds of repurposed documents.

The first kind is the accidental repurpose. This is the design that was initially intended as a stand-alone document, but circumstances dictated that it be reused. Perhaps the client postponed work on a document for several months, or a particular ad campaign did so well in one geographic area that the client wants to repurpose for another. Usually the considerations for short-term reusability are enough to efficiently carry these documents through to their final iterations.

The second kind of repurposed document is the template. Templates are documents whose specific goal in life is to be easily revamped. Templates can be used in a single time frame for multiple versions of a design, such as a single brochure for different states, or for multiple time frames, such as a monthly mailer. By establishing a template document, much of the grunt work and decision making is completed just once.

When making a template document, a designer should think ahead to how other designers will use the file. The more self-explanatory the document is, the easier it is to use the template, and the more time it saves overall. The three best areas to pay attention to when building a template are styles, swatches, and layers.

Have very specific names for styles, leaving no doubt as to where each style is used. Consider a prenumbering system for organization and quick reference. Put styles in the order they will be used on a typical page, or group similar styles together, depending on expected workflow. Whatever system is used, make sure it is consistent.

Another organizational tool available in most layout programs—and many graphics programs, too—are layers. Properly creating and maintaining layers is a step above styles. Unlike styles, many documents wouldn't really benefit from separate layers. Templates, however, are a different case. Different content, such as different color variations, can be segregated in different layers in a single document. Rather than create and edit eight different files, a design can be constructed with one file and eight separate layers.

A useful trick with layers is to use a notes layer to help explain more difficult portions of a template. A notes layer is especially nice when there are a large number of designers using a single template. If one designer has a question about the template, the template's creator can add a bit of text to the notes layer to explain it, so that all subsequent designers who pull that template will have access to that information.

The third area that is essential to keep organized in a template is the swatches. How to handle swatches changes on a case to case basis. Some companies work with a single set of colors, and can be labeled with that in mind, for example, Coca-Cola Red. (To the best of my knowledge, there is no corresponding Pantone number for Coca-Cola Red, even though it is technically part of the Pantone Matching System. But that is a matter of some myth among non-Coke designers.)

If the process colors of a project are specific to that project, name the swatches in a logical way, meaning, if a shade of blue is used only in the header text of a booklet, title the color "Header Blue." Specific color build information remains with the swatch details. Keep Pantone and other official color matching system colors in their given designations to avoid confusion down the production line.

On a related note, consider keeping a library of objects associated with a template. While technically not part of the design file, a library of standard objects will help maintain consistency and decrease the time needed to edit the template. Be careful to match the styles associated with the library objects with the template itself. If a style in a library object differs from the document into which it is pulled, it may change the style in the document or make a duplicate style, causing confusion.

The Strategic View

Moving into the realm of truly strategic thinking isn't always the best use of a designer's time. It all depends on the designer's particular role in his or her organization. In general, as a designer moves closer to the responsibilities of a Principal in an organization, the more valuable strategic thinking becomes—not only because the designer now has the experience to successfully look further ahead, but he or she is also in a better position to enact the changes necessary to bring about their strategic vision.

When discussing reusability in the context of strategic thinking, the biggest boost to streamlining the design process is the creation of a manual of style. The specifics of what is contained in a manual of style will change from situation to situation, but the general purpose remains the same: establishing a rulebook of correct and incorrect. An "MoS" is the biggest, baddest tool in ensuring professional consistency in design.

There are few areas of design that are universally correct. Even something as seemingly straightforward as the spelling of a word can change. Will a design originating in America be released in Britain? Is it worth converting the text from American English to British English? A manual of style allows the decision to be made once and recorded, so that when the situation comes around again, no time is wasted in redeciding and consistency is maintained.

Once the decision is made to invest the time in creating and maintaining an MoS, the next step is determining the form it will take. Do not place too much emphasis on a permanent solution, though. As an organization and its projects and responsibilities grow, so will the demands it places on its manual. It will naturally evolve over time.

One of the most developed manuals I have come across was for a large internal art department with dozens of designers. Their manual of style was professionally printed and bound for distribution to designers, editors, and content writers across the company. For a company with fewer designers, a simple three-ring binder with removable pages that lives in a central location would suffice, or even an electronic version on the company intranet. For a single designer, the start of a manual may be hand-written notes in a personal notebook.

However an MoS is created, the most important purpose of it is to establish consistency in design. Designers must reference it, editors must enforce it, and content creators must respect it. Otherwise, the time invested in its creation is wasted. Enforcing a manual of style, however, is a tricky proposition. Adhering 100% to a written manual isn't always necessary. And no, I didn't contradict myself there.

Consider an internal design department versus an ad agency. From a consumer's viewpoint, designs being created by an internal design department come from one "source"—the department's company. For an ad agency, designs come from multiple sources—the agency's clients. If one client asks to display dates as "13 Nov. 2008", and another asks for "November 13, 2008", style isn't broken as long as the agency sticks with one particular choice through the client's project (and through all subsequent projects for that client). The manual has done its job if consistency is maintained for one source.

When it comes right down to it, building a manual of style to support reusability is a matter of legacy. It is a rare thing for a designer to maintain a relationship with one company from start to finish. Without a formal manual, the design work for the company will lack consistency over time as designers move in and out of the ranks. That is why the manual is such an important strategic tool—it allows a responsible designer to improve the professionalism of a company's work even after he or she has gone.

In Closing

Taking all of the possible reusability considerations in at one time is an overwhelming proposition. Consider the skill of designing for reusability as akin to having an "artist's eye."

Few designers enter this world know instinctively what is going to work in a design. Artists and other designers develop their eye for art and design through careful layering of experimentation and attention to detail. The general rules of design gradually move from the consciousness to an intuitive sense of what works. The same process should occur for an eye for reusability.

Start with a consciousness of short-term reusability considerations. As implementing the methods to cope with short-term editing possibilities becomes second nature, move to considering the longer term. As in all skill building, establishing a solid foundation of basic skills and working up from there is the best course to a formidable new talent.