Penn College Graphic Design Style guide

Last Updated 10/10/2023

Welcome to the Penn College Graphic Design Style Guide. The goal of this guide is to create a "living" style reference for students and faculty to use across graphic design class at Pennsylvania College of Technology. The guide will address typography, typesetting, production, and image preparation as a means of establishing standard cohesive rules and best practices with regard to graphic design assignments and projects. Please note, this guide does not supersede instructions and/or policies of individual faculty members and does not negate or invalidate faculty direction and/or grading criteria. Students are encouraged, if and when a discrepancy occurs, to speak with their professor for clarification.

Questions regarding the style guide should be sent to Professor Nick Stephenson or Professor Mark Wilson.

Type Classification

Type classification looks at the main characteristics of a typeface including serifs, stroke axis, x-height, and stroke weight differences and their historical context. Understanding type classification allows designers to make informed decisions about type

Typesetting

Excellent typesetting is a hallmark of the Penn College Graphic Design program. This section contains information on layout, typographic rules, appropriate use and design of type, character and paragraph settings, best practices and file preperation.

Production & Image Prep

Information on correct file and image preparation as it relates to professional and student graphic design projects. Production information spans both print and interactive media and provides resources to both understand and publish design work.