Getting organised

This initial page is meant as an introduction to the contents of the Digital design manual and a list of suggestions for working with computers.

This is a translation of the “second edition” of our Manual de Diseño Digital. The first version was published in catalan in 1999, and in spanish the following year. In 2001, Vigital, Manual en línea de Diseño Digital, was awarded the Premio Mundo Internet from the AUI, the most prestigious contest of its kind in Spain.

This web is a good example of the many alicients of design and digital publishing, compared to other, older systems. Almost universally affordable, digital publishing provides an unprecedented access to information.

The most important changes in this new version are the way we organised contents, more rational and easy to use —at least we hope so! There is also a new interface design and some new articles.

Goals and utility of this manual

This Digital Design Manual from Typephases means to be useful to a rather wide public. The articles are sequenced and organised in such a way that beginners may find a basic guide to enter the world of digital graphic design, and start working and getting to know the key questions. At the same time, more expert users will find inspiration and ideas, and some advanced articles.

In the following sections we will analyse the programs that will let our ideas become a graphic design, a reality. We will discuss the possibilities of digital tools, which are affordable to almost anyone today. The power of recent computer systems seems to intimidate some users; many are rather skeptical with the fact that simply with a computer, and programs such as the ones they already have, it is possible to get professional results in graphic design. Indeed, it is remarkably easy to produce good, professional-like documents and designs.

This web started out as a way of sharing the discoveries of its authors, some of them recent, others learnt quite some time ago. To learn something, especially when it involves some practical work, it is always preferable and more effective to do it with a specific task, something specific and practical you can use afterwards. Instead of taking notes in a notepad, we have prepared a more elaborate and useful compilation: this Website.

How to use this manual

The articles are organised in four main categories:

Intro, (this section) contains general advice about working with computers, how to get organised and relevant links. This module is independent from the rest, and the links sections offer a selection of destinations related with the rest of the sections in the website.
Graphic design deals with the basics of digital graphic design, with articles about page layout, colour and, especially, digital image and illustration.
Web design offers articles that sequentially explain everything you need to build a website.
Typography. One of the most fascinating components of graphic design, here is dealt with in depth, regarding its use, organisation and creation.

Each page contains links to the main sections, so it is very easy moving around in the website. It is always possible a sequential reading of the articles in a particular category.

If you want to locate a specific article quickly, it is possible to have a list of all the articles in the Manual. Our Sitemap provides this complete list.

You can also search words or expressions. The search tool is available from each page in the top part of the page (the magnifying glass icon) and it offers detailed results for each word or words typed in the search box.