Graphic design has a unique place in the realm of advertising. There are usually several departments involved in creating media meant for print, television, or increasingly - the internet. Marketing is the department that generally researches the target audience and creates themes for the product or service. Public relations is the department that communicates with the consumers. Graphic designers create the content - especially photo manipulation, typography, and other information graphics. Explore a brief history of advertising to understand it's importance throughout history.
The Studio Habit of Mind that will be explored in this unit is Stretch and Explore.
To stretch and explore as artists we must learn to use all of the Studio Habits of Mind, and artistic concepts and conventions to go beyond what we perceive as our limitations - or what we think we can't do or aren't good at. We must remember to explore new ideas, mediums, and tools, stretch beyond our comfort zone by trying new things, taking risks, and making mistakes. Most importantly, as artists, we must learn from everything that we engage in, the progress we make, and all of the opportunities for growth and development along the way.
Just as in all of the Studio Habits of Mind, the ability for an artist to stretch and explore beyond their perceived abilities takes repeated practice.
Where do you think your limitations are when it comes to your creativity and the art that you make? How can we stretch and explore beyond that as graphic designers?
A concept is an abstract idea. They are the fundamental building blocks that lead us to think, act, or create in a certain way. Artists use different concepts to take their ideas from abstraction to reality. The concept being explored through the lens of the Studio Habit - Stretch and Explore is Branding.
Branding is a complex concept with many facets. Branding lies in an artist's ability to create a certain, intentional feeling in their viewer on a deep, personal level - one that is mutual and connects artist and viewer. It should permeate and be a deliberate part of all of an artist's work.
Now that you've done some research and know more about branding and why certain visual decisions are made, it's time to apply that knowledge by exploring how it relates to magazines.
Remember, branding can be boiled down to the gut feeling that the viewer or consumer gets when they look at or think about a particular company or image and the feelings they have towards it. What feelings do you associate with these magazine companies? How would you describe their brand?
The elements and principles of art and design are the foundation on which all art is created. They can be thought of like a recipe. There has to be ingredients in order to make a certain dish; no ingredients, no chocolate chip cookies. The elements of art are like the ingredients. Without the elements - line, shape, color, value, texture, space, and form - there is no art. That doesn't mean that all elements of art must be used in an individual artwork, but at least one must be present.
Stretch and Explore will focus on the following element of art & design:
Discover some interesting aspects about the element of art and design: form
Learn more about this element by completing the Form Guide.
If we think of the elements and principles of art & design like a recipe, with the ingredients being a metaphor for the elements, then the principles of art & design are the instructions. The way in which you put together the ingredients dictates how the recipe will turn out. Adding the ingredients in a certain order, using different methods to cook them, and doing things for the right length of time all change the outcome of the final dish. The principles of art and design are the way in which an artwork is arranged. They are the instructions for putting together an artwork. Does the work appear uneasy, or relaxed? How you put it together using the principles would determine that. Without the principles of design - pattern and repetition, contrast, movement, emphasis, balance, rhythm, and unity - an artwork would not have a unique look and personality to it. The principles of art and design are more subjective as well. This means that they can be viewed and interpreted by one person differently than they are viewed and interpreted by another.
Stretch and Explore will focus on the following principles of art & design:
Discover some interesting aspects about the principle of art and design: balance
Learn more about this principle by completing the Balance Guide.
Using the worksheet, stretch, research, and explore more about how magazines (and specifically their covers) evoke feelings in consumers and the importance of visual information when it comes to creating a brand for that magazine as identified in the earlier video on What is Branding?.
Composition refers to the arrangement of the elements of art & design according to the principles of art & design in any given artwork.
Composition is the key to creating a strong, aesthetically pleasing artwork in any medium. The previous units explored some of the guidelines to creating strong compositions: rule of thirds, leading the eye, depth of field, and negative space, and focal point or emphasis. This video explores how crucial the effective use of layout - or how you arrange an information graphic using grid and blocking - is to a design that communicates effectively with its target audience.
A convention is an accepted way in which something is done. It's a variety of things that artists do to create a piece of artwork. Artists use their knowledge of the numerous different artistic conventions with corresponding methods and techniques to portray meaning in an artwork.
Each Studio Habit of Mind will explore different artistic conventions. In this example, the artist is using the artistic conventions that this unit will explore - use of images, hierarchy of information and shape language. Proper use of images can be seen in ... The importance of hierarchy of information can be seen in ... The language of shape can be seen in ...
This convention refers to an artist's ability to properly use images in their work - from citing sources, to choosing the most effective image to communicate clearly, to the technical side of image use and everything in-between.
This convention refers to an artist's ability to create an area of emphasis and control the movement of the viewer's eyes in an informative, visual communication piece.
This convention refers to an artist's ability to understand and effectively use the preconceived stereotypes that exist in people in regards to certain shapes and the feelings, meanings, and messages they convey.
Time to sketch! Create four different layouts for your magazine cover using simple, basic shapes to represent the images you plan to incorporate into your design.
Using the digital cameras in class, take several pictures of the image/person you plan on using as the major part of your magazine cover.
Things to remember:
keep the background simple so that it's easier to remove
use good, natural lighting
take a clear, non-blurry image
try different angles of view to capture the image and your intended meaning as best as you can
props and costuming are encouraged, but not necessary
stretch and explore - learn photo manipulation techniques - tutorials