Before&After Design Tip: No Budget? In a Hurry? Think in Extremes.
To maximize speed and ease, go extreme
The Before & After Archive
Welcome to the CreativePro archive of Before & After magazine articles.
Published from 1990–2014, Before & After magazine was the gold standard for educational material aimed at professional graphic designers and anyone else who wanted to learn “how to design cool stuff.”
Since the articles focused on design principles and techniques instead specific software, they are “evergreen” and just as relevant today as when they were first published.
You can read about the history of the Before & After magazine, and its founder, John McWade, in this article.
CreativePro members enjoy full access to download Before & After articles in PDF format, which preserves the original look and feel of the magazine.
The shorter design tips are available free to all.
Before&After Design Tip: Use This Quarter-Pie Format to Easily Design Your CD or DVD Label
An easy and effective approach for designing a disc label
Before&After Design Tip: Two Ways to Typeset a List
Design a list that bestows visible stature to the names on it
Before&After Design Tip: Multi-Caption Photo Tells Many Stories
Use more than one caption to unpack the detail in an image
Before&After Design Tip: Modular Pages Go Together Fast
A modular design system can help you retain your sanity in the face of last-minute changes
Before&After Design Tip: Size and Placement Tell a Story
The size and placement of your image can have a dramatic effect on its impact.
Before&After: What’s the Right Typeface for Text?
Members OnlyLearn how to apply the concepts legibility and readability when choosing fonts.
Before&After: How to Design a Logo of Letters
Members OnlyLogos with ligatures are handsome, simple, and compact.
Before&After: How to Find the Perfect Color
Members OnlyHidden in your photo is the color palette you need. Here’s how to get it out.
Before&After: Logo Makeover
Members OnlyTo create a new logo for a high-end custom-framing business, we turn abstract attributes into real images.
Before&After: Picture Your Presentation
Members OnlyBetter than charts and bullet points, photographs will give your audience an emotional connection to your words. Here’s how.
Before&After: Lessons From a Beautiful Site
Members OnlyThe design of this website uses a dozen visual techniques allow its many parts to coexist effortlessly.