HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours I created my own pieces of experimental work to showcase the design principles and show how taking away one would effect the whole overall effectiveness of a design piece- this is helpful to my research because it shows how principles are infact important when designing and designers and general public need to be more educated on them because they would learn to appriciate design more and what goes into making it and designers would actively apply the principles to their work, resulting in more effective work.
principles applied but has conflicting focal pointsuneffective.
Number 2 actually follows all principles, this example is what i would compare to when showing when you should do.
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The whole point of my editorial piece is to show my audience that using the principles actually improves their work when theyre applied, these pieces of primary research that i created myself shows this effectively by taking away the principles from each different example, it shows it doesnt work as well as the one with the principles applied. unbalanced composition creates tension within it.
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DESIGN balanced, focal point is clear, good use of colour palette
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too much empty space.
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design isnt equal and is heavy on the left side, uneffective, makes the viewer uncomfotable.
aspects are simply placed on the screen, no thought, things arent aligned, this composition doesnt have a focal point either.
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this design simply doesnt follow colour theory, therefore the colours dont work and conflict against eachother.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours 8.
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Analysing these pieces that i have created against the design principles is really effective in moving me forward within this brief because it helps me to think about how principles actually effect a designers work and how work looks way better when its thought through and isnt just aspects placed on a page blindly. It has helped me realise that my editorial should help the students to create better pieces of work by being able to educate themselves with my editorial visually and apply it to their own work effectively.
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1- balanced but conflicting focal points 2- balanced, focal point, colour theory, large, medium,small, aspects, composition, kerning, hierarchy, colour theory, consistancy, Z PATTERN, contrast is good 3- not balanced, composition, hierarchy 4- not balanced, composition, z pattern is wrong, 5- Z pattern is shown, but no focal point, balanced 6- colour theory messed up, contrast is wrong 7- Z pattern is visible but conflicting focal points are also there. 8- Kerning isnt right- makes piece hard to read.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours
These second pieces also have messed up principles, which is really helping me to fully understand the impact that applying the principles has on pieces of work.
Second piece of personal work I made to analyse against principles to show the importance of them:
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5. A L L P R I N C I P L E S M AT T E R .
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HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours
7. ALL PRINCIPLES MATTER.
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PIECE ONE- FOLLOWS BALANCE, HIERARCHY, COLOUR THEORY, SPACE, ALIGMENT, KERNING, Z PATTERN COMP-GRID PIECE TWO- MESSED UP HIERARCHY PIECE THREE- MESSED UP ALIGNMENT PIECE FOUR- MESSED UP COLOUR THEORY
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Analysing and understanding what is wrong with each different piece has helped me to further my knowledge in the impact that principles can have on design work. This is really helpful to my overall project because its helping me to understand why im actually doing this project and what impact simply not applying some principles has on pieces of design work overall.
I will reference this research when i come to creating my editorial and when i am trying to think of visual ways to PIECE FIVE- MESSED UP SPACE ( OBJECTS represent a principle working effectively on a piece of work. ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, MAKES COMPOSITION UNCOM- FOTABLE PIECE SIX- MESSED UP BALANCE PIECE SEVEN- MESSED UP KERNING.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours Primary research-town posters-baltic triangle
1-6 focal point hierarchy of words
balanced and aligned typography, makes the composition feel complete.
aligned in the centrehierarchy also used so you know where to look.
More primary research- i went to the baltic triangle and took pictures of the posters. I thought this would be good primary research for my project because i was able to look at them, which are by professionals, and see what principles are being used in the making of the posters. This is helpful to my project because it enables me to understand how professionals use the principles and how it impact their work overall. This is going to help me to inform the audience on why they should use the principles when producing their pieces of work, it’ll show them that profesionals use the principles to complete their work and so should they to produce effective work.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Primary research-honours
7-10 hierarchy
balanced comp. left aligned, good use of hierarchy so the audience knows where the look, effective use of hierarchy within imagary and colour.
What principles they follow-shows importance of appling them to create a design piece that is effective. 1- HIERARCHY, COLOUR THEORY, 2-balance 3-colour theory, hierarchy, consitance, small,medium,large aspcects, balance 4-hierarchy, colour theory, focal point, 2 column grid, composition 5-hierarchy, kerning, colour theory, 6-hierarchy, colour palette, focal point 7-simple, balanced, colour theory/palette, typography, 2 column grid 8-hierarchy, not balanced? Consitancy, colour theory 9-composiiton slightly slanted which is cool, colour theory overlay, hierarchy, typography families, 10- readability, hieraqrchy, colour theorfy, focal point? Lackikng a bit
HONOURS- RESEARCH Gestalt theory
Gestalt theoryTaken from the German word for “form” or “shape,” it often refers to the overall look of something that is greater than the sum of its parts. In psychology, gestalt refers to the basic principles that allow us to visually perceive order. Fundamentals for building creative visual meaning with pieces of work- I am researching it because it’s apart of the principles and is important to think about when designing.
Figure-ground principle When you look at the Sony Walkman logo ), you dont see single plain containing orange and white pixels – even though that’s actually what it is. Most of us see an illusory depth as well: we see a figure (a “W” and dot) and a ground that appears to be behind it. That’s thanks to the figure-ground gestalt principle, which says that when a smaller shape is surrounded by a larger uniform area, we perceive the smaller object to be in front and have the border.
Proximity If there is a series of objects (such as lines), we tend to perceive objects that are close together as a group. The short segments of the “I” are all closer together than the short and long segments of the top horizontal bar, which has greater gaps between the “B” and “M” and the crevice in the “M.” As a result, we perceive the “I” as a unit and not the top horizontal bar.
Similarity Chances are that when you look at this logo, your inclination is to group the three colored shapes together – even though they aren’t all next to each other – and to view the black “C” as an outlier. It’d be a strain to perceive the square and the circle as a pair and the “C” and the triangle as another pair, even though this would be a more logical sequence. That’s the similarity gestalt principle at work.
Looking at gestalt theory is helping me to understand some of the features of principles and how things work when we are creating design.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Gestalt theory
Continuance The continuance principle holds that if line or curve segments are in alignment, we tend to perceive them as part of a continuous whole. That’s why, when describing the Dictionary.com logo, nearly everyone would say it’s a partial circle with five branches sticking out. We see the circular form as one continuous part, because if you broke it up into segments, all of them would align. The branches are separate because they do not align with it; they hit it at right angles.
Closure
The human mind doesn’t like loose ends. When we see a figure that appears to be partially enclosed, our tendency is to “complete” it, even if that means supplying imaginary visual information. This is known as the closure principle. Many logos are famous for their utilization of the closure principle, which allows them to present a figure using minimal visual information. The World Wildlife Fund is one example. In their logo, we sense the curve at the top of the panda’s head, even though there’s no actual line there:
Most famous example is the hidden arrow within the FedEx logo.
Looking at gestalt may not be directly linked to me creating a editorial on the principles, but it does help back it up because gestalt theory is a theory of design and so are the principles so it helps to back up what im trying to discover about the principles and their effectiveness. To understand these parts of design will help me when producing my editorial to design things in a way in which they will be effective enough
HONOURS- RESEARCH principles of design Principles illustrated:
examples of grids are effective- mine should be more based off of shape e.g. three lines etc.
clever use of the colour wheel
how the principles actually affect the brain- this would be useful to include to show audience the importance. Here I have researched and found these visual representations of the principles of design. This research is really helpful to my project because I am able to see visually what the principles could potentially be represented by within shapes and visuals.
contrast is effective, two bold, opposite colours in shapesthis is good reference to use when i am creating my editorial.
This is exactly what i would like to do within my editorial, so this research is really helpful reference for when i am concepting the patterns that will go into my editorial. Each principle also has a description of what aspects it has- this is helpful to my research because i can reference this when i am creating my work. Hierarchy using shapes- the different shapes show the importance, if theyre smaller theyre less important etc.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Actual designers opinions on the future of design Vladimir Gendelman, Founder & CEO of Company Folders, Inc “The future of graphic design is going to be elevated to new heights by being fused with augmented reality and eventually, 3D printing. Augmented reality and virtual reality experiences allow people to get inside the experience whether itʼs for recreational, educational or occupational purposes. Designers will be in charge of creating those worlds for people to join. By the same token, augmented reality will also allow designers to unchain themselves from their desks and design on the go or incorporate more real-world elements.
Adam Kleinberg , CEO & Co-founder of Traction “Graphic design is on a collision course with experience design. Print is already close to dead as a medium of expression, but design has never been more important. In the future, all designers will need to think about context of how their work is experienced by users. Itʼs the third dimension.”
