Basic Design Concepts
There are basic design concepts that you have to bear in mind before you design a project. But of course, as I have always emphasized in my class, you need to know your objective first.
Are you designing for a corporate audience? then a corporate look is needed - less colors, use typefaces (fonts) that is professional looking (adobe garamond for example) and (if the budget can provide) print your work in a nice glossy paper
Are you designing for kids? then a lot of colors will work for your audience, remember that kids are attracted to different kinds of colors. here you have a lot of freedom in choosing typeface.
Some of the most commonly acknowledged principles of design are alignment, balance, contrast, proximity, repetition, and white space.
Find out about design history at - http://www.designhistory.org/
But back to design basics...
Composition
In the visual arts — in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture — composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
The term composition means 'putting together,' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought. In the visual arts, composition is often used interchangeably with various terms such as design, form, visual ordering, or formal structure, depending on the context. In graphic design and desktop publishing, composition is commonly referred to as page layout.
The Rule of thirds
Wikipedia describes - The rule of thirds as a compositional rule of thumb in photography and other visual arts such as painting and design.[1] The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would.
The photograph to the left demonstrates the application of the rule of thirds. The horizon sits at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The tree sits at the intersection of two lines, sometimes called a power point. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds. For example, the brightest part of the sky near the horizon where the sun recently set does not fall directly on one of the lines, but does fall near the intersection of two of the lines, close enough to take advantage of the rule.
The application of the rule of thirds to photographs is considered by many to make them more aesthetically pleasing and professional-looking. The rule of thirds can be applied by lining up subjects with the guiding lines, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line instead of the center, or allowing linear features in the photograph to flow from section to section. In addition, many photographers recommend treating any "rule" of composition as more of a guideline, since pleasing photographs can often be made while ignoring one or more such rules.
for more info on the rule of thirds you can also visit wikipedia. You can also search for terms like "golden ratio", golden mean" or "fibonacci" for related concepts on the rule of thirds.
Here you can see a common composition, a centered one, when taking a photographPhotographs usually have a more dramatic effect when using rule of thirds. It also forces the eye to look at the subject (in this example) because there is a lot of open space in the other areas.
Exercise:
Find 3 photos online and crop it in photoshop in such a way that you have the "rule of thirds" composition.
if you have a camera, you can also snap 3 shots to show this basic rule of composition
The Fibonnacci Spiral
A Fibonacci spiral created by drawing arcs connecting the opposite corners of squares in the Fibonacci tiling; this one uses squares of sizes 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34; see also the Golden spiral
Exercise:
Create a document in photoshop and create the following ratio
1:1
1:2
2:3
3:5
5:8
8:13
13:21
21:34
Save the following files as psd (photoshop format). You can now use it as your template for ANY design project. remember that we just tackling composition for this exercise.
Save your files in your USB flash drive, otherwise just email each file to yourself so you have an online storage of your files that you can use for composition. Create a google account if you dont have one yet - it allows 7GB of online storage, not counting the archived messages.
The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio, or phi, is perhaps the most perfect number in all mathematics. It is equal to the squareroot of 5 plus 1, divided 2.
(Sqrt(5)+1)/2 = 1.618033988749895
It's the only number that if squared, is equal to itself plus one. In other words, Phi^2 = Phi+1. And if you took it's reciprical, it's equal to Phi-1.Phi^-1 = Phi-1.
Most things in nature follow the golden ratio pattern. Look at your own fingers for example. Measure the length of the longest finger bone. Then measure the shorter one next to it. Divide the longer one by the shorter one. You should get a number close to 1.168. All parts of the human body are proportional to the golden ratio. If you face is in this ratio you are said to be beautiful.
Nature's design based on Golden Ratio
Face mask, based on golden Ratio
Face Mask , based on Golden Ratio, Man and Woman
Marilyn Monroe with overlay of Mask above
Ancient Egyptians
Models used by advertisers - Video of the Golden Ratio applied to Celebrities
The Acropolis (see a plan diagram or Roy George's plan of the Parthenon with active spots to click on to view photographs), in the centre of Athens, is an outcrop of rock that dominates the ancient city. Its most famous monument is the Parthenon, a temple to the goddess Athena built around 430 or 440 BC. It is largely in ruins but is now undergoing some restoration (see the photos at Roy George's site in the link above).
Again there are no original plans of the Parthenon itself. It appears to be built on a design of golden rectangles and root-5 rectangles:
the front view (see diagram above): a golden rectangle, Phi times as wide as it is high
the plan view: 5 as long as the front is wide so the floor area is a square-root-of-5 rectangle However, due to the top part being missing and the base being curved to counteract an optical illusion of level lines appearing bowed, these are only an approximate measures but reasonably good ones.
