HANDOUTS:
HO-02 Simplicity
HO-03 Abstract
HO-04 Dominance
HO-05 Unity
HO-06 Flow
HO-07 Balance
HO-08 White Space
HO-09 Proportion
HO-10 Final Media
Graphic Design Theory
Graphic Design is creating a
pleasing layout from text and graphics. That design might be a brochure, a
logo, a Web page, or an advertisement. The list doesn't end there either.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook defines graphic artists:
Graphic
artists use a variety of print, electronic, and film media to create art that
meets a client's needs.
About's Desktop Publishing Guide writes that graphic
design is:
The
process and art of combining text and graphics and communicating an effective
message in the design of logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters,
signs, and any other type of visual communication. Today's graphic designers
often use desktop publishing software and techniques to achieve their goals.
Leyline writes:
Graphics
design is the creation of visual media, usually for marketing. Business cards,
logos, publications, brochures, postcards or mailings, invoices, and books are
all products of graphics design.
They are not artists
they don't create most of the graphics or illustrations they use, but rather
create a layout with text and other designer's graphics. Some designers don't
work with text at all, such as an illustrator or a digital artist. And some designers do it all: print, Web, layout, and illustration.
What kind of jobs can you get with a graphic design
degree?
- Print design
- Web design
- Designer in an advertising agency
- In-house designer for a corporation
- Illustrator
- Book design
- Multimedia (movie titles, TV ads, etc.)
- Corporate Identity (logos, stationery, etc.)
What kind of jobs can you get in graphic design?
- Print design
- Web and CGI design
- Designer in an advertising, marketing, P.R. firm
or agency
- In-house designer for a corporation, NGO or
Government office
- Illustrator
- Book design
- Multimedia (movie titles, TV ads, etc.)
- Corporate Identity (logos, stationery, etc.)
- Sign design
The Web
-
A
medium that is 90% design and layout
-
New
work opportunities
-
All
designers should know the basics of web page construction
-
Most
designs must now be able to go from print to web, a consideration both in the
artistic and practical sense when starting a design
Principles
of Design
These are the principles of design
·
Every image must address them in
one-way or another.
·
If one principle is missing your
design may not work.
·
These principles apply to
everything from movie scenes and landscaping to laundry tags and bus tickets.
·
They are the foundation and
unless they are solid the design can collapse
·
The rules can be broken but
before you can break them you must know and understand them
Role of
Graphic Design
Explicative role
Graphics
express more than words in a shorter time.
(Draw Cross, Star of David and Swastika to
illustrate this point)
-
You
can use visuals to convey information that would be hard to describe in
writing.
-
This
is true of a simple logo to a more complex image. You’re communicating without
using sentences.
-
Just
images and simple short words.
-
Pictures
naturally attract attention.
-
The
right picture -- with the right text -- helps attract the right audience.
-
Being
aware of whose attention you are getting will ensure that your image is seen
-
There
often need to be a combination of image and text
It’s easy to make things difficult; it’s difficult to make things easy.
In design, making things simple
and clean in communication is the challenge, to say the most with the least.
HANDOUTS:
HO-02 Simplicity
-
King
of beers
-
Volkswagen
Bug
-
Cheese
-
Mini-pong
-
Ghostbusters
teaser
-
Picasso’s
“Bull”
ABSTRACT
HANDOUTS:
HO-03 Abstract
-
Abstraction
Man
-
Abstraction
in Action
Definition:
Short Definition: Abstraction is a useful tool in design and making things simple.
Long Definition: A visual representation that may have little resemblance to the real world. Abstraction can occur through a process of simplification or distortion in an attempt to communicate an essential aspect of a form or concept.
DOMINANCE
HANDOUTS:
HO-04 Dominance - two pages
-
What’s
dominant?
-
Dominant
in proportion
Definition:
Short Definition: Dominance is the emphasis of
one part of a design over another.
Long Definition: Dominance refers to a comparison between adjacent
objects in terms of relative visual importance. Dominant features are superior
to all others in visual influence. Dominant features in nature are mountains, a
single tall tree among small trees, or any feature that clearly controls the
visual scene. Skyscrapers and other major man-made objects are dominant if they
exert a strong visual attraction over adjacent features.
Also
Know As:
- Center of Interest
- Focal
Point
- Emphasis
What is it?
·
The
first thing the eye sees on a design.
·
Traditionally
this was the central part of the design, from which all other parts radiated.
Why is important?
