John McWade

John McWade

About

John McWade is the publisher and creative director of Before & After magazine. A designer, teacher, and author, Mr. McWade in 1985 created PageLab, the world’s first desktop publishing studio, and in 1990 he founded Before & After magazine to teach graphic design to desktop publishers. Before & After is known for its simple beauty, clarity of instruction, and especially its emphasis on design not as decoration but an essential form of communication. Mr. McWade’s formative background is in printing and publication design, with a specialty in typography. He has authored three books — Before & After Page Design, Graphics for Business, and How to Design Cool Stuff.

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Before&After: Make Desktop Holiday Cards

If you need to make your own quick and easy holiday card, this one fits the bill beautifully.

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Before&After Design Tip: Use a Ghosted Logo to Make a Great Notepad

This small notepad shows off your logo and lets your reader interact with it slowly.

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Before&After: Gestalt Theory: Continuation

Learn how to use Gestalt theory to explain visual connections.

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Before&After: Design From a Creative Brief

To know if you’ve reached a design goal, you must first know what the goal is. The creative brief lets you start answering that.

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Before&After: Gestalt Theory: Equilibrium

Equilibrium gives your design elements rest, stability, and permanence.

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Before&After: Design a Card the Easy Way

A photo and one block of type are all it takes to make a beautiful business card.

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Before&After: Design a Flier That Sells

The key to an advertisement that sells is simple: Keep all eyes on the product.

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Before&After: Draw Great Visual Instructions

Have something to demonstrate or explain? Don’t say it; show it!

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Before&After: Design a Chalkboard Web Banner

Handwriting on a strong design element makes a powerful, simple statement.

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Before&After: How to Use that Typeface

That font you just learned about won’t work just anywhere; it has a style that needs to be complemented. Here’s how to work to its strengths.

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June 29–July 3, 2026

Nashville, TN (and online)