Spirals as Ancient Symbols of The Goddess
The spiral phenomenon within natural forms can be explained through mathematics. But mathematics alone can't justify the lure of the spiral to the human mind. Besides math is a boring way to explain visuals :)
The Spiral, linked to the "Circle", is an ancient symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, feminine serpent forces, continual change, and the evolution of the universe. The spiral is probably the oldest symbol of the human spirituality; found at pre-historic sites across Europe. Some Celtic art scholars, believe the direction of the spiral may be significant. Some say clockwise spirals, are associated with the sun and harmony with the Earth, while counter-clockwise spirals are associated with manipulation of nature in the form of Pagan spells. Celtic spirals, are the symbols most often seen in ancient burial mounds and sacred places. Many believe spirals have mystical powers to prevent evil from entering into the sacred tomb of one who has passed onto the Otherworld. In Ireland, there are double spirals, which are sometimes seen as representing the breasts of the Mother Goddess. In other places, there are often found, a triad of spirals; known as the "triskele". Closely related to the triquetra, this Celtic symbol is composed of three interlocked spirals, that correspond to the three phases of womanhood. Known as the Triple Goddess to the Celts, it symbolizes maidenhood, motherhood, and the crone; it also represents the waxing, full and waning moons.
The Spiral, later came to represent the Holy Trinity in Christianity - God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whatever its meaning, it is interesting that it is based around the number 3 - which is regarded as a sacred number in many ancient cultures.
Exercise:
Create a golden Ratio document in photoshop, if possible (if you know how to) use vectors. this way you can re-use the golden ratio for your other design projects
Links and Resources
http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html
http://www.makeuptalk.com/forums/f29/golden-ratio-quest-beauty-69011.html
The "CRAP" Design Principles
These are four of the main design principles that can be applied to any design piece at all. You are going to be in control of your pages and/or website as a whole.
The following is a brief overview of the principles. Although these are discussed separately, keep in mind they are usually interconnected, rarely will you apply only one principle.
1. Contrast
The idea behind contrast is to avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. If the elements (type, color, size, line thickness, shape, space, etc.) are not the same, then make them very different. Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on a page.
Can you see the difference between your content, ads, headings, body copy and comments?
2. Repetition
Repeat visual elements of the design throughout the piece. You can repeat color, shape, texture, spatial relationships, line thicknesses, sizes, etc. This helps develop the organization and strengthens the unity.
Do you have a consistent theme or brand throughout your site? Do you reuse the same colour, shapes, blockquotes, formatting for all of your articles?
3. Alignment
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, sophisticated, fresh took,
Does everything line up or have you got things centred, left aligned or out of place?
4. Proximity
Items relating to each other should be grouped close together. When several items are in close proximity to each other, they become one visual unit rather than several separate units. This helps organize information and reduces clutter.
Can you find everything you need on your page easily? What is it that your visitors are looking for?
Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity = CRAP
When you gather these four principles of design theory, the appropriate and memorable acronym is CRAP. There is also a video on youtube explaining the concept
Typography
Properly used, typography is a strong design element and can even be used as a single design element. But use it improperly and the visual cue for the users is either - leave the webpage, throw whatever their reading and dont even bother to read the document.
Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs. Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), letter-spacing (tracking) and kerning.
Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users.
There is one basic rule when using type - the lesser, the better. Using one family (of fonts) or two is better than using more because the design looks more professional when using less typeface. Unless you are deliberately looking for the unpolished look, do not use several typefaces in one document.
Typography Resources
Ten Most Important parts of a page
Margins
Grids
Headers and footers
Headlines and titles
Subheads
Pull quotes
Visuals
Captions
White Space
Graphic Accents
Color
Color Models
When you ask children to tell you the names of all the colors, they'll know red, blue, yellow and a few more. A more sophisticated adult will be able to name periwinkle, mauve, fuchsia and maybe another hundred. There are, however, thousands of regularly used colors and millions more that can be distinguished by the human eye. To give a name to each of them would be impossible, so scientists have devised various ways of assigning numeric values to colors. These systems are called color models, and they provide precise methods for naming and reproducing exact colors. Some are based on the optical components of the colors and others are based on how people "feel" colors are related to each other.
RGB (RED, GREEN, BLUE) MODEL
In the RGB system, the red, green and blue dots are assigned brightness values along some scale, for example 0 to 255, where 0 is dark and 255 is bright. By listing the three values for the red, green and blue phosphors, you can specify the exact color that will be mixed.
Additive colors get lighter when mixed. As each component of light is mixed in, the combination becomes a new color.
Red, green and blue are the three additive primaries. You can mix any color of light with different combinations of the additive primaries. When you mix all three together in balanced amounts, you get white.
These three primaries are the basis of the additive color model. It's called the RGB model, and it's usually used to create color on your computer display as well as other electronic devices.
By mixing together various amounts of red, green and blue light, you can make almost any color. The RGB color space is a multi-colored cube with different points showing what colors different mixtures of red, green, and blue make. Television screens and computer monitors make their colors by mixing red, green and blue lights. A monitor or television screen mixes a color by illuminating tiny dots of red, green and blue phosphors with an electron gun located at the back of the monitor. By illuminating each of the dots to a different brightness, the monitor creates different colors.
