Latest blog post

Accessible PDF heading structure and the problem of phantom headings

Answering one my most frequently-asked questions with the help of an imaginary department store, and how ‘phantom’ headings create confusion.

Read my latest blog post…

Design for print blog

Accessible PDF heading structure and the problem of phantom headings

2 April 2026

Accessible colour contrast for text

16 April 2025

How we can work together on accessible PDFs

18 October 2024

Typesetting and accessibility of acronyms and initialisms

Acronyms & initialisms

17 January 2023

Different typeface samples overlaid with the question 'the most accessible fonts?'

The best fonts for accessibility

25 November 2022

'Achieving optimum colour contrast' written with increasing contrast to the background

Colour contrast for accessibility

30 September 2022

A blurred PDF icon is shown next to a clear PDF/UA icon

How to tell if a PDF is accessible

29 July 2022

An accessible PDF tag tree is shown with a megaphone indicating the PDF being read aloud

Design accessibility standards: design beyond aesthetics

27 May 2022

A calendar showing general waste collections in magenta and recycling collections in yellow

Design for communication: design beyond aesthetics

25 February 2022

A series of dots and circles demonstrating four of the Gestalt Principles of Perception

Design theories: design beyond aesthetics

28 January 2022

'Design' written in a geometric typeface and aesthetics written in a decorative font

Design beyond aesthetics

26 November 2021

Looking up into the branches of a managed forest

Print & the environment

24 September 2021

The dictionary definition of 'psychological' highlighted in red

Five psychological advantages of print

27 August 2021

Bold black number five on an orange book page

Five practical advantages of print

30 July 2021

One green apple surrounded by red apples

Print as a point of difference

25 June 2021

Branding is more than just your logo

30 April 2021

Brand foundations

30 April 2021

A range of techniques which over-emphasize words

Emphasizing your point

26 March 2021

What to include in visual identity guidelines

26 February 2021

Two pages from a visual identity guidelines document detailing colour palette and typeface

Why you need visual identity guidelines

29 January 2021

Mary Philip smiling into the camera

Commissioning a web designer

27 November 2020

Four simple binding methods

Four simple document binding options explained

30 October 2020

Eight things to consider when choosing a printing company for your business

How to choose a printing company

25 September 2020

Six steps in the design process, from brief to complete

How to design without a designer: a six step process

28 August 2020

Selection of business cards with different designs, materials and finishes

Why is business stationery important?

31 July 2020

Information graphic showing all the things that contribute to a verbal identity

What is verbal identity?

26 June 2020

Spider diagram showing the breadth of freelance creative specialisms

Eight reasons to use freelance creatives

29 May 2020

Large scale poster featuring a photographic image by Timothy Gent

Large scale ideas

24 April 2020

Information graphic showing all the things that contribute to a visual identity

What is visual identity?

27 March 2020

Small booklet tucked in jeans back pocket

Small scale ideas

28 February 2020

A pile of marketing brochures

Maximizing the value of printed brochures

31 January 2020

Example z-card designed for Pickle Jar Communications

Z-card ideas

20 December 2019

Sample of Scala Sans demonstrating range of fonts in a typeface

Typeface licensing

29 November 2019

Examples of standard and discretionary ligatures

Lovely ligatures

25 October 2019

Saving money with correct colour specifications

30 August 2019

Intriguing image of lemons, raising the question ‘why?’

The importance of ‘why?’

28 June 2019

A quotation template

How useful are templates?

26 April 2019

Overwhelming choice of paper swatches

Briefing a designer

29 March 2019

Business document using paragraph styles to achieve consistency

How to use paragraph styles

22 February 2019

Choosing a file format for your logo

30 November 2018

Shouty email written entirely in capitals

Using capitals without shouting

26 October 2018

Pile of complex-looking forms

The uncomfortable world of forms

28 September 2018

Zoomed in detail of raster and vector letters

An introduction to vectors

30 August 2018

Page of Japanese characters

Pass the phrasebook

27 July 2018

Elegant invitation featuring thermography over text

Thermography

29 June 2018

Upper- and lowercase alphabet in Comic Sans

Comic Sans

25 May 2018

Business card design for Alison Inness, printed in shades of green

Printing green

27 April 2018

NCFE certificate for Digital Promotion for Business

Is traditional marketing dead?

30 March 2018

Person posting a suggestion for a blog post about how to rebrand in a postbox

Approaching a rebrand

23 February 2018

Person posting a suggestion for a blog post about rebranding in a postbox

Thinking about rebranding?

26 January 2018

Four octothorpes with text behind them

Octothorpe – the many lives of one sort

24 November 2017

Tactile print finishes including varnish and foil

Harnessing the effectiveness of touch

27 October 2017

Business letter address with excess punctuation

Peppering the page – unnecessary punctuation

29 September 2017

How we read & why that matters

25 August 2017

Form follows function

Form follows function

30 June 2017

Putting a freelance designer at the heart of your project

26 May 2017

Illustration of girl reclining on grass by Laurie Hastings

Commissioning an illustrator

28 April 2017

Vintage camera with roll of film

Painting a thousand words

31 March 2017

Six different booklets in a wide range of sizes

Size matters

24 February 2017

Blank notebook page with discarded drafts and a dictionary

Finding the right words

27 January 2017

Metal type trays in a cabinet with typeface names on labels

Two line English Egyptian

23 December 2016

Range of type sizes from small to large, with their old-fashioned names

Set in diamond

25 November 2016

Examples of embossed and debossed text

Embossing & debossing

28 October 2016

Kiss vs thump

30 September 2016

Computer keyboard focused on hyphen key

Cutting a dash

26 August 2016

Fan of green colour swatches in Pantone book

Fifty shades of green (but not the one you want)

24 June 2016

Choosing the right typeface for your business/brand

27 May 2016

Why Fonts Matter book being removed from bookcase full of design books

Why fonts really do matter

29 April 2016

Single and double curly quotes compared to prime marks

Typesetting – the finishing touches

26 February 2016

Fan of blue swatches in Pantone book

The Reflex Blues

28 December 2015

Colourful pages of paper swatch book flicking past

Paper finishes demystified

27 November 2015

The swinging 60s and all that! Memories of a compositor

30 October 2015

Paper samplebooks from Colour Options in York

Getting it printed

25 September 2015

The word ‘serif’ with the serifs coloured in blue

What is a serif?

31 July 2015

Page size and layout determined by the Fibonacci Sequence

Golden numbers

26 June 2015

Paragraph of text with spaces between the words highlighted

Seven steps to more professional typesetting

22 May 2015

Paragraph of text with large red heading saying ‘Plantin 36pt’

Type size demystified

17 February 2015

Venn diagram of primary colours overlapping to produce secondary colours

Learning your colours

15 January 2015