·
Design
is to manipulate the viewer dominance is where the viewer is to start looking
·
There
is an order in a design, you want the viewer to follow the correct direction
getting information in the correct order, to do this you need to force them to
a specific start point on the design
·
It
gets the design attention breaking through human perception screens
(Give perception screens lecture)
How to achieve it
Through the use
of some elements:
- Colour (Red being the best.)
- Image
o
Shocking
o
Weird
o
Controversial
o
Sexual
o
Shocking
o
Weird
o
Controversial
o
Sexual
- Contrast (Contrasting colours i.e.
black on white)
- Size (Bigger image vs. smaller)
Variable Factors
A
number of design components affect or modify what we see, but are not constant
because they represent changeable relationships between the viewer and the
scene. These relationships are called variable factors. Such factors as scale,
proportion, distance, observer position, atmospheric conditions, light,
seasons, and motion are important considerations which the designer should be
aware of and which may be used effectively in proposed designs. (Refer to handout p2)
·
scale
·
proportion
·
distance
·
observer position
·
atmospheric condition
·
light
·
seasons
·
motion
Notes
·
Be
careful that your dominant element doesn’t overwhelm the whole image, too much
dominance and the viewer will see nothing else.
·
A
view may contain more than one dominant feature: Two objects of equal visual
influence are said to be codominant. Many dominant features in a view tend to be
distracting; the eye is drawn from one to another without the opportunity to
focus on one major element.
UNITY
HANDOUTS:
HO-05 Unity -two pages
-
American
Gothic
-
Swatch
– Coffee
-
Unity
–Typography
-
Unity
– Continuation
Definition:
Short Definition: A sense of harmony and unity
that pulls the design together.
Long Definition: Classic design theory
discusses unity in terms of the objects present in a piece of art. Regarded in
this way, unity discusses the need to tie the various elements of a work of art
together. Unity is a measure of how the elements of a page seem to fit together
- to belong together. A unified work of art represents first a whole, then the
sum of its parts.
Also
Known As:
What is it?
- All of the design elements (images,
fonts) are consistent with each other in shape, style and colour and
consistent with the overall message of the image and from a commercial
point of view, its target market.
Why is important?
- Establishing and maintaining a
consistency throughout your printed piece is essential to the success of
your design. If there is no unity than the main message of the design may
be lost or miss the targeted audience. Unity helps to hold the image
together both image wise and message wise.
How to achieve it
·
Similarity
Repeating colors, shapes, values, textures, or lines
creates a visual relationship between elements, called correspondence.
·
Colour symbolism
Colours that work together with the message i.e. an environmental action
poster would do well with greens and other natural colours. The colour supports
the message.
·
Shapes & Lines are they curved and soft in an organic
sense or hard and sharp at right angles for something to do with computers.
·
Size One element is not overwhelming another to the point
it’s lost
·
Fonts work together with design elements
(i.e. curvy lines=curvy fonts, rigid line
= rigid fonts.)
o
Fonts
help convey/support the message (refer to
Unity –Typography)
·
Style Overall style creates a united message.
o
A
wedding invitation has certain style elements that give it instant
reorganization. (i.e. wedding bells, doves, flowers,
bride and groom images, a flowing script style font.) An ad for a certain brand
of wedding invitations would use wedding elements in its design.
o
Style
also talks to the targeted audience; the overall style of a hip hop CD design
would be radically different from the design of a Gilbert and Sullivan CD. Each
design would be tailored to the market and the products’ respective tastes and
pre-existing established styles.
- Proximity The
simplest method of making objects appear to belong together is
to group them closely together. This allows us to see a pattern.
- Repetition/Pattern Another method often used to
promote unity is the use of repetition. Repetition of color, shape,
texture or object can be used to tie a work together.
·
Continuation A much more subtle method of unifying a work involves the continuation
of line, edge or direction from one area to another. Continuation is often used
in books and magazines to tie the elements of a page together with the use of
rules, and by lining up edges of copy, headlines and graphics. Unity – Continuation
Notes
·
Is the layout seen and perceived as a single, unified
whole?
·
Are there things that just don't
feel right a sore thumb sticking out?
·
Unity also exists in variety. It
is not necessary for all of the elements to be identical in form providing they
have a common quality of meaning or style. For example, fashions from a
specific period share common features of silhouette, materials, and color that
identify the style of the day, or the look of a particular designer. (Examples clothing in Wedding Singer and That
70s Show)
FLOW
HANDOUTS:
HO-06 Flow
Definition:
Short Definition: The visual path the viewer’s
eyes will follow.
