Elements of Design - Texture

From Jacci Howard Bear,
Your Guide to Desktop Publishing.

Texture is always a part of our designs whether intentional or not. It is the visual or tactile surface characteristics of a piece.

In desktop publishing, texture comes from the paper we use. We may also add visual textures through the arrangement of lines and shapes or the use of photographic images of specific surfaces.

Paper Textures & Finishes

Paper is often something we take for granted. It's just 'there.' Sometimes we have no choice about the type of paper on which our designs are printed. Normally we can't dictate the paper used for ads in newspapers or magazines. Even when we do have a choice, we're limited by budget, printing requirements, or other factors. However, paper can be an important textural element in our desktop published documents.

Some papers just 'feel' better than others. Grab up some paper from around you. Get a newspaper, a magazine, some paper from your printer, and a few different samples from your Class Samples. Close your eyes and touch the different surfaces. Can you identify the general type of paper (newsprint, etc.) simply by touch? Probably so. But also consider how they feel to your touch ?smooth, rough, slightly patterned, fuzzy, bumpy, slick, shiny, dull, warm or cold.

Design Concept & Texture
Varying paper surfaces can dramatically or subtly alter the mood you want your designs to convey. An exercise from Using Design Basics To Get Creative Results by Bryan L. Peterson uses the example of a piece of jewelry placed against two totally different surfaces ?a shiny tile of black Formica vs. a piece of cement.

Translate this same concept to paper and imagine a photograph of a well-preserved vintage automobile printed on extremely smooth, glossy paper or printed on a rough, pepply surface. Neither one is necessarily better or worse. It depends on the mood you want to convey. Increased contrast between the image (and it's visual texture) and the actual surface of the paper can create interest in your design.

When selecting paper, choose a texture that is related to the concept of your design and doesn't overwhelm or get in the way of the message. While you can make a bold statement with texture, sometimes a subtle texture that stays 'in the background' is most appropriate. Make sure that your texture works with your choice of type and images so that text does not become unreadable or images unrecognizable. It may be necessary to use a bolder typeface if your paper is rough or strongly patterned.

Unexpected contrast: In a brochure promoting a computer-related service: "The gray color also evokes a high-tech, sterile mood, although I might expect a glossier surface to go along with that, rather than the sensual feel of the textured stock." ?Student ID S011203
My comments: "...the softer texture may indeed have been meant to soften and humanize the high-tech image."

Hands-On Exercise
Look at brochures, books, ads, business cards, and other print projects and find five paper samples that range from the very smooth to the very rough. For each sample, look at the purpose and focus of the piece and decide if, in your opinion, the paper texture
1) is insignicant/incidental to the piece;
2) is appropriate for the mood and purpose of the piece; or,
3) is inappropriate for the mood and purpose of the piece.

Visual Textures

Everything around us has a texture. Sometimes we can simulate those textures with paper, but more often the textures we create in our designs are visual rather than tactile. However, those visual textures can be just as provocative or full of meaning as actual textures we can touch.

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/elements/l/aa_texture2.htm

Printed Textures

Some textures are added after the design process is complete and the project has gone to the printer. Embossing, debossing, foil stamping, engraving, thermography, and varnish are examples of texture added during or after printing.

Go to the Glossary to learn more about each of these related texture terms:
• Blind Embossing
• Debossing
• Embossing
• Foil Embossing
• Foil Stamping
• Ink Embossing
• Varnish

Embossing and foil stamping can add both visual interest and can alter the overall texture of a piece. Here is a description of an example of using varnish to create texture:

Embossing and foil stamping can add both visual interest and can alter the overall texture of a piece. Here is a description of an example of using varnish to create texture:

Sticky Design: This business folder makes sure you won't want to put it down unread: "The most cleverly used part of the design, in my opinion, is the subtle spot varnishing. The folder is made from heavy grade card, with a rather dull matte finish, which feels smooth but has a finely mottled texture, and in contrast, the spot varnishing that has been applied to various elements of the folder feels slightly 'sticky' to the touch."

Often confused, engraving and thermography are two different printing processes. Engraving is not widely used today but can be found in some fine letterhead and wedding invitations. Both create raised printing that gives text and even images a 3D effect.

Explore the links on these two pages to learn more about these two raised printing techniques ?how each effect is achieved and typical uses: Engraving and Thermography.