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I spent a long time trying to figure out the solution to this problem. It seemed to be a new, unheard of issue by everyone I asked. But after a post to an InDesign forum, I found the answer.

InDesign Secrets calls it “Yucky Discolored Box Syndrome.” Here’s their solution:

Create a Transparency Flattener Preset that completely rasterizes everything:

1. Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets, click on “High” as a starting point, and then click “New.”

In the ensuing dialog box, yank the raster/vector slider all the way to the left. Set the linework resolution to the printer’s res (say, 600), and set the gradient/mesh resolution to, oh, 150. (I think you’ll find shadow appearance satisfactory at 150. If not, go to 300.) Save as a new Flattener Preset.

2. File > Print, and under Output, choose Composite CMYK, and CHECK the “Simulate Overprint” checkbox. Under Advanced, select your all-raster flattener.

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A design is in conflict when you set two or more typefaces on the same page that are similar — not really different and not really the same. I have seen countless students trying to match a typeface with one on the page, looking for a face that “looks similar.” Wrong. When you put two faces together that look too much alike without really being so, most of the time it looks like a mistake. The problem is in the similarities.

Although Williams goes into detail about contrasting typefaces, the general idea is to push contrast more than you might be naturally inclined. If you don’t, you end up with conflict. The next time you eat at a restaurant, look closely at the menu. A good menu has a high degree of contrast between sections. A poorly designed menu usually has the titles in 14 pt Times New Roman font with bold formatting, followed by Times New Roman 12 pt font for the menu items. Boring. Williams writes:

Don’t be a wimp. Most effective type layouts take advantage of more than one of the contrasting possibilities. For instance, if you are combining two serif faces, each with a different structure, emphasize their differences by contrasting their form also: if one element is on roman letters, all caps, set the other in italic, lowercase. Contrast their size, too, and weight; perhaps even their direction. … For a wide variety of examples and ideas, take a look through any good magazine. Notice that every one of the interesting type layouts depends on the contrasts. Subheads or initial caps emphasize the contrast of size with the contrast of weight; often, there is also a contrast of structure (serif vs. sans serif) and also form (caps vs lowercase) as well.

We already understand the principle of contrast in many other aspects of our lives, such as how we dress. In the following image, the orange-red color combination is hideous, but the red-black combination — which has a lot more contrast — is more acceptable.

Left, the colors are too similar -- the result is conflict. Right, the colors are substantially different -- the result is contrast.

When we dress, we automatically choose clothes that have some contrast, even if we’re not designers. It’s natural, yet we don’t always carry over the same principles into layout and design.

In the next photo, look at the color of the jackets — pink and brown, purple, and black and pink. The jackets on the outside have strong contrast, and the the colors work. The jacket in the middle lacks contrast. But rather than purple and light-purple, or purple and aqua, the designer chose to keep the shades pretty much the same.

More colors -- notice the contrast of the jackets on the outside

The solid purple jacket works, but will need contrast from pants, gloves, or a hat. (Of course, my kids look cute no matter how I dress them.)

My point is this: if we take our natural sensibility for contrast that we automatically employ in dress, and then apply it to layout and design, we’ll naturally make documents that have greater appeal. Here’s another example from Williams’ book, this one about table of contents.

Contrast in table of contents

Start looking at contrast and you’ll see it everywhere — store signs, book jackets, billboards, TV titles, logos, magazines, labels, dress, and more. The designs that catch your eye will have a good deal of contrast.

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I see so many sites that structure everything with tables. News flash: tables are out. Divs and floats are in.

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The other day I stopped by a local thrift store (Desert Industries) and picked up a few magazines for $.25 cents a piece, looking for attractive layouts that I could use as quick reference guide formats. The format most appealing to me was this image from Fast Company:

A possible layout for a quick reference guide from a magazine

I used this layout as a guide in Adobe InDesign and created the following quick reference guide format:

The quick reference guide I ended up creating in Adobe InDesign

(By the way, here’s the Adobe InDesign file if you want to use this.)

Notice several elements of the layout. The red task titles contrast sharply with the text beneath them, as well as the paragraph subheads. Also, the text is placed near the image it refers to, with an arrow that leads the reader’s eye down the page. Additionally, the tasks are aligned vertically so they have equal spacing in the margins. I haven’t crammed too much text on the page — the white space allows it to breathe.

The purpose of this quick reference guide is to provide a snapshot of a complicated-but-frequently-used task in the application. It’s not intended as an overall how-to for everything — just a popout of a process users may find confusing.

You can find a lot of ideas for attractive quick reference guide formats by looking through magazines. Here are few of the other layouts I found:

A colleague and I are presenting on quick reference guides at the next STC Summit. In preparation, I’m trying to gather as many attractive quick reference guide layouts as I can find. If you have any, feel free to send them my way. See my contact page for how to contact me.

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• Dr.Explain
• Scriptorium
• Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2
• Snagit from TechSmith

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• MindTouch
• DocuTools Writing System
• Madcap Software
• Dr.Explain
• Scriptorium
• Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2
• Snagit from TechSmith