GRAPHICS DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Graphics Design Principles

1. Core Elements of Graphic Design

2. Principles of Graphic Design

3. Working with Color

a. Color Wheel

b. Color Categories

4. Basic Typography

a. Fonts vs Typeface

b. Anatomy of Fonts

Unlocking Content Area Vocabulary

• Design - is a discipline of study and practice focused on the interaction between a person — a ‘user’— and the man-made environment, taking into account aesthetic, functional, contextual, cultural and societal considerations.

• Graphic Design - is one form of design that visually communicates concepts and ideas to elicit a certain action or influence a particular habit or behavior.

• Graphic Designers – these are professionals proficient in addressing communication issues

and presenting solutions in a clear and visually appealing fashion.

• Desktop Publishing – (DTP) is the use of the computer and software to create visual displays of ideas and information.

• Visual hierarchy - organizing content in a layout can be achieved through variations in scale,

density, or color.

Graphic Design is the process or practice of combining text and images in a visually appealing way to communicate a message.

Graphic designers use their creativity and technical skills to create various designs, such as logos, advertisements, and website layouts. They consider aspects like color, typography, and layout to ensure the final product is both attractive and effective in conveying the intended message to the audience. Graphic designers often work with software tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to bring their ideas to life.

What makes a good Graphic Designer?

A good graphic designer possesses a combination of creativity, technical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to effectively communicate with clients and understand their needs. They have a strong understanding of design principles such as color theory, typography, and layout. Good graphic designers are also adaptable and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines. Constantly seeking inspiration, staying updated on design trends, and being open to feedback are also important qualities that contribute to being a successful graphic designer.

Understanding the fundamentals of design is the first step to creating visuals that have

cohesiveness, and harmony. By organizing these elements in a thoughtful way, you can create

more than just visuals, but a design piece that communicates a lot more.

Core Elements in Graphic Design

These are the building blocks of Arts and design. Understanding these elements will help you

understand how art and design are fundamentally made.

1. Dot –

fixed point and is the building block of any visual form. This might seem basic, but what if we added a second or more dots on the same space, we eventually create an abstract shape.

2. Line -

is like a moving dot that can be straight or wiggly. It's a simple mark we use in art. When

we place lines strategically, they help guide our eyes to important parts of a picture or design. We call this guiding effect "leading lines." They basically control how we see the whole artwork.

3. Shape -

also known as plane. Geometric shapes are angular, while organic forms are irregular. Outlined shapes can represent a familiar object such as balls, house, camera but simple shape can be square, circle, rectangle.

4. Form -

is a three-dimensional object with volume of height, width, and depth. These objects include cubes, spheres, and cylinders. Form is often used when referring to physical works of art, like sculptures, as form is connected most closely with three-dimensional works.

There are two types of Form:

> Geometric Forms are those that appear manmade. Whether

simple or complex, these produce a feeling of control or order and appear clean and

sterile.

> Organic Forms are those that appear natural. Organic forms, whether simple or complex, produce a natural feel.

5. Tone -

is the lightness or darkness of a color. It is also referred to as “value of a color”. Tone is one of the most powerful design elements. In any painting, photograph or design, the area of highest contrast between light and dark will always demand maximum attention.

6. Texture -

brings feeling to your work. It defines the surfaces of shapes and forms and allows us to imagine a vintage feeling, or modern feeling.

There are two types of texture: Image Texture and Pattern Texture.

a. Image Texture is generated from a combination of organic or geometric

shapes and color. It can be simple or complex and generally appears

random to create a particular look and feel. Image textures tend to

tantalize the senses and therefore, the eye is naturally drawn to image

textures. They can be likened to the sense of smell and touch; you can’t

see anything in particular in it but overall, it triggers emotions and

sensations of touch. Image Texture can be environmental, biological, or man-made.

Environmental textures can be wood, grain, sand, water to the stars in the sky.

Biological textures can be skin, fur, feathers, and animal prints.

Man-made textures can be paintings, illustrations, dies, cloths, papers, typography, photographic effects, etc.

b. Pattern Texture - is also generated from organic or geometric shapes and color though pattern texture is mostly manufactured. Patterns can be simple or complex but unlike image texture that generally appears random, patterns appear more structured.

