Sunday, April 22, 2012

SR2 - Melissa Hunt


The style guide set out by AUSAid (published in 2002) offers a 112 page document covering all facets of the organisation’s design from guidelines outlining publishing for different audiences, to writing and editing, and house style in published output. This helps to maintain control and consistency across AUSAid’s brand and identity.
It is extremely helpful that in the beginning of the document is a quick guide to publishing terms, which although may seem extremely simple, or obvious to those with a comprehensive design knowledge, would benefit non-designers in maintaining uniformity minus the chaos.
Additionally rather than simply outline style expectations and requirements, the document reasons why the guide is necessary, and elements to keep in mind when designing for different audiences and outputs, which not only educates but reaffirms AUSAid’s expectations in design.  
Many specifics are covered, including colour, which gives scope and choice, enabling the guide to be adapted across different media and needs. Furthermore, the logo is open to interpretation, with a range of colour and style options available to designers to suit specific needs and purposes. 

Overall, the AUSAid style guide is successful because although tediously long, it examines every aspect of design in detail, providing reasons for choices, and definitions for ‘foreign’ terms and concepts. 
A4 publication 3 colour




www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pdf/style_guide.pdf

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