Before&After: How to Align Images by Eye
Members OnlyHow do you line up irrregularly shaped objects and size and space them just so?
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 a CD/DVD Package
Members OnlyWe redesign a CD package to make it look as good as the music sounds.
Before&After: Gestalt Theory: Proximity
Members OnlyWhen separate elements are grouped, they appear united just because they’re close, even if they’re not alike.
Before&After: Gestalt Theory: Similarity
Members OnlyElements of similar shape, color, or other attribute can seem to belong together just because they look alike.
Before&After: Optima: The Typeface of 9/11
Members OnlyHow Optima brings dignity and humanity to the National September 11th Memorial.
Before&After: Gestalt Theory: Isomorphism
Members OnlyWe humans interpret visual objects based on our own experience and memories.
Before&After: Callout Ideas
Members OnlyPull your reader into a story by using these eye-catching techniques for callouts (pullquotes).
Before&After: Picture Your Group
Members OnlyHave a dozen or more mug shots? A grid of squares gets that gang of yours looking good—together.
Before&After: Design a Catalog of Rectangles
Members OnlyThis catalog motif is simple, handsome, and versatile.
Before&After: Design Like a Lazy Person
Members OnlyDesign is easier if you segregate your page into two zones—image here, type there—to yield a handsome, super-clean layout in less time.
Before&After: How to Set a Text-Only Logotype
Members OnlyThe key to a great logotype is to find a typeface that makes the name look good and conveys the appropriate meaning.
Before&After: Presentation Lessons from Apple
Members OnlyTimeless lessons from Apple on crafting a perfect presentation