Pj Richardson, Creative Director & Co-Owner of Laundry “In 10-15 years, the separation between technologically-driven design and graphic nostalgia will broaden. Books, posters, and signage will still exist with unusual new twists (think signage system on Mars). Virtual reality will be fully functional via contact lens or brain implants and will require a new type of interactive-meets-motion graphics-meets-filmmaking approach to graphic design. Economically, the industry will work like YouTube — commoditized, but with standout influencers and specialists who really shine and distinguish themselves around cultural interests of that moment.”
Miguel Lee, Partner/Creative Director of Midnight Sherpa “Technology will play a bigger role than ever in the way that we communicate through design. We are living through a time where the paradigm shifts so often in the way we approach content creation that the overall effect is now the new norm. Specialized and highly technical methods of executing work inevitably become simple “buttons,” empowering designers to realize their vision and build richer and more meaningful experiences without technological hindrances. The battlefield for high-end execution will continue to evolve away from a heavy-lifting contest and into a chess game. This accessibility will also lead to a noisier design landscape, resulting in a higher premium on creating disruptive work to cut through that noise.”
Researching these quotes of designers that work in the industry and their opinions on the future of design is really effective for me because I am able to see what the opinions are which will directly impact the principles of design because if theyre less used then they wont matter as much, this is important to my editorial because its explaining the importance of the design principles, but I need to consider other outcomes such as them not being important anymore and maybe include a piece about this in the back of the editorial, and explain to the viewer how its important to learn them, but as a designer you also need to be ready to change with the technology that advances.
This research has been effective because its enabled me to understand what professionals actually think of the future of design - this is important to research for my project because i need to understand where professionals think design is going and how that is going to effect the use of the principes, are their going to be more principles because of this?
HONOURS- RESEARCH Principles theories Gutenberg Diagram, Z-Pattern, And F-Pattern These patterns take advantage of how people scan a page. The Gutenberg Diagram The Gutenberg diagram describes a general pattern the eyes move through when looking at evenly distributed, homogenous information. The pattern applies to text-heavy content. Think pages in a novel or a newspaper. The pattern isnĘźt meant o describe every possible design. The Gutenberg diagram divides the layout into 4 quadrants. Primary optical area located in the top/left Strong fallow area located in the top/right Weak fallow area located in the bottom/left. Terminal area located in the bottom/right The pattern suggests that the eye will sweep across and down the page in a series of horizontal movements called axes of
orientation. Each sweep starts a little further from the left edge and moves a little closer to the right edge. The overall movement is for the eye to travel from the primary area to the terminal area and this path is referred to as reading gravity. Naturally this is for left to right reading languages and would be reversed for right to left reading languages. The Gutenberg diagram suggests that the strong and weak fallow areas fall outside this reading gravity path and receive minimal attention unless emphasized visually in some way. Important elements should be placed along the reading gravity path. For example placing logo or headline in the top/left, an image or some important content in the middle, and a call-to-action or contact information in the bottom right.
Designs that follow Gutenberg are said to be in harmony with natural reading gravity.Therefore appealing to the audience more when this principle is followed.
This research is very helpful to my project because im able to further understand about some of the principles and some of the subcategories of the principles. This information is helpful because it enables me to see how these specfic principles work and how theyre effective. I can use this principle effetively within my editorial to show composition and how it works.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Principles theories Z-Pattern Layout The z-pattern layout follows the shape of the letter z. Readers will start in the top/left, move horizontally to the top/right and then diagonally to the bottom/right before finishing with another horizontal movement to the bottom/right. The main difference with the Gutenberg diagram is that the z-pattern suggests viewers will pass through the two fallow areas. Otherwise they still start and end in the same places and still pass through the middle. As with Gutenberg a designer would place the most important information along the patternĘźs path. The z-pattern is good for simple designs with a few key elements that need to be seen. Any storytelling aspect of the design would follow the path of the z.
Researching about the Z pattern is really helpful to my project because im able to see how it works, which is really important because i need to know about it all to be able to explain it to the audience effectively using visuals. Without this research i wouldnt know the technical side of the principle so i wouldnt be able to explain it effectively to the audience using visual patterns, but with this im able to come back after my concepts and reference it to understand when im creating my editorial to create content that is effective and works well. Z pattern really helps viewers to scan the page effectively and take in all the information that is on the page, so to use this within my editorial as well and not just explain it would enable me to create editorial pages that are readable to the audience and effective overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Principles theories Zig-Zag Pattern We can extend this pattern a little by seeing it more as a series of z-movements instead of one big z-movement. The reader will continue to move to the right and then a little down and back to the left before starting another horizontal movement to the right again. ItĘźs how we naturally read large blocks of text. This idea means that when designing a magazine you would use this pattern for the body text to make sure the audience reads all of the content. This series of z-movements is sometimes referred to as a zig-zag pattern. If we continue to add more zigs and zags to the pattern we ultimately end up with a series of near horizontal right and left movements as the diagonal portion of the z gets shallower and shallower.
zig zag pattern within pieces of work- could use this pattern as a background pattern within my editorial pages that explain this.
Although all these patterns are effective, they are applied when visual hierarchy is already present, which makes the piece work less because the designer tries to force the pattern whilst the audience would already know where to look because of it- when i create my magazine I need to make sure that I consider this and understand that i dont need to force this pattern, but also I need to show how it works through the principles. I can use this research to create visuals that explain this specfic principle overall and effectively. This research will be really effective reference for when i am creating my editorial because it explains how the pattern for composition works effectively.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Principles theories The f-pattern The F pattern follows the shape of the letter F.
Jacob Nielsen first suggested the pattern after eye-tracking studies his company performed. What often gets lost in the f-pattern is that these original studies were done on text heavy designs and search results. As with the other patterns the eye starts in the top/left, moves horizontally to the top/right and then comes back to the left edge before making another horizontal sweep to the right. This second sweep wonʼt extend as far as the first sweep. Additional sweeps move less and less to the right and for the most part after the second major sweep the eye sticks close to the left edge as it moves downs. The f-pattern suggests that: Important information should be placed across the top of the design where it will generally be read. Lesser information should be placed along the left edge of the design often in bullet points where little horizontal eye movement is required to take everything in. People donʼt read online. They scan. When applying the f-pattern think scanners and place content these scanners would most likely be interested in along the F. Place important information at the top and information designed to pull someone further into the page down the side.
This principle is important because it is based off actual fact and the fact that youre brain reads things this way if theyre placed effectively in an ‘f’ pattern, this will be effective to talk about within my editorial because it will enable me to inform the viewer on how they should be placing their work to get the most out of the information for the audience that will read it.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Principles
Important quotes about design principles “good design...is intelligence made visible”;” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “aligning quality and ʻgood designʼ can be both contextually and temporally relative.” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “Ugliness does not sell.” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “key principles considered fundamental to organic form and the creation of visual imagery: Contrast, Rhythm (or pattern), Balance (and symmetry), Proportion along with Unity/Harmony, Movement and Expression.” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “Communicate – donʼt decorate”;” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “Ensure that elements within a design relate to each other in some way;” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “Use two and a maximum of three typefaces within any one piece of graphic visual design;” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “vision is construction”;” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “a four second window of opportunity exists for a visual image to attract and hold attention before a viewerʼs interest may be lost.” ― Zena O'Connor, Elements and Principles of Design “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” –Steve Jobs “Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe.” –Wojciech Zieliński “People ignore designs that ignore people” –Frank Chimero
I researched these quotes because I can include them as part of my body text in my magazine to show the audience the importance of the principles based off of actual designers opinions, which might make them want to read the editorial more on the principles.
HONOURS- RESEARCH The future of design “At a time of bewildering technological advances, visual saturation and increasingly complex systems, what role can design play in shaping our future?” “In An interview Tom Dixon discusses how he got started in design following his career in the band Funkapolitan, what his key design principles are and how he thinks the future of the field will be shaped by areas such as biomimicry, producing structures and systems modelled on natural and biological entitiesThose principles have held sway for the last half-century, but exactly how influential are they in 2018? To learn more, weʼve teamed up with Braun to produce a mini-documentary featuring Braun design director, Oliver Grabes. He opens up to us about what inspires him to be passionate about great design. Next, we speak to Braun design director Oliver Grabes, who opens up about what inspires him to be passionate about great design. “For me personally, itʼs the challenge of making things better,” he said. “Design is about seeing opportunities. My wife jokes that every time I see something that I think someone could have done better, I have to comment on it. Iʼll say: ʻThey should have done it like this or that. Then it would be easier. Why does it have to be so complicated?ʼ Itʼs a way of constantly looking at the world around you and trying to make it better, and especially to make it easier. I want to make things simple so that things donʼt take time from you which they donʼt deserve.” Something that both Dixon and Grabes share is an understanding that design isnʼt only about creating good-looking products or sleek toys for grown-ups. Dieter Rams once said that there are “ten principles of good design”. Devised as his own answers to the question: “Is my design good design?”, Rams said that design should: be innovative, make a product useful, be aesthetic, make a product understandable, be unobtrusive, be honest, be long-lasting, be thorough down to the last detail, be environmentally friendly and involve as little design as possible. In that tradition, todayʼs truly great design has the ability to seamlessly weave technology into our lives in ways that could shape the future and determine what it looks like for all of us.”
