The Following is a extract from Computer Arts who interviewed David Carson one of the greatest designers of our era. I just want to hammer home the point that i made last time.

CA: You’re back working with Quark. Do you think contemporary designers depend too heavily on the abilities of their software packages?

DC: Absolutely. I work in basically one program, Quark. It’s not about having and knowing all the latest gimmicks and photo tricks. Good design comes from the most basic decisions – cropping, font choice, the overall design. If you haven’t got the eye, no program will give it to you.

It’s partly why we see so many solid, well-designed magazines today, but almost none that stand out. Designers get lazy and let whoever made their software make decisions for them. Your computer shouldn’t tell you the proper distance between columns of type – you need to be making those decisions. Get that title, subtitle and byline out of the same box!