The next several pages have descriptions of the major color models and some experiments to help you visualize how they work.
Because the RGB model is only capable of producing a certain range, or gamut, of colors, there are some colors that cannot be reproduced accurately by a computer monitor. The number of colors visible on a monitor is further reduced by the limitations of the video hardware in the computer, which may display anywhere from just black and white up to 16.7 million colors.
Cyan, magenta and yellow are the three subtractive primaries. Nearly any color can be produced with different combinations of these three colors. When you mix all three together in equal amounts, you get a near black.
These three primaries are the basis of the subtractive color model. That's why it's called the CMY model. A close relative of the CMY model, called CMYK, is commonly used by printers and some software.
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) Model
Many computer printers and traditional "four-color" printing presses use the CMYK model. In the CMYK model, by using cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks or paints, you can mix nearly any color.
In theory, you can mix any reflective color by mixing a combination of cyan, magenta and yellow. In the real world, however, the inks that printers use are not perfect. This becomes most obvious when you mix all three to make black. The color that results is muddy brown, due to impurities in the inks. That's why printers use black ink to get the best results.
Subtractive colors get darker when mixed. Each of the mixed paints or inks absorbs different components of the light. If the right combination of paints is mixed together, all of the components of light are absorbed and the result is a near black.
When preparing a color image for printing, the prepress operator makes four separation plates. Each plate is for one of the four colors of ink in the CMYK model. When all four plates are aligned and printed on top of each other, the inks will combine to simulate the proper colors. This method is referred to as "process color" (or "four-color") printing.
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) Model
The HSL model is very similar to the RGB model. In fact, when they're expressed mathematically, they're identical. The difference lies in how colors are expressed numerically.
The hue determines which basic color it is. Red, green, blue, yellow, orange, etc. are different hues. Saturation and luminance tell more about the variations of these basic colors. Saturation is the vividness (or "purity") of the color, i.e., how much of the color's complement is mixed in. Finally, luminance refers to the "whiteness" of the color. It may also be termed "brightness," "value" or "intensity."
Other models related to the HSL model are the HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) and HSI (Hue, Saturation, Intensity) models. These terms are all similar but not interchangeable.
CIE (Commision Internationale l'eclairage) Model
The CIE model is a more subjective description than the others. In 1931, the Commision Internationale l'Eclairage tested many people and found that the sensitivity of the receptors in the eye caused certain colors to be associated with others. The CIE color space includes all visible colors, whether or not they can be defined in the RGB or CMYK models.
Computer printers and other devices for displaying color have practical limitations that prevent them from making ALL of the visible colors. The colors that they CAN create are collectively called the color gamut. The CIE model is useful in part because a printer's color gamut can be drawn on the CIE color space showing what colors cannot be printed.
Other color models closely related to CIE are UCS (Uniform Color Space), CIELAB and CIELUV.
PANTONE® COLOR REFERENCE SYSTEMS
The PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® is a solid color communication system based on the visual matching of individual, pre-mixed colors. The PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM is a series of books with thousands of precisely printed colors alongside printers' formulas for mixing those colors.
The PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM is used by artists and commercial printers to select, specify and match colors very precisely. Many logos are created with specific PANTONE Colors that can be very closely reproduced. By using PANTONE Colors, designers can be confident that their output will match their expectations.
The original PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM included 504 colors and has since been expanded to include 1,012 colors along with their printing ink formulations. For four-color (CMYK) printing, the PANTONE Process Color System® specifies more than 3,000 colors and shows the screen percentages for printing.
Recently, as computers have been used more extensively for business and professional graphics, software users have begun to specify their colors with the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM and the PANTONE Process Color System. More and more software products have been licensed by Pantone, Inc. to ensure a greater degree of consistency throughout the industry.
Hexachrome®
More recently, Pantone has introduced a revolutionary, patented six-color process printing system called Hexachrome. By providing an enhanced set of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, plus the addition of PANTONE Hexachrome® Orange and PANTONE Hexachrome Green, the color gamut for reproducing printed photographic images and simulated spot colors has been substantially increased.
One of the inherent short-comings of printing with CMYK (commercially and/or digital printers) is that the resultant color gamut is relatively restricted, resulting in a considerable loss of color from the original artwork. In fact the four-color (CMYK) gamut can only reproduce 50% of the spot/solid PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors. With Hexachrome, you can now reproduce over 90% of these spot/solid colors, and get a substantially enhanced reproduction of the photograhic images.
Color Resources
DESIGN resources
http://www.jamiewieck.com/visual-essays/the-50-things-every-graphic-design-student-should-know/
http://www.1001fonts.com/fonts_overview.html?page=1
http://www.projectseven.com/
http://www.searchfreefonts.com/
http://www.webaxes.com/2010/08/100-glorious-wallpapers-for-iphone/