Automation of design.... A lot of the work we do as designers is prescriptive. We work within set screen sizes and resolutions, to standardized paper formats with grids that have been calculated proportionally. We work with colors that have been numerically serialized and indexed, and can be developed into color systems mathematically. We create palettes of type styles from typefaces that are accessible online, can be categorized based on historical developments and genres, and laid out according to a base unit. These parts are modular and mechanical, perfect for automation. And a lot of our current workflow is pretty automated anyway—consider some of those tasks that would have been completed manually in years gone by, like typesetting.
Looking into the future of design is important because of the fact that without looking into the future, i wouldnt know how to inform my audience on the principles of design and how they may be effected overall. Looking into the future as research also helps me to understand how automation is effecting the principles, just as general reserach for this project, as looking into the future of it can help me to understand if theres a future for principles because of the automation, its interesting to think about as research.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Interview on design processes and future
Do you feel that designers of the 21st century should know more about the history of typography and the manual processes involved in design to improve their understanding and respect for the discipline? Sure, designers should know their history. But I think thatʼs kind of automatic for anyone who has an intense interest in anything — you want to know where things you love came from and how they were made, if only to figure out how to capture that magic yourself! I donʼt think itʼs essential that people have respect for old processes, necessarily. Sometimes you need to tear things apart in order to create new things. I think itʼs more important to have respect for your personal discipline. Set goals, and follow through. Learn all you can. Respect the people you work with, both ahead of you and coming up behind. And do your very best on every job, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the time. Has CTRL-Z made designers less clinical in their work? Do you mean “command-z”? Absolutely. I could never produce half the stuff I do if I had to plan it all out in advance and there was no easy way to change it. I think “undo” has fundamentally changed the way designers, and probably everybody works. And itʼs fantastic. I can still picture those sheets of black type on white photo paper coming out of the old machines. You cut them, you waxed the back, you laid them down and that was it. A typo, or a slip of the x-acto, and you had to run it all again. Scary!! What would be your defense to people that say that its easy to pick a font and be a graphic designer if you know how to use photoshop? Go for it! Have fun! I think when you actually try something yourself, and realize how difficult it can be to get what you imagine in your head out into the real world, you more fully appreciate people who are really skilled at it. I can go out to the golf course this weekend and sink a putt or two, but could I do it 18 holes in a row, with a crowd of people watching and million$ on the line? Heck no. Desktop publishing hasnʼt put real designers out of work. if anything itʼs raised the level of appreciation for what we do, as well as opened the doors to talented people who might not have had an opportunity before. Itʼs a wonderful thing.
This research is helpful because I am able to look at answers from an actual designer on the future of design and the importance of a designer actually studying design and their opinions. It really helps because now I can go onto my editorial making with some inspiration on why Iʼm even making it in the first place- to help first year designers understand that design is a process and you canʼt just call yourself a designer you have to earn it.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Good design= Good buissness- the importance of principles research Good Design Equals Good Business The publicʼs obsession with Apple over the past decade has proven that design doesnʼt exist to just be aesthetically pleasing, but instead as a powerful business differentiator. A recent DMI report found that between 2003 and 2013, design-centric companies listed on the S&P grew 299%, compared to just 75% growth for companies that were not. With the technology giants of Google and Microsoft clamoring to become more design-led, it was telling that when Bill Gates was asked shortly after the death of Steve Jobs the one quality of Jobs that he wished he had possessed, Gates instantly replied, “Oh, his sense of design,” adding that Jobsʼ — with the little engineering background he had — showed how design can lead you in a good direction to phenomenal products. However, the devil is truly in the detail; success comes from the small and often-invisible changes that can go unnoticed. We recently made a small design tweak to the smartphone app of a major hotel chain and conversion doubled overnight. One small change resulted in a multi-million pound uplift in revenue.
This research is effective as it has helped me to prove that good design is effective in sales. Apple have sold so much because of their branding, their sleekness, the campaigns etc, all of this includes using the design principles- this is effective because it has really helped me to look at the principles and understand that to be succesful in your design career, you need to follow the principles and understand the psychology of design in order to entice your audience, and this point is really important within my project because of the fact that that is what im trying to portray to my audience- i can reference this in my editorial.
HONOURS- RESEARCH future of design
Automation Future
Principles
Less use of the principles- more used by robots- graphic designers become art directors of work that robots produce
Less use because of: Adobe creating tools that automatically scale, put things in perspective, and line up elements onto a grid
Maya- automatic 3D models that go straight into perspective space BUT, the robots still apply the principles, just through maths as theyĘźre inputted- so the principles will still be relevant but to robots instead of humans- designers will be art directors and have to pick out the designes that are the best- which will still follow the principles as good designs- which means they will still be relevant, which results in it still being important for designers to learn them- this is what my editorial piece does.
Automation may be occuring, but through my research IĘźve been able to see that the principles will still be relevant to design, because things such as the fibonacci spiral cannot be taken away by automation, because it can be coded, because its based off of maths, and applied to pieces of art, and it also occurs in nature and has done since the dawn of time, so that will always be relevant, so creating my editorail piece does have purpose in educating first year students in the principles.
HONOURS- RESEARCH
basic principles of graphic design research Basic Principles of Graphic Design
The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast, and space to create effective page compositions.
Balance: Most good graphic designs achieve visual balance by using symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial symmetry about a visual center. In symmetrical balance, both sides of a page layout are the same in weight, shape, lines, and other elements. Asymmetrical balance occurs when the two sides of a website aren't the same, but they have similar elements. Radial symmetry places elements in a circular pattern. Although it is popular in print layouts, radial symmetry isn't seen much on websites because the circular placements are difficult to achieve. Occasionally, a graphic designer intentionally produces an unbalanced design, usually to focus attention on a single element. In design, as in other areas, you need to know the rules before you can break them effectively, but unbalanced designs can work. Balance lends stability and structure to an overall design. To understand it better, think that thereĘźs a weight behind each of your design elements. Balance is important because it creates a sense of structure within your designs.
Proximity helps in creating a relationship between similar or related elements. These elements need not be grouped\ together, instead, they should be visually connected by way of font, colour, size, etc.
This principle helps the designs to relate together and the audience be able to understand how the design is one rather than different aspects all put into one.
Repetition is a fundamental design element, especially when it comes to branding. It creates a rhythm and
strengthens the overall design by tying together consistent elements such as logo and colour palette, making the brand or design instantly recognisable to viewers.
repetition helps viewers understand that the brand is continual throughout and can realte a colour to a certain brand e.g. coke is closely realted to the red and white and if you see a can thats red you automatically think of coke.
HONOURS- RESEARCH
basic principles of graphic design research
Alignment plays a pivotal role in creating a seamless visual connection with the
design elements. It gives an ordered appearance to images, shapes, and blocks of texts by eliminating elements placed in a disheveled manner.
Aligment helps a design to look professional and structured, a grid can also be used within this to help the alignment process- overall -
Contrast happens when there is a difference between the two opposing design
elements. The most common types of contrast are dark vs. light, contemporary vs. old-fashioned, large vs. small, etc. Contrast guides a viewerĘźs attention to the key elements, ensuring each side is legible.
Ęťnegative spaceĘź, which in simple words means the area between or around
the elements. If used creatively, negative space can help create a shape and highlight the important components of your design.
HONOURS- RESEARCH
basic principles of graphic design research
Colour
The human eye can see over 10 million different colours from red to violet, and from young age all of us learn to attribute certain values or meanings to specific colours. The way you were raised, the people around you and your culture all contribute to what you assosiate certain colours with. This principle is hard to communicate because of this, but in my editorial I will be saying that colour theory is important even if we sometimes assosiate different colours differently. Traffic lights for instance. Theyʼre just colours but we learn that red means stop, green means go. This to say that we take very different actions just based on a colour, sometimes even without thinking about it. We learn these things, not because a colour has an intrinsic meaning attached to it. This is more true if you consider that these meanings will change depending on your culture, where and when you were raised. All this to say that you can add meaning, intention and a tone just by picking the right colour, you just need to make sure you understand very well who you're designing for. Culture really does change the assosiation with certain colours, for example: ʻThe colour of Sun – yellow. Most cultures have similar meanings for yellow. It is generally associated with optimism, good energy, cheerfulness. However, it also represents caution and possibility of danger. When it comes to differences between the cultures, Germany recognizes yellow as the colour of jealousy. Thatʼs why they donʼt necessarily like to give yellow flowers. In Ancient Egypt, yellow stood for the deity of the religion. However, moving to the eastern part of the world, we can see a lot of varied interpretations of the colour. In Japan, yellow is for the brave and courageous. It stands for people that are not afraid of anything. In Russia, people refer to the mental hospitals as “yellow houses”.
