GRAPHIC DESIGN BASICS (“Rules” for now… “Guidelines” for later) (#43: Don’t use colors this way!) 

Objectives —  Learn the formal elements of graphic design —  Understand the principles of design —  Comprehend visual hierarchy —  Learn about scale Let’s Do This! 

Definitions —  Line – an elongated point; considered the path of a moving point. —  Shape – general outline of something; a configured or delineated area on a two-dimensional surface. —  Colors – perceived on the surfaces of objects and known as reflected light or reflected color. Colors in screen- based media are known as additive colors (mixtures of light). —  Value – level of luminosity of a color. —  Texture – actual, or simulated, tactile quality of a surface. —  Pattern – consistent repetition of a single visual unit, or element, within a given area. 

Formal Elements of Design (…yep, the building blocks of two-dimensional design) —  Line —  Shape —  Color —  Texture —  Superior Attitude Let’s Explore... 

Line —  An elongated point, considered the path of a moving point; a mark made by a visualizing tool (drawn across a surface). —  Can be straight, curving, or angular; can guide the viewer’s eyes in a direction. —  Basic functions of lines include: ◦  Define shapes, edges, forms; create images, letters, and patterns ◦  Delineate boundaries and define areas within a composition ◦  Assist in visually organizing a composition ◦  Assist in creating a line of vision ◦  Can establish a linear mode of expression, a linear style 

Shape —  General outline of something. A configured or delineated area on a two-dimensional surface; created partially, or entirely, by lines, color, tone, or texture. —  Essentially flat, but two-dimensional – measurable by width and height. —  All shapes derived from 3 basic delineations: the square, the triangle, and the circle. —  Each of the 3 basic shapes has a corresponding volumetric (3D) form or solid: the cube, the pyramid, and the sphere. 

Shape —  Basic types of shapes include: ◦  Geometric ◦  Organic, biomorphic, or curvilinear ◦  Rectilinear ◦  Curvilinear ◦  Irregular ◦  Accidental ◦  Nonobjective or nonrepresentational ◦  Abstract ◦  Representational 

Figure/Ground —  Figure/Ground – aka Positive and Negative space. —  A basic principle of visual perception – the relationship of shapes, of figure to ground, on a two-dimensional surface. —  Figure, or positive space is a definite shape; it is immediately discernible as a shape. —  Ground, or negative space is the shapes, or areas, created between and among figures. Hope for Peace: Poster © Ronald J. Cala II Figure (Positive Space) Ground (Negative Space) 

Color •  Colors we see on the surfaces of objects are perceived, and known, as reflected light or reflected color (aka subtractive color). •  Colors on a computer screen are visible wavelengths of light energy; these mixtures of light result in digital color (aka additive color). •  Element of color generally divided into 3 categories: •  Hue – name of a color, red or green, blue or orange, etc. A hue also can be perceived as warm or cool in temperature, which refers to whether the color looks hot or cold. •  Saturation – the brightness or dullness of a color. •  Value – the level of luminosity (lightness or darkness) of a color. Shade, tone, and tint are different aspects of value. 

Color —  Additive Color System ◦  Color system of white light. ◦  3 primaries of light are red, green, and blue (RGB). ◦  Also called the additive primaries; when added together, they create white light. Blending Light 

Color —  Subtractive Color Model ◦  Used for inks/pigment. ◦  Subtractive primary colors are red, yellow, and blue (RYB). ◦  In printing (process color reproduction), cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) are the colors of the process inks. ◦  A fourth color, black (K), is added to increase contrast. Blending Ink 

Color Basic designer knowledge should include: —  Screen-based media uses 3 primaries of light: red, green, and blue (RGB). —  Awareness of problems, limitations and compensations of color print production, ink mixtures, and screen-based colors. —  Awareness of the printing primaries of CMYK, the process of layering dots of ink to produce color, and the Pantone™ color system of ink selection. —  Pantone™ color system – a standardized color matching set of inks used in printing processes. Swatch Book Page from Pantone Matching System 

Value —  Luminosity – lightness, or darkness, level of a color (light blue, dark red, etc.). —  Hue value – adjusted by using one of two neutral colors: pure black or white. —  Darkest value – Black Lightest value – White —  Value contrast – most useful for differentiating shapes; clearly differentiates figure from ground. —  Hue contrast – has less impact; less effective for differentiating between the figure and ground, or between elements, of a single composition. 