7. Color -

refers to the use of different hues, shades, and tones to create visual interest, convey messages, and evoke emotions in various design projects. It plays a crucial role in grabbing attention, conveying meaning, and influencing the overall mood or atmosphere of a design. It involves understanding the color wheel, color theory, and principles such as contrast, harmony, and saturation. Designers use colors strategically to establish hierarchy, emphasize important elements, create visual balance, and establish brand identity.

Whether developing a brand from scratch, or designing marketing collateral for an existing brand, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of color. 80% of consumers believe color increases brand recognition, and 84.7% cite color as the primary reason they buy a particular product. Carefully selected brand colors help create the right impression and differentiate a brand from its competitors.

8. Text -

also referred to as Typography is the strategic arrangement of type to make written language readable and visually appealing. The art of typography is one of the most important skills every graphic and web designer needs to master. It's central to every form of design, both print and digital. We use typography to describe the shapes, forms, and lines that make up a letter.

There are two common style categories of text: Serif and San Serif.

> Serif typefaces are characterized by small decorative lines or strokes that are added to the ends of characters, known as serifs. These serifs give the typeface a more traditional and formal appearance. Serif fonts are often used for printed materials such as books, newspapers, and magazines because the serifs help guide the reader's eyes along the lines of text, improving readability.

• Examples of popular serif typefaces include Times New

Roman, Georgia, and Garamond.

> Sans Serif typefaces, on the other hand, do not have serifs. The term "sans" is French for "without," so "sans serif" literally means "without serifs." Sans’s serif typefaces have a cleaner and more modern look compared to serif typefaces. They are often used for digital designs, such as websites and presentations, as well as for signage and advertisements where readability from a distance is important.

• Examples of popular sans serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

Principles of Design -

are guidelines that help designers organize and arrange the Elements of Design in a harmonious and effective manner.

These principles serve as the foundation for creating visually appealing and functional designs across various mediums, including graphic design, architecture, interior design, fashion design, and more.

Here are some key principles:

1. Balance - The visual weight of objects, texture, color and space is evenly distributed on the screen.

2. Hierarchy: Hierarchy establishes the order of importance within a design, guiding the viewer's attention to the most critical elements first. It is often achieved through variations in size, color, contrast, and placement.

3. Emphasis - Area in the design that may appear different in size, texture, shape, or color to attract the viewer’s attention. Sometimes referred to as dominance, emphasis might seem similar to contrast, but it’s not quite the same. Contrast deals with the difference between two objects, and emphasis deals with the impact of an object.

4. Contrast - refers to placing two opposite elements together. This most often refers to a contrast in VALUES (very light areas next to very dark areas, like in the image of the lion below). But contrast can refer to any opposing elements- such as a contrast in different textures, colors, shapes, etc.

5. Movement - means guiding the user’s eye to a predetermined path in a composition. When a viewer views a design, they are first attracted to the focal points of the design. By careful placement of these focal points, designers can easily guide the viewer through the design. This is called Movement in design.

6. Repetition - These are the repeating visual elements on an image or layout to create unity. Repetition is the recurrence of a design element, commonly utilized in patterns or textures. Repetitive elements can be used in conjunction with other principles to create a design that leads a user’s eye to a focal point, has continuity, or flow. A repetitive element could be repeated lines, shapes, forms, color, or even design elements.

7. Rhythm -is the visual tempo of a combination of elements when used repeatedly, and with variation, it gives the feeling of organized movement.

• Rhythm can be Regular, Flowing or Progressive.

8. Proximity: Proximity refers to the grouping of related elements together, creating visual relationships and organizing information in a clear and intuitive manner.

In design we use proximity for two main reasons:

1. To Create Connections - Proximity can create relationships between visual elements in

a composition, create relevance, hierarchy, create organization and structure.

2. To Dispel Connections - Proximity can also be used to suggest no relationship between

elements, to break organization and structure.

9.Unity and variety. Unity refers to the harmonious integration of all elements in a design, creating a cohesive pleasing composition. This ensures no single part is more important than the other.

WORKING WITH COLOR

Color is a universal language and perhaps the most vital and influential in design.

They can change how we feel and see things. Designers use different colors to make things stand out or to make us feel a certain way. They pick colors carefully to make sure everything looks balanced and works well together.

The key to understanding colors and their relationships to one another is to understand the color wheel. The positions of the different colors on the wheel determine their relationship to one another.

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