Looking at colour theory is really helpful to my project because im able to see what it is and the information i should be including within my editorial, this reserach is really important because it is informing me on the information that i need to include within my editorial and actually giving me ideas on the content that i can include in terms of shapes that i can create to represent colour theory- colours that go together, the emotions they provoke, can all be starting points on what i create for my finals.
HONOURS- RESEARCH
basic principles of graphic design research
Psychology of design-application research In order to stand out, brands including Heinz, Oxo and the RAF are applying the principles of psychology and using neuroscience techniques to create designs that resonate with consumers in both an immediate and lasting way. - This is important because that means that the editorial Iʼm creating would actually come into some use, explaining the principles, including colour theory- which uses psychology of colours to get the audience to buy things. Psychological principles – concerning behaviour, attitudes, aspirations and motivations – can help brands understand how their logos or packaging make consumers react. All visuals create a pattern of attention, which is why it is so important for brands to give designs a clear focus, as humans have limited attention spans,---- explains psychologist Nathalie Nahaï. “Itʼs also important to think about the principle of cognitive load, which relates to the energy it takes to process a task,” she adds. “Good design reduces the mental effort and makes it easier to take the desired action like buying the product you want,” explains Nahaï. A sans serif font, for example, requires less effort to read, while some colours evoke an immediate feeling, such as red for feelings of love or anger and blue, which is associated with trust and calmness.
Find your focus- a key element to good composition is a strong focal point- it helps
viewers eyes naturally settle on important pieces of the design. When choosing a focal ppoint we have to consider how it will communicate as a design. Some ways to draw focus are through techniques like scale, contrast, and leading lines.
Focal point established through leading lines to it and hierarchy of the information- can explain this within my editorial. Looking at the psychology of design is important because a big part of the principles working is the fact that they play on the brain and the psychology of design. Psychology plays a big part in making a principle work effectively. I can mention this within my editorial to show the audience the importance of how the brain works and how that actually effects the principles and sometimes the principles are created from how the brain works, e.g. colour theory was created because of how we emotionally resonate with different colours- can use this within my body text for my editorial.
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basic principles of graphic design research
Use Elements That Complement Each Other YouĘźve heard of complementary colors, but what about complementary design elements? One key element to a successful and effective composition is taking the time to carefully and purposefully select each element of your design so that each part complements the whole. A common error in compositions is using images that donĘźt complement each other. So, when using more than one image in your composition, try to make sure that they all look effective and cohesive when grouped together.
Choosing photos that are similar or using the same shade of colour within each pictures- creates a realtionship between the aspects of the composition.
Aligning
your elements in a strong and logical way also helps you create order amongst many elements. So, if youĘźre using a lot of images, a lot of type and/or a lot of graphic elements, alignment might just be your very best friend. Alignment is also very important when dealing with type. There are many ways to align your type, but a good rule of thumb for longer pieces of copy is to stick with left alignment as this is the easiest for the eye to navigate and make sense of.
Aligning is important in design to create something that looks whole and effective overall. This research is really helping me to gather body text for my editorial and help me to understand what i can include in my editorial that can be communicated as patterns to visualise the principles.
HONOURS- RESEARCH future of design research
The future of design - how impacts the principles What will happen to design in 2033? Minimilism
Commercial movie posters tend to be anything but subtle. In the just-for-fun graphic design world, however, a wave of artists are reacting with an ultra-ultra-minimal aesthetic that boils down a narrative to a single iconic element and leaves it there. As films themselves become more and more hyper-stimulaitng with ever-improving surround sound and 3D technology, it stands to reason that posters will assume the opposite trajectory — people can only take so much visual noise! By 2033, the so-called “minimal” poster projects of today will seem cluttered by comparison: the posters of 2033 will be so simple, they may consist of nothing but a particular shade of blue-grey, offering pre-emptive relief from the seizure-inducing film it advertise Typography will exhaust itself- no more new typefaces Soon there will be so many typefaces, typographers will have to distinguish themselves by creating increasingly outlandish products. With easy-to-afford and easy-to-use typesetting software, the rate of new typefaces being produced nowadays is simply staggering. We donʼt know the exact numbers, but to make a semi-educated guess, weʼd place it at a good handful every day. The fact is, itʼs already tough to distinguish between some typefaces, which are differentiated by the slightest of inlets, serif lengths and l-heights. By 2033, typographers are going to be stepping on each otherʼs toes. Some will turn to focus on outlandish winding-style typefaces. In conclusion, all typefaces will kind of merge and there will no longer be any other way designers can turn within a typography design, and it will stop, and the typefaces we have will remain the only ones we have because of this.
I am looking at the future of design as research and what will happen in the future because i need to know what to expect as a designer and whtether the principles will be impacted. This has really helped me to understand about the future of design and the fact that it is actually really important for me to present an editorial on principles design because in order for designers to progress within their work i should educate them on the principles and how they can use them effectively to create design
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychological principles aspects research
Psychological principle aspects-
Behavioural therapy Paul Davies, who was a psychologist before becoming a designer, runs psychology-led design consultancy Behaviour, also believes that an understanding of behaviour can make design more effective. “Psychology has a huge impact,” he argues. “Unlike artists, designers have to make something for effect; an artist can start a project without a brief, but a designer has to have a purpose and they have to do that for a particular audience.” Paul believes this is becoming particularly important as design gets increasingly used to effect positive behavioural changes. For a recent project for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel, Behaviour was asked to design a tool for young women to get into the habit of regularly checking for early signs of breast cancer. It worked with psychologists at University College London to build behavioural insight into the design of an app to help its users stay engaged, and ultimately build long-term habits. For example, when people first start the app they are encouraged to read out a pledge – “research shows that consciously acknowledging a commitment leads to a stronger chance of long-term engagement,” Paul explains. “Itʼs this insight into the way we humans work that design needs to connect with more,” Paul adds. “A great-looking design isnʼt always a great working design and often design without psychology is a source of dangerously misapplied effort.”
This research proving, from a psychologist, that when designing, you need to think about how it impacts the audiences brain, this is where the importance of the principles comes in- and therefore, the importance of me creating a magazine explaining them in a simple, visual way.
this is really important research because the science behind the principles is important because it explains exactly why they came up with the exact principles and how they work- effective for my reserach and for my body text within my editorial.
Neuroaesthetics This deals with the effect of art and imagery on a neurological level, and how subtle differences in colour, contrast or grading, for example, can affect the emotional reaction to – or the quality of – a piece of design. James Digby-Jones, partner at Saddington Baynes, is a keen student of image theory and the emotional effects of varying aesthetics. He has been manipulating, tweaking and improving images for quite some years. “Essentially, we’re about the use of colour and the retouch styling to affect a viewer’s response to an image,” explains James. “It’s very much about mood and how you feel about an image. We create additional engagement with imagery – through the choice of colours and the tonality in addition to the colours themselves, the relationship of how you separate or identify different elements within the image – how you help lead the way the viewer is going to perceive the piece, and so on.”
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychological principles aspects research
Neuroaethetics of colour- these two images show the differences you can have in a reaction to colour within design. One makes you feel uncomfortable, whilst the other normal. The aim of recent Guinness ad in Ireland, It’s Alive Inside, which featured an Irish hurling ball as a man’s eye, was to shock and unsettle the viewer. The impact of the original image of an eye staring out was further enhanced to highlight the “unflinching biological reality of the eyeball”. Subtle touches, such as giving the hurling ball a wet translucency and adding a tinge of pink to the inner eyelid, helped to make the viewer feel challenged and unnerved. In addition, the balance of tone and palette of the colour grading needed to reflect the brand’s previous campaigns.
This research helps my honours because it shows a different way to think about the principles, how they impact people in their brains, without us thinking about it -colour theory effects the audiences brain and how we design something and add colour will determine how our viewer reacts- this is why teaching people about the importance and impact of principles is important- and the point of my honours.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Breaking the rules- the back of my editorial I am researching about breaking the rules here because at the back of my editorial piece- I want to include a section in which is shows the principles being broken and how that can impact a design, and the fact you have to know about the principles before you can break them. This research will help me understand how I can communicate this without making people want to forget about the rules and break them.