Saturation —  Brightness or dullness of a color or hue. —  Purely saturated – hue at its highest level of intensity. —  Fully saturated hue becomes dull, in various degrees, when mixed with black, white, or especially gray. ◦  Neutral colors (black/white/gray) dull the intensity/ saturation because they dilute the hue. ◦  Tone – color mixed with gray; reduction of the fully saturated hue. —  Saturated color ◦  Calls attention to itself, when placed alongside duller tones ◦  Will be noticed first, when surrounded by hues of lower saturation, in a composition 

Texture —  Visual arts have 2 categories: ◦  Tactile textures (aka actual textures) – have an actual physical (3D) quality; can be touched and felt. ◦  Visual textures – created by hand, scanned from actual textures, or photographed; i.e. illusions of real textures. Tactile Textures Visual Textures 

Pattern —  Consistent repetition of a single visual unit, or element, within a given area. Must be systematic repetition with obvious directional movement. —  Configured from 3 basic building blocks: dots, lines, and grids. —  Pattern grid – any two intersecting units. Open Your Heart – Give Blood: Poster Series © Cedomir Kostovic Pattern 

Principles of Design —  Utilized to compose visual solutions. —  Basic design principles are absolutely interdependent: ◦  Balance – creates equilibrium; helps stabilize a composition. ◦  Visual Hierarchy – creates emphasis through organization; improves communication. ◦  Unity – considers the design of a whole composition; all graphic elements have a discernible visual relationship. ◦  Rhythm – establishes the visual pulse and flow from one graphic element to another. Designing Smart 

Format —  Defines the perimeter and the field it encloses; the outer edges or boundaries of a design. —  Term often used by designers to describe the shape/type of a design application. —  Format examples: ◦  CD Cover (square shape) ◦  Single-Page Magazine Ad (vertical rectangular shape) ◦  Two-page Spread (horizontal rectangular shape) ◦  Different-sized screens – mobile, computers and tablets. Each has a specific rectangular aspect ratio and screen image width-height ratio. —  Regardless what shape or type of format – every component of the composition must form a significant relationship to the format’s boundaries. 

Balance —  Equal distribution of visual weight. —  Balanced composition can be symmetric or asymmetric. ◦  Symmetry – arrangement of all identical, or similar, visual elements so that they are evenly distributed… on either side of an imaginary vertical axis (i.e. mirror image). ◦  Asymmetry – when you arrange dissimilar, or unequal, elements of equal weight on the page. New York Times Style Magazine: Cover © New York Times Magazines (Example of asymmetric composition) 

Visual Hierarchy: Emphasis —  Created by arranging all graphic elements according to emphasis, helps guide the viewer. —  Focal point – directly related to establishing emphasis; the part of a design that is most emphasized or accentuated. —  Position, size, shape, direction, hue, value, saturation, and texture of a graphic element all contribute to establishing a focal point. —  Once the focal point is established, a designer must further guide the viewer with other techniques/elements. “Inspiration: Where Does It Come From?”: Article Janet Froelich © New York Times Magazines Focal Point 

Emphasis —  Several techniques: ◦  Isolation ◦  Placement ◦  Scale ◦  Contrast ◦  Direction and pointers ◦  Diagrammatic structures ◦  Nested structures ◦  Stair structures 

Rhythm —  A strong and consistent repetition; a pattern of elements: ◦  Similar to a beat in music ◦  Causes the viewer’s eyes to move around the page —  A sequence of visual elements, repeating at prescribed intervals. —  Critical to developing a coherent visual flow from one page (step) to another across multi-page applications and motion graphics. —  Incorporating an element of variance – equally important for punctuating, accenting, and creating visual interest. —  Factors that help establish rhythm: color, texture, figure and ground relationships, emphasis, and balance. 

Unity —  Occurs when all the graphic elements in a design are so interrelated that they form a greater whole – all the pieces look as though they “belong together”. —  Unified compositions – typically the best understood, and most remembered, by viewers. —  Relies on gestalt (German for “form”) – places emphasis on the perception of forms as organized wholes. ◦  Primarily concerned with how the mind attempts to impose order on the world, to unify and order perceptions. 

