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[Virgo Nightingale]

The point of italics is to emphasize one bit of info so it stands out within a block of text. Italicizing everything is counterproductive: nothing ends up standing out, you just make your text harder to read. I also agree that the text is far too close to the scooter, and I'd lose the background ghosted images as they're distracting and add nothing but clutter to the design.

[Designia]

Originally Posted by Buda

Holy safety margins!

My question is, are bleeds, safe areas, and margins even TAUGHT these days? I really don't think so. These kids are paying huge bucks for a degree in Graphic Design but end up knowing nothing about print design. It's sad.

[PrintDriver]

They may be taught as words but not in practice.
I get many files every week without bleeds. Or text running through areas where banner stitching goes (safe areas are different for different processes).

A lot of times in college, it's all about the concept, not the mechanics. Which is wrong.

That flipping thing is classic. I saw that on a billboard once. Someone in a stock image wasn't facing the right way to work with the text, so the designer flopped the photo. Not noticing that it made all the text on the sweatshirt logo backwards. It was taken down before I got a picture of it. Another large amount of money lost by a designer. Probably out of pocket.

[kemingMatters]

Originally Posted by Designia

My question is, are bleeds, safe areas, and margins even TAUGHT these days? I really don't think so. These kids are paying huge bucks for a degree in Graphic Design but end up knowing nothing about print design. It's sad.

If they are, I don't think their purposes are explained well, if at all. But then again your average graphic design program seems to focus more on the software, at least thats how they advertise the programs in course descriptions.

"Learn Dreamweaver!" instead of "Learn how to create a website using HTML and CSS from concept to completion" - sorry best example I could come up with at the moment

[Microswede]

Originally Posted by Designia

My question is, are bleeds, safe areas, and margins even TAUGHT these days?

Good question Designia! I swear they're not. Our design intern had NO idea about bleeds or margins. Lucky for him he had an internship.

[Hematita]

Thanks for the tips, guys. This is an assignment from a couple of terms ago that I felt had some potential for trying to go back and rework/improve it for practice, so I figured I'd get some tips.
I do have safety margins and bleeds more drilled into my head now, though. The thing I honestly feel isn't focused on enough in this program is pre-flight, but I'm making sure to learn that after leaning how important it, too, is.
Also, thanks for the tips about flipping the image; I thought about shopping the badge to be the right way, but never thought (stupid me) of the vehicle not looking the same from both sides.

[KitchWitch]

Originally Posted by Designia

My question is, are bleeds, safe areas, and margins even TAUGHT these days? I really don't think so. These kids are paying huge bucks for a degree in Graphic Design but end up knowing nothing about print design. It's sad.

I graduated with my BFA in 1993 and I was taught nothing about margins, bleeds, safe areas, pre-press, print process, RGB/CMYK, etc. As far as I knew, I could send any paste-up board or any computer file to a printer and some sort of magic happened.

In my current job that's not so much a huge deal, as I almost never send anything to print. But in my first job I'm sure there were a lot of printers that had little redheaded voodoo dolls on their desks. I wish they had hollered at me so I could have learned.

[Rachel B]

I officially learned design in 85 before macs made the scene in a publications office (Rebel Press). Thank god. What a trip to not be taught about bleeds/margins.

I mean this is beyond basic.

[KitchWitch]

Rachel, when I was in college, computers were just becoming the norm. We were taught paste up boards, blue line pencils, etc. I started learning Photoshop on my own in my last semester, but I had to sign up for computer time.

Still wasn't taught jack about the above. But now I'm lucky enough to have you guys!

[Rachel B]

Exactly, slide rules and triangles and blue line pencils... photostat cameras. I remember when we got computers and didn't need to draw out our type to check out different possibilities,a total amazing incredible break through.

BTW love the zombie doll