The Grid System The grid system is a very popular method, taught in most basic graphic design classes since the 1970s. After World War II, designers Josef MĂźller-Brockmann, Emil Ruder and Max Bill started questioning the typical page layout style of the time. They felt that it was disorganized, so they began devising a flexible system of layout that was based on a series of lines that would guide a designer toward a balanced final design. The grid system recommends that all elements of the page be aligned with one another through a system of evenly spaced vertical and horizontal lines. The grid system can be a helpful starting point, but isn't always an effective tool for every layout. Some of the most revolutionary designers have ignored the grid system altogether. David Carson was one of the first designers to successfully disregard the grid system. He ignores the vertical and horizontal planes completely, relying heavily on overlapping text, images and diagonal lines. His innovative style defined the so-called "grunge" movement, and Graphic Design USA magazine named him one of the top five most influential designers of the current era. His ground-breaking indifference to the grid system shows that the breaking of rules can help fuel creative expansion.
White Space William Bernbach, a famous twentieth-century advertising creative director, led a number of successful ad campaigns that exemplified this point. One of his campaigns for Volkswagon, called Think Small, consisted only of a petite image of a Volkswagon Beatle in the top left corner of the ad and a small block of text at the bottom of the page. This was meant to emphasize the car's simplicity, countering the typical information-heavy car advertisements of the time. The ad was considered effective, garnering much-needed attention and business for Volkswagon during a time when the company was still often associated with Nazi Germany. This shows that ignoring fundamental guidelines about white space can sometimes achieve positive results. White space is effective in giving the focal point room to breathe- i could talk about this within my editorial to show the audience about the benefits of this principle and how it would help their work to be more effective overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Symmetry Perfectly centered compositions or those with mirror images are considered to have symmetrical balance. It is often taught that designers should avoid symmetric alignment in a layout. This may be true in certain circumstances. For example, a large block of text rarely looks good center justified. But there are many instances when a symmetrical balance can be an effective design technique. David Lance Goines, an American designer and printing entrepreneur, is well known for creating symmetrical poster designs. The success of his work is due in large part to his center-aligned layouts, which relied heavily on symmetry. For Ravenswood Winery, one of his most well-known clients, he created a symmetrical wine bottle label consisting of a trio of ravens intertwined with one another. The layout feels almost hyper-balanced, giving it a memorable quality that would not be as effective without that line of symmetry running down the center of the piece.
Colour theory Milton Glaser has tended not to conform to the rule of using only a couple of complementary colors. His work is colorful, filled with uncomfortable combinations. His choices are so unusual that the viewer notices the layout, while it might otherwise be overlooked without those bold hues. In his renowned Bob Dylan poster, he pairs maroon, magenta and a host of other colors. Despite his disregard for traditional graphic design rules, he created a successful poster that perfectly represented both the man and the era. In fact, the piece was reportedly designed for a book jacket originally, using only blue and tan instead of the colorful version that everyone has come to know and love. Bob Dylan himself rejected that design. Years later, the same layout in all its glorious color was used on the now-famous poster. This proves how much of an effect discordant color can have.
Looking at this research is important because im able to look at the overall importance of the principles of design within my research.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Script in All Caps Another common graphic design lesson is the advice to avoid capitalizing a whole line of text. Because the cap height of all the letters is the same, it is more difficult for the reader to decipher between each letter. The argument is that this makes the viewer less likely to bother to read the text at all. This is sound advice for long lines or entire blocks of text, but capitalization can be very effective in other instances. Uppercase words slow people down, and they are often perceived as visual emphasis. These are reasons that they can also be used to a designer's advantage. Famous book designer Chip Kidd favors the use of his "caps lock" key. He has designed recognizable covers for books such as Jurassic Park, No Country For Old Men and Possible Side Effects. In the case of a book jacket, using all caps to emphasize the title is an appropriate and advisable strategy. A memorable book deserves an accentuated title. I can use this example in the back of my book to show examples of when its ok to break the rulesbut you have to have knowledge of the rules in the first place to be able to break them.
HONOURS- RESEARCH Re-designing a well-known logo will become impossible Ebay and the University of California met fierce opposition to their recent logo re-designs, causing the UC to retract theirs; by 2033, trying to re-design a beloved logo will become virtually impossible. As the graphic design peanut gallery has become better connected and more vocal, galvanized by critique sites like Under ConsiderationĘźs “Brand Newâ€?, we have witnessed unprecedented amounts of knee-jerk opposition to new things. By 2033, this state of reactionary conservatism will be so intense, it will be impossible for any beloved company to ever re-brand.
This research on the future of design and what will change is important to my research for my honours because its helping me understand what designers may face in the future and how that impacts the principles. The principles, from this research, will be impacted a lot because things will get over designed and will no longer be re designed- this means that the principles will not get applied to certain things such as logos anymore, so, this could mean the decline of usage. BUT another idea that could happen in the future of design, is that everything becomes more simple, which actually still helps the principles because they would still have to be applied to the simple ideas that designers come up with. As for no more new typefaces, this means the decline of the principles once again. This research is helpful because i am understanding where design is going and the fact that principles may go into decline with usage but it also makes me want to make my editorial more to show designers how to use principles before they may not have to.
HONOURS- RESEARCH penguin classics research Penguin classics- inspo to put patterns into context
Here I am looking at penguin classic book covers, this is because after my honours pitch to Shirley, Adam, and ste- Ste suggested I put the patterns that I am making to explain the principles into context, as Penguin classic book covers- I thoguht this was really good feedback and would do it. So I am looking at what they look like so I can do this when I create my concepts and developments for my editorial. This is how this research relates to my project. repeating patterns on the front of these- this could be what my patterns look like to put the principles into context- or to just represent them as posters/ or book covers so the audience can see them and look at their effectiness.
title is bold and effective with the pattern around it.
HONOURS- RESEARCH penguin classics research
Penguin classics- inspo to put patterns into context
seperate titles of the books in the middle- maybe move it onto the top of the composition as the title then the full bleed image of the pattern. this is an effective composition of the book because it has the title at the top and the full bleed pattern- this is the type of composition i want to put my in context pieces like because its effective enough.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Design principles My whole project is about the design principles for my honours, what they are, how you can apply them to create better content in terms of design, and what could potentially happen if you don’t apply them. This research is going to be about the main rules I can find within graphic design. I am doing this because there are 100’s of design principles, so I’m going to have to research the main ones that are VITAL to create effective design work. Then, based on questionnaires of people’s favorites and research about the importance of them, I will pick 10+ to be featured in my design principles editorial that I am creating, but I need to research about them first to understand what they are properly, examples of them and how they’re effective.
According to this study, the principles in this persons opinion are: The Principles are concepts used to organize or arrange the structural elements of design. Again, the way in which these principles are applied affects the expressive content, or the message of the work. The principles are: Balance Proportion Rhythm Emphasis Unity
Balance Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stableBalanced is effective as a principle because without it s design would feel unstable, which psychologically, makes the audience uncomfortable, and results in them not liking the piece of design because it almost ‘hurts’ their eyes to figure out where all the pieces of compositon should go. This is important research because it shows that balance is an important principle that I would include in my editorial because of the impact it causes within a composition. Most designers are following "principles" established by the Bauhaus and continued by post-war designers in the United States and Europe. Even work generated now, outside of that cultural or production lineage, still appears to be created with the same goals in mind. Although obviously, the sources of inspiration have expanded and differ vastly from 1930s Germany. Like a preferred pencil, operating system, or aesthetic considerations, "Principles" are much like any utility available to a designer. They are akin to having a preferred method of interrogating or pathfinding the solution to a problem. "Principles" are chosen or created that allow a position or point of view in the design process to be established early on without having to reinvent the design process every time a "project" is initiated.
This further research on the principles is to help me understand which ones i should include in my editorial. Because there are hundreds of principles and sub principles i need to figure out which ones are the ‘most important’ and used the most so i can wittle it down to the most important within my editorial.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Balance
relates to our physical sense of balance. It is a reconciliation of opposing forces in a composition that results in visual stability. Most successful compositions achieve balance in one of two ways: symmetrically or asymmetrically. Balance in a three dimensional object is easy to understand; if balance isn't achieved, the object tips over. Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. It may also be referred to as formal balance. Asymmetrical balance, also called informal balance, is more complex and difficult to imagine. It involves placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying visual weight to balance one another around a fulcrum point. This can be best imagined by envisioning a literal balance scale that can represent the visual "weights" that can be imagined in a two dimensional composition.
Symmetrical
Asymmetrical Symmetry is elements that mirror from side to side along a common axis. Asymmetry is elements that are placed organically, replying on the interaction of form and negative space to stop tension and add balance.
“Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.�
Balance is needed within a composition to make it look effective for the audience because without balance the composition would be heavy on one side and wouldnt look right to the audience.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Here is an example I created myself on what would happen if a design didn’t have balance compared to one with balance and the immediate visual effects it has on the piece negatively: This is a point that I am trying to make within my editorial piece for my honours, that without the use of the principles and the knowledge about them, pieces of design would become un effective and ‘ugly’.
Symetrical balance
SEEING
DESIGN
Not centered
SEEING
DESIGN
NO BALANCE BALANCE As you can see above, lack of balance causes an un ease and loss of effectiveness within a composition- making a piece of design harsh to look at and uncomfotable.
Proportion Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.
Looking at proportion as research is giving me more information to work off of when I am creating my proportion concepts, i need this information to understand about proportion and what visuals i can produce to do with this principle.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole. This means that it is necessary to discuss proportion in terms of the context or standard used to determine proportions. Our most universal standard of measurement is the human body; that is, our experience of living in our own bodies. We judge the appropriateness of size of objects by that measure. For example, a sofa in the form of a hand is startling because of the distortion of expected proportion, and becomes the center of attention in the room. Architectural spaces intended to impress are usually scaled to a size that dwarfs the human viewer. This is a device often used in public spaces, such as churches or centers of government. The same principle is often applied to corporate spaces through which the enterprise wishes to impress customers with its power and invincibility. In contrast, the proportions of a private home are usually more in scale with human measure, and as a result it appears more friendly, comfortable, less intimidating.Main reasons why proportion works within compositions- is that the composition appears less intimidating and uncomfortable and more familiar, psychologically to the brain. Its all down to the brain and how it reacts based off of our development as humans, this science is applied to design.
Use of appropriate scale in surface design is also important. For example, an overly large textile design can overwhelm the form of a garment or a piece of furniture.
having bad vs good proportion is effective because im able to see the difference between them and how effective it is when its considered in a visual way- i should really show these visuals within my editorial overall to show the audience the difference between each one to show the importance of the principle being applied to work.
Proportion in art is the comparative harmonious relationship between two or more elements in a composition with respect to size, colour, quantity, degree, setting, etc.; i.e. ratio. A relationship is created when two or more elements are put together in a composition. This relationship is said to be harmonious when a correct or desirable relationship exists between the elements. This refers to the correct sizing and distribution of an element or object, which creates good proportion. Good proportion adds harmony and symmetry, or balance, among the parts of a design as a whole. Things to consider within proportion: Height, width and depth of one element to that of another. Size of one area to the size of another area. Size of one element to the size of another element. Amount of space between two or more elements.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Rhythm Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is essential. Rhythm is created by movement implied through the repetition of elements of art in a non-uniform but organized way. It is related to rhythm in music. Unlike pattern, which demands consistency, rhythm relies on variety. Rhythm can be described as timed movement through space; an easy, connected path along which the eye follows a regular arrangement of motifs. The presence of rhythm creates predictability and order in a composition. Visual rhythm may be best understood by relating it to rhythm in sound. Visual rhythm can be created in a number of ways. Linear rhythm refers to the characteristic flow of the individual line. Accomplished artists have a recognizable manner of putting down the lines of their drawings that is a direct result of the characteristic gesture used to make those lines, which, if observed, can be seen to have a rhythm of its own. Linear rhythm is not as dependent on pattern, but is more dependent on timed movement of the viewer's eye. Rhythm is an important principle because it allows the viewers eyes to scan across a design with ease without feeling uncomfotable or not knowing where to look for the information, because thats what our brains do, they scan designs for information and order of information that is logical- if theres no rhythm in design, theres no design.
These visuals look really effective for rhythm. These could be used really effectively as patterns. I will definalty use these as inspiration for my final because of how interesting they look and the simplicity of the shapes that effectively explains the principle, this is exactly what im going for within my editorial-
show the difference between these two principles within my editorial effectively.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Emphasis
Emphasis is also referred to as point of focus, or interruption. It marks the locations in a composition which most strongly draw the viewers attention. Usually there is a primary, or main, point of emphasis, with perhaps secondary emphases in other parts of the composition. The emphasis is usually an interruption in the fundamental pattern or movement of the viewers eye through the composition, or a break in the rhythm. The artist or designer uses emphasis to call attention to something, or to vary the composition in order to hold the viewers interest by providing visual "surprises." Emphasis can be achieved in a number of ways. Repetition creates emphasis by calling attention to the repeated element through sheer force of numbers. If a color is repeated across a map, the places where certain colors cluster will attract your attention, in this instance graphing varying rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease. Contrast achieves emphasis by setting the point of emphasis apart from the rest of its background. Various kinds of contrasts are possible. The use of a neutral background isolates the point of emphasis.
Emphasis is important within designs because without it, the design would not have a FOCAL POINT. Focal point is another word for emphasis, it basically means the main POINT of the design. Every design has a main point, whether that be to sell you a specific thing, make a joke, get across a message or educate you on something, and that something, will be the focal point, it will stand out or the other elements will lead you to it more than any other element on the page. This is important because without emphasis, there is no meaning to the design, the design is just there, and to the audience, that would be pointless and confusing, and therefore uneffective.
focal point or ‘Emphasis’ - know straight from that, that its a pipe, realting to sherlock holmes, who carries a pipe with him while hes being a detective.
Emphasis also plays hand in hand with a composition, as once you find the emphasis, it leads you onto the hierachy of other information, for example this poster, the illustration, then the title, then who its made by, and the ‘credits’ at the bottom.
This showing its importance within a design, to communicate information effectively over a composition.
Emphasis is a main principle of design, in other words its focal point. The focal point of each design is important because its the first thing that the audience looks at when they view your design. This research is important so i have back up information to include within my editorial to back up to the audience effectively. I can then show visuals that will explain the principle to the audience in a simplistic way that is still graphic.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Unity Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness. Unity/Variety You want your painting to feel unified such that all the elements fit together comfortably. Too much unity creates monotony, too much variety creates chaos.You need both. Ideally, you want areas of interest in your composition along with places for your eye to rest. Unity is the underlying principle that summarizes all of the principles and elements of design. It refers to the coherence of the whole, the sense that all of the parts are working together to achieve a common result; a harmony of all the parts. Unity can be achieved through the effective and consistent use of any of the elements, but pattern-- that is, underlying structure-- is the most fundamental element for a strong sense of unity. Consistency of form and color are also powerful tools that can pull a composition together. However, 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. Unity can also be a matter of concept. The elements and principles can be selected to support the intended function of the designed object; the purpose of the object unifies the design.
Unity is a very important principle as its about the whole design working effectively together with all the principles- this information is really going to help me to explain this principles within my editorial if i decide to use it.
circle=full.
Unity works because it pulls all parts of a composition together, creating an effective piece of design. If the objects within a design didn’t talk to eachother and make sense together, then a design would simply be un effective and look like someone has just thrown random things onto a page hoping it will work, that’s why unity is such an important principle, without it a design would be not a design, because to design is to do something on purpose, and without unity, its not on purpose.
These images are really effective also because they are giving me ideas on how to produce visual representations of the principle to include within my designs.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Legibility- sub categoric principle Legibility is a sub categoric principle, because its a typography principle, but I wanted to research about it becuase I think its really important because without legibility within a design, the audience can’t read whats on the design, which would fail to communicate, which is the whole point of design. Legibility is of utmost importance when choosing fonts, and this applies to both web and print design. If it isn’t legible, then you won’t be able to convey your intended message, but more importantly, you might drive your audience away… It’s also important to consider what fonts would appeal most to your target audience while still aligning with your brand. Nobody wants to be annoyed by text that’s hard to read.
The Primary purpose of design is communication , so it makes sense that the readability and
legibility of your type is a top priority.
A number of things can affect how much effort your reader has to put in. A common example is too low of a contrast between the text and background, keep contrast high to prevent this issue.
legible
legibility is important, even if i dont include it as a main principle, its important that i take note when creating my editorial that all of my pages are legible so that my audience can read them effectively.
Not-legible
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Hierarchy by Placement An object placed in the center will often be perceived as a focal point. If all eyes in the painting look at one object, or if an object is placed at the center of the lines of perspective, that object will be perceived as the focus of the work. Hierarchy by Isolation If most of the elements in a work of art are grouped closely together, an object by itself stands out as a focal point Hierarchy by Contrast Emphasis can be created by contrast. An element in contrast with something else is more easily seen and understood; something different attracts the eye. Any of the elements can be contrasted: line (a curve in the midst of straight lines), shape (a circle in a field of squares) color (one red dot on a background of grays and blacks) Tone (a light or dark area in the middle of its opposite) texture (rough vs. smooth) Contrast can also be created by contrasting orientation in space (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) Shape (a geometric shape in an otherwise naturalistic image) and size. An anomaly, or something that departs from the norm, will also stand out and grab our attention, for example a person wearing a snowsuit on a tropical beach. Hierarchy is the control of visual information in an arrangement or presentation to imply importance. Hierarchy influ-
ences the order in which the human eye perceives what it sees. In design, hierarchy is used to: Add structure Create visual organisation Create direction Add emphasis Help a viewer navigate and digest information easily Hierarchy is typically created by contrast between visual elements in a composition.
