Catching Up in Graphic Arts Many people are hitting the books again after a good career, seeking a new one in graphic arts. Some are doing it to flesh out a talent they have been slowly cultivating over many years. Others have found a new love in graphic design and now want to be a part of the process. Whatever their reasons, they attack the project with a new fervor and hope that has been conspicuously absent in their lives since they began meeting their career goals.
Hopping back into school With little more to work towards, they found themselves yearning for a challenge. Hopping back into school for a degree in graphic arts in Nampa at a later age can be an intimidating prospect, but they have done it because they know a good education will help them make it in today’s world. Classes at Stevens Henager College give Nampa graphic arts majors a solid foundation underneath them, from which they can launch themselves into a new and exciting career. They are given a crash course in important concepts and skills required to be successful. Some of those principles are found at every level of design and are essential principles about the industry. They can help you get a head start on classes. When you’re going big, go bold. Do not shy away from creating large contrast between items.
Making contrast If you intend to create one square small and one square big, don’t fear making it as big as you want. Your natural inclination will often be to only make it slightly larger—like only one and a half to two times larger than the original.
As good as you think that is, it often isn’t enough to make an impression. Consider making it several times bigger and decreasing the size of the original box. Doing so will make your final design more eye catching and beautiful. Also, do not be afraid to let your design fall off the page. Many amazing pieces have been done by implying the rest of the shape instead of showing it to you. You will run into problems with this if you try it with text, but familiar images are easily expanded and extended outside of the field of vision to make a beautiful scene. Play around with large and small objects a lot to provide an interesting contrast. Another important concept to consider is that of alignment. Things that are aligned are beautiful to the eye. Take a look at this block of text. Everything is aligned to the left. No line starts slightly to the left or the right. Even in papers, indented text often aligns with other indentations. The alignment brings organization and balance to your audience. They know where they can look for more information on the same subject. Visual lines draw the eyes to certain pieces of information. Good graphic arts in Nampa will use this principle to direct an audience’s attention wherever they want. The aligned pieces will also solve nearly any design challenge you face. When something just doesn’t look right, look to see if everything’s aligned. When everything is aligned to something, it looks more visually appealing. Think about these principles and look for them in graphic arts around Nampa. You’ll find it everywhere you look and find innovative ways to apply it to your own designs when you get back to school. Photo credit: EdYourdon, Alki 1