Perceptual Organization —  Uses grouping (and the perception) of visual units by location, orientation, likeness, shape, and color. —  Maximizes on the human mind’s attempts to create order, make connections, and to seek a whole. —  Methods: ◦  Similarity ◦  Proximity ◦  Continuity ◦  Closure ◦  Common fate ◦  Continuing line 

Correspondence —  Visual connection among the elements; when color, value, shape, texture, or parallel directions or design style repeat in a recognizable way. —  Elements in a series (related, yet independent, solutions): ◦  Each composition – unified on its own, through its com- positional structure, alignment, color, typography, and visualization. ◦  Each design – unified as a series, through shared characteristics and a consistent positioning of elements (template). “The Neversink Library”: Book Cover Series © Christopher King 

Scale —  Size of a graphic element seen in relation to other graphic elements within the composition. —  Based on proportional relationships between and among forms. —  Manipulation of scale, in a composition, can create: ◦  Visual variety to a composition ◦  Contrast and dynamism among shapes and forms ◦  Illusion of 3D space “Our Allies Need Eggs, Your Farm can Help”: Poster © Herbert Bayer 

Structure & Unity —  Structure – when viewers see, or sense, visual connections through the alignment of elements, objects, or edges they perceive a greater sense of unity in a composition. —  Various structural devices can aid in unifying static or multiple-page applications. —  Modular systems, grids, mathematical devices and alignment can help establish structure/unity. —  Alignment – positioning of visual elements, relative to one another, so that their edges or axes line up. —  Grid – graphic structure used to organize the placement of visual elements; incorporates guides to set up alignment. A Modular Grid 

Summary: Why It Works —  Design principles underpin every effective visual solution. —  Without a complete understanding of two-dimensional design, a designer creates primitively rather than with design intelligence. —  The formal elements of two-dimensional design are line, shape, color, and texture. —  A line is an elongated point, considered the path of a moving point. —  The general outline of something is a shape; it is a configured or delineated area on a two-dimensional surface. —  Figure/ground, also called positive and negative space, is a basic principle of visual perception and refers to the relationship of shapes, of figure to ground, on a two-dimensional surface. 

Summary: Why It Works —  The figure or positive space is a definite shape; it is immediately discernible as a shape. —  The shapes or areas created between and among figures are known as the ground or negative space. —  The colors we see on the surfaces of objects in our environment are perceived and known as reflected light or reflected color. —  The digital colors seen in screen-based media are also known as additive colors – mixtures of light. —  Value refers to the level of luminosity – the lightness or darkness of a color. —  Texture can be either the actual tactile quality of a surface or the simulation, or representation, of such a surface quality. 

Summary: Why It Works —  Pattern is a consistent repetition of a single visual unit or element within a given area. —  The basic principles of design are absolutely interdependent. —  The format is the defined perimeter as well as the field it encloses; the outer edges or boundaries of a design. —  Balance is stability or equilibrium created by an even distribution of visual weight on each side of a central axis; an even distribution of weight among all the elements of the composition. —  Symmetry is a mirroring of equivalent elements, an equal distribution of visual weights, on either side of a central axis. —  Asymmetry is an equal distribution of visual weights achieved through weight and counterweight, by balancing one element with the weight of a counterpointing element, without mirroring elements on either side of a central axis. 

Summary: Why It Works —  To guide the viewer, the designer uses visual hierarchy, the arrangement of all graphic elements according to emphasis. —  Emphasis is the arrangement of visual elements according to importance, stressing some elements over others; making some superordinate (dominant) elements and subordinating other elements. —  In graphic design, a strong and consistent repetition pattern of elements can set up a rhythm, similar to a beat in music, which causes the viewer’s eyes to move around the page. 

Summary: Why It Works —  Repetition occurs when you repeat one, or a few, visual elements a number times or with great or total consistency. —  Variation is established by a break or modification in the pattern or by changing elements, such as the color, size, shape, spacing, position, and visual weight. —  Unity occurs when all the graphic elements in a design are so interrelated that they form a greater whole. —  Alignment is the positioning of visual elements relative to one another so that their edges or axes line up. —  In a design, scale is the size of an element or form seen in relation to other elements or forms within the format. —  Proportion is the comparative size relationships of parts to one another and to the whole. Source: Graphic Design Solutions, 5th Ed; Robin Landa