Hierarchy needs to be understood because of the importance of it within my project, hierarchy is a key design principle that should be included within my editorial, so researching it has really helped to evolve my knowledge in it and helped me to include things within my editorial that will be informed and effective.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Clear visual hierarchy is important because it holds a design together. Used effectively, hierarchy can make a complex message simple. In design, hierarchy can manifest itself in many visual ways. It’s through the careful arrangement of visual elements that creates a clear hierarchy. Hierarchy can manifest itself in many visual ways such as in scale, colour, contrast, space, alignment, shape and form.
Hierarchy in scale These visual pieces are really effective as informative pieces of design that look really effective and explain the overall idea easily to the audience. I will come back and use these as reference for my concepts because these are exactly the type of illustrations that i want to include within my designs overall. Looking at the different types of hierarchy for this project as research is informative and effective because im able to look at all this information and figure out what i need to include as the main points for my editorial, because i dont want to go on and on about the principle because my target audience would get bored, but get the main points out with pieces of visual evidence effectively.
Here we have hierarchy in scale, the smaller elements being less important, therefore further down in the hierarchy, then moving upwards as the importance increases, you would replace this with visual elements.
Hierarchy in colour Here we have the exact same composition but this time, the colour has been changed. In this example, the thinnest stroke is the darkest colour and the thickest stroke is the lightest colour. Even though the strokes are larger above, the thin stroke is perceived as bolder and stronger because it’s more apparent and appears closer, more in focus. By changing the colours we have changed the hierarchy structure. colour gets darker as it goes down- therefore it gets more prominant as the colour gets darker because it stands out more effectively.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research Hierarchy in Perspective Here we perceive the shapes coming closer to us. The flow of hierarchy here starts from the perceived front and moves towards the back into the distance. In design, depending on the simplicity or complexity of the intended message, hierarchy in design can exist in multiple forms and compete against each other at the same time. All of these different types of hierarchy could be included within my editorial as sections to explain each part of hierarchy, to show the audience the different ways they can produce hierarchy within their designs effectively.
Hierarchy in depth
The same shapes in various colours but this time the shapes are in various sizes with various blur effects applied. This creates an illustration of depth unlike with space in the previous example. It’s not necessarily about the shapes that appear closer to us here but the shapes that appear the most clear to us. Shapes that are most in focus do a better job of attracting the eye.
The piece to the right shows hierarchy within graphic design, showing information being portrayed at different levels for your eyes. Without hierarchy the audience wouldn’t know where to look and wouldn’t know what was most important within a composition overall.
most prominant hierarchy within the typography on this composition.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Scale Both scale and proportion have their place in visual hierarchy. If you didn’t set this up at the beginning of your work, how would you know what size to make something? If you’ve just been “eye-balling” your size, does something about it just seem “off” with the design? Every part of your design is connected. By changing even a tiny thing, you can throw off the balance of the rest of the design elements. Having a system in place for choosing your sizing scale will help eliminate guesswork and save you time in the long run. We’ll soon go over some simple patterns and ways you can test each one in a quick fashion. This is a discipline of design that deals with setting visual and perceived differences between two elements. Once this contrast is established, a person will feel better about design and maybe even start to recognize patterns and conventions you’re using. As a designer, when you discover how a system works, you start to realize it operated at a larger scale than you originally thought. Scale is important and works hand in hand with proportion, and without these visual elements of design, your piece will look unbalanced and make the reader feel uncomfortable, it also has to make logical sense to them, so without scale it wouldn’t and wouldn’t effectively read as a design.
Without scale, this clever idea wouldn’t work because the designer wouldn’t have scaled up the gun and it would look un effective as a design, overall you need this principle to be able to create a balanced composition that looks effective. Scale is important within the principles, it makes you understand things within perspective, and helps you to experiment with them also like the posters above. Looking at this research is helping me gather knowledge about this particular principle and understand the importance of it overall so i can include it within my editorial and inform the audience on why they should use it within their designs.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Alignment Alignment creates a sharper, more ordered design. Aligning elements allows them to create a visual connection with each other. It tightens the design and eliminates the haphazard, messy effect which comes when items are placed randomly. Aligning elements which are not in close proximity with each other, helps to provide an invisible connection between them. Alignment is one of the most basic and important principles of design. It allows us to create order and organisation among elements.
Alignment is the placement of visual elements so they line up in a composition. In design, we use alignment to organize elements, to group elements, to create balance, to create structure, to create connections between elements, to create a sharp and clear outcome. In design there are two alignment principles: Edge alignment and Center alignment. Center Alignment
could use lines within my editorial to represent the visual side of this particular principle effectively.
Positives of alignment is that they make the work look more professional and well put together, so i need to show the audience this, and with this back up research i can really make them understand how that works.
I will need to represent right, left and centre aligned in my editorial to show the audience all the ways that they can potentially use this principle and how the different ways produce different effectiveness for each one
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Where visual elements are aligned, a composition can appear clear, confident, elegant, formal and trustworthy. Good alignment is invisible i.e. this doesn’t have to be a literal line in your design.
BAD ALIGNMENT
GOOD ALIGNMENT
This research has made me realise that in my editorial i could include the difference between applying something in an effective way and applying something in a non effectve way to show them how much impact applying a principle has on a design.
Alignment can be simple or complex and is commonly achieved with the use of a grid. A grid can create an invisible structure on which visual elements can be placed on. These grids can ensure accurate alignment and consistency in a large piece of design work. Nowadays, grids are typically constructed in design software as a guide when layout is created on a computer.
Grids are used to create alignment within designs- its where all the aspects of the designs line up, it creates a guide for the designer to follow to make sure everything looks neat, because as humans, pschologically, if we see something messy that just looks like its been put on a page, it looks less effective overall, and vise versa, if it looks neat then it looks more effective because its clear and not uncomfotable, thats why alignment is a really important principle within design.
Alignment should be used in editorial design because it increases how effective it looks because the composition becomes messy and not organised if you create something that isnt aligned or created within a gridthis needs to be pointed out to my audience so they can see the importance of it overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Alignment used right and effectively, everything is legible and has hierarchy. VS. THIS PIECE UNDERNEATH, that has no alignment- un effective and looks like everything has just been put on a page.
no alignment, looks messy, un professional, a ‘childs’ design, really wouldnt appeal to an audience as effective and would make them not want to buy your work or work with youneed to point this out in editorial.
I have found these examples of alignment being used within designs vs not being used to research the difference it actually makes. This is the whole point of my editorial, i want to point out the difference that having aligned work has on the professionality of a piece of work etc- this is important because my whole editorial is about educating the firstyears and reminding them of the design principles, and the fact that they should be including them within their design projects every time because of the amount of difference it makes when actually designing.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design a pplications. There are three basic categories of color theory that are logical and useful : The color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors are used. Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other. my pattern could be the colour wheel for colour theoryeffective.
Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues. Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors. Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange. Color theory is a term used to describe the collection of rules and guidelines regarding the use of color in art and design, as developed since their early days. Color theory informs the design of color schemes, aiming at aesthetic appeal and the effective communication of a design message on both the visual level and the psychological level. Modern color theory is heavily based on Isaac Newton’s color wheel, which displays three categories of colors: primary colors (red, blue, yellow), secondary colors (created by mixing two primary colors), and intermediate or tertiary ones (created by mixing primary and secondary colors). Colors can be combined to form one of five main color schemes that allow designers to achieve harmony in their designs. These are: Analogous: based on three colors located next to each other on the wheel Complementary: one or more pairs of colors that, when combined, cancel each other out (i.e., they produce high contrast) Split-complementary: a combination of the analogous and complementary schemes Triadic: using three colors at equal distances from each other on the wheel Tetradic: using two sets of complementary pairs Color temperature is another vital consideration in design—by distinguishing between warm, cool, and neutral colors, we apparently have the power to evoke emotional responses in people. Warm colors are those with shades of yellow and red; cool colors have a blue, green, or purple tint; neutral colors include brown, gray, black, and white. While these groupings hold true in a general sense, emotional responses to colors can also be heavily affected by gender, experiences, cultural associations, and other personal factors. Consequently, researching the traits and expectations of a target audience is vital for not only fine-tuning the positive impact of color use in a design but also preventing design failure. Understanding colour theory is understanding how it works and why it works, this is important because for my project i need to be able to write about the theory and create visuals for it- this will really help my overall project.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Colour theory, as well as being to match colours together effectively based on how we percieve them entering our eyes, can also be realted to emotions. Designers use colour theory to make their audience feel certain emotions in advertising, for example, they wouldnt use green on food- as if the green is too yellow/green it will make the audience feel sick, because of the cultural assosiation with that colour being of vomit. You also wouldn’t use black for an eco friendly product- youd use green,because as a culture we assosiate green with good and nature. Darker colours on the spectrum actually make your heart beat faster and your brain react quickly, whilst colours such as blue relax your body and pose no threat. This is an evoluntinary thing with how we percieve colours- so thinking about the colours realting to the designers audience and what they’re trying to portray within a piece is really important because it creates certain feelings within the audience and reactions to the designso its a very immportant principle to consider.
This information can be put into my editorial, but simplified, i need to be able to explain this to an audience that may not want to read pages and pages on the ins and outs of a principle, so by taking all this informtion in myself im able to sythesise it to create a couple of pages of information that is mainly visual to show my audience and help them to understand the principles and the effectiveness of them.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference. Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, practiced chromother-
apy, or the use of colors to heal. Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colorology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment. In this treatment: Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation. Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body. Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels. Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain. Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems. However, the existing research has found that color can impact people in a variety of surprising ways: One study found that warm-colored placebo pills were reported as more effective than cool-colored placebo pills. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that installing blue-colored streetlights can lead to reduced crime in those areas. More recently, researchers discovered that the color red causes people to react with greater speed and force, something that might prove useful during athletic activities. A study that looked at historical data found that sports teams dressed in mostly black uniforms are more likely to receive penalties and that students were more likely to associate negative qualities with a player wearing a black uniform.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Nike uses black,white and blue- good combination of colours, causes cleaness for professionalism, black and blue for calmness.-this makes the viewer see them as a professional brand thats products are clean and well kept- so they buy them
McDonalds logo- yellow and red- yellow makes you hungry and happy, whilst the contrasting red actually makes you slightly uncomfortable- this came out as being because they wanted to entice you in with the yellow and make you hungry, then the red makes you leave quickly- living up to the name ‘fast food’. Both examples showing the psychology that the companies use to their advantage because they know its universal with colours because we all percieve them, so we all have some sort of feelings towards them, this is effective and this principle will always be effective because of this, and its important to know about it to be able to actually apply this within your designs, this is why im including it in my editorial, so designers can be more aware of what colour palettes theyre choosing for their designs and how it will effect their audience overall- important to know as a designer.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Negative space This is one of those graphic design rules that can make or break your design. Please, for the love of all that’s good in the world, conserve your whitespace! Whitespace is the negative space in whatever you’re designing, the part of your page that has nothing in it — no graphic elements, no colors, no icons, no text, nada, zip, zilch. Having ample amounts of whitespace within your design can add a greater sense of professionalism and sophistication. It also allows the viewer a moment of rest — you don’t want to cram so much information onto one flyer that the viewer becomes disoriented. Negative space really allows for the viewers eyes to have a resting place, it can also be used as an effective way of creating an image out of the white space- without it in some images, the compositions would be too packed and the audiences eyes wouldn’t have anywhere to rest up.
clever use of white space.
gives the type room to breathe.
White space is important within design because it gives the content room to breathe and room for the audience to understand it more, this would be effective to use within my editorial so i could explain to the audience what significance white space has and how they can use it to their advantage within their work overall.
this editorial reference on what white space can look like within a magazine is effective because im able to take reference from this for if i do a bit on white space within my editorial piece.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Contrast Contrast is what people mean when they say a design “pops.” It comes away from the page and sticks in your memory. Contrast creates space and difference between elements in your design. Your background needs to be significantly different from the color of your elements so they work harmoniously together and are readable. If you plan to work with type, understanding contrast is incredibly essential because it means the weight and size of your type are balanced. How will your audience know what is most important if everything is in bold? As you seek out examples of really strong, effective design, you’ll notice most designs only feature one or two typefaces. That’s because contrast can be effectively achieved with two strong fonts (or even one strong typeface in different weights). As you add fonts, you dilute and confuse the purpose of your design.
All artists use contrast to create focal points and visual balance. This is common in painting, sculpture, and even architecture. However, there are some values of contrast unique to graphic design. For one, graphic designers often need to be direct. While a painting may present complex themes that take a while to absorb, graphic designers generally need to send a clear message as quickly as possible. Contrast creates a strong focal point, so it can be very useful in this sense. Contrast is important within a design to enable the audience to know the difference between things and understand the compositions effectivness. Contrast can be used to make aspects of a piece stand out more than the others, this is an effective technique used within pieces of design as it really helps pieces of design work stand out overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Contrast Contrast occurs when two or more visual elements in a composition are different. In design we use contrast to generate impact, highlight importance, create exciting graphics and create visual interest and dynamics. Context is integral to contrast. We may think that the chosen visual object in a composition says something about itself but it is more often the visual elements around it that give it it’s meaning.
These pieces of design are really effective and look really good and exactly what i am going for within my editorial and i will use them as reference, because they simply and accurately explain design principles to everyone without being over complexthis is what i want to do with my designs so being able to do this would be effective for my editorial as a final overall.
Contrast is important in a design because it helps attract attention to certain areas where you want the audience to look. Contrast is used as a device to attract attention to certain areas of a design, contrast is also visually appealing and has many forms, you can find it in value (brightness) colour, texture, and shape. It can even be found in typography. Basically, contrast is important within a design to be able to communicate well to the audience different visual pieces of the design, overall making it more effective.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Repetition If you limit yourself to two strong typefaces or three strong colors, you’ll soon find you’ll have to repeat some things. It’s often said that repetition unifies and strengthens a design. If only one thing on your band poster is in blue italic sans-serif, it can read like an error. If three things are in blue italic sans-serif, you’ve created a motif and are back in control of your design. Repetition can be important beyond one printed product. Current packaging design is heavily embracing beautiful illustrated patterns. Anyone thinking about a startup knows one of the first things you need is a strong logo to feature on your website, business cards, social media and more. Brand identity? Another term for repetition.
Repetition creates a healthy amount of content for a design, it makes a brand stand out because its consistant throughout the brand, imagine if coke went from red to green to blue, you wouldnt recognise it as much as you do with the white text and the red background. This principle is important within design because it allows designers to show consistancy where its needed and help the audiences brain make relations to their work whether it actually realtes to eachother as a brand etc.
Repetition can be shown in many different ways within design and can be created effectively through making design that repeats aspects to make it seem whole- there are alot of different visual aspects that come to mind when thinking about design like this, this is effective because it really helps me to understand what i could potentially do with my designs and how my editorial will look with this research to back up what repetition is and how its applied within design.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research pink, glasses.
green and pink as the repeated aspect of the project.
All these examples are examples of brands or designs that use repetition within them, these examples are helpful because im able to see how professionals use repetition to create a brand that is recognised by the specific logo/ symbols or colours that they use effectively. E.g. coke using white and red on a can with script writing is recognised everywhere, and they could put that brand on anything as repetition and it would get recognised- so in my editorial i can use this information and create an editorial segment on it.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Movement and Variety Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color within the work of art.
Variety principle refers to aspects within a piece being a variety, a piece of design having small, medium and large aspects in order to create hierarchy with variety. Variety is about varying elements and objects in your image, to avoid making them boring. Variety can also be varying your angles, exposure, composition, etc., to get a few different looks to the same image. This image below has variety because each shell is completely unique. There is also unity in this image because each shell is still a part of the whole beach. You can vary color, shape, textures, and any other combination of elements.This image has variety by introducing another element into the foreground of the picture. Without the rocks, this would be just another waterfall image. The rocks add something new, while keeping the same feel in the overall image.
Variety and movement within pieces of design is important because it entertains the audience with the composition whilst also communicating to them effectively- without this the audience would get bored of something too simple that didnt make sense within a composition. Overall, looking at these elements as research has helped me to evaluate them and see why theyre important and why they work, which is the whole point of the editorial piece that I will be making for my honours, to communicate the importance of these princinples for first years in university through body text and putting the principles into context with my own pieces of work effectively and show them how it impacts a design positively.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is a simple technique where designers divide their designs up into three rows and three columns, and at the points where the vertical and horizontal lines meet is where your focal points should be. Designer William Beachy plays by this rule with his designs as you can see in the example below. By placing focal points at each line intersection, his design is made striking and effective. Beachy also notes that “By avoiding a centered design you add some motion and interest.” Using the rule of thirds is a great way to kick off your design’s composition as it gives you a quick and guide to