Long Definition: Flow is the combination of
elements to guide the viewer around the design in the correct direction. Flow
begins and ends with the dominant element to help keep the eye moving
constantly around the design. You never want the eye to stop.
Also
Known As:
Why is important?
·
You
want the viewer to see everything in the correct order and you want the viewer
to look at your design for as long as possible. Flow can achieve this. (refer -medusa)
How to achieve it
·
Lines
The eye will naturally follow lines from start to end
·
Abstracted
arrows
·
Text
(headlines people read from right to left)
04 BALANCE
HANDOUTS:
HO-07 Balance - two pages
-
Symmetrical
-
Asymmetrical
-
Radial
-
Crystallographic
Definition:
Short Definition: Balance is the attainment of
optical and psychological equilibrium in a design.
Long Definition: Same as the short
Also
Known As:
What is it?
·
The
visual weight of an image. Balance can relate to symmetry, asymmetry or radial
balance. (refer to 17 ho-dt_balance-examples)
o
Symmetrical
Balance is an even
placement of visual weight in the design.
o
Asymmetrical
Balance creates uneven
spaces, a sense of imbalance making tension and a dynamic suggestion of visual
movement Asymmetrical balance refers to a psychological or "felt"
balance. Space and shape don't need to be evenly dispersed on the page
o
Radial
Symmetry relates to
images emitting from a point like spokes on a wheel or ripples from a pebble
tossed into a pond.
o
Crystallographic
Balance This kind of balance is also known as "all over" balance. Within
a grid-like composition, certain variation is introduced to direct the eye
throughout the design, with many focal points. Some familiar examples would be
quilt design or a game of checkers in the middle of the game.
Why is important?
·
People
like balance; we are creatures of symmetry and appreciate it in everything. A
design is like a real world building it needs to be balanced or it doesn’t
work.
How to achieve it
·
Colour
(Colours have weight Red = Heavy, Baby Blue = Light)
·
Shape
Squares can be heavier than circles
·
Lines
Thin vs. thick
·
Size
larger=heavier
·
Use
elements to create stability or a sense of dynamic space.
Note:
·
Balance
is vital, a design can be ruined by poor balance
·
Balance
should not be 50/50 in a boring mathematical sense different elements should ad
up to balance.
White Space
HANDOUTS:
HO-08 White Space
Definition:
Short Definition: it's the part of the design that "isn't" there.
Long Definition: the space between visual elements — is an integral part of the message.
White space tells you where one section ends and another begins.
Also
Known As:
- Negative Space
- Background
What is it?
·
As
the elements that are there. The unified background colour(s), textures, effect
or image make up the white or negative space.
Why is important?
·
White
or negative space help frame and contain the design.
·
avoids visual clutter, looks “clean”
·
It
can also help to focus the viewer on something specific.
(Volkswagen and IMac ads as examples)
·
Helps keep flow going
How to achieve it
·
Empty
space
·
Blurred
backgrounds
·
Patterns
Notes:
-
In regards to balance it’s usually the
case that you want more negative (or white) space than positive space despite
the principle of balance.
- White Space is also important in page
layout
(refer to 20 ho-dt_whitespace-gvb)
Proportion
Definition:
Short Definition: A two- or three-dimensional
element defined by other elements of design.
Long Definition: Proportion refers to the comparative, proper, or
harmonious relationship of one part to another or to the whole with respect to
size, quantity, or degree; a ratio.
Also
Known As:
Why is important?
-
Correct
proportion makes an image “real” or “surreal”
-
Keeps
things in perspective with the illusion of distance via size
How to achieve it
-
Measuring
- Using common objects to show proportion (ie a
quarter)
FINAL MEDIA
HANDOUTS:
N/A
Definition:
Short Definition: The design’s eventual display
media.
Long Definition: The technical specifics of the final printed,
published and or broadcast of the design into real-world measurements of
dimension, colour, resolution distribution and intent.
So where will the design end up?
- Magazine
- Billboard
- Side of the Goodyear Blimp
- Rink board
- Score board
- Surf board
- Internet
- Movie screen
- TV screen
- Postcard
- Cell phone LED
You need to know where it’s going to be before you decide what it’s
going to be, the end medium can suggest or even force design considerations and
or limitations so you should always strive to get all the details you can. This
may not always be possible, in those cases try to keep the files as flexible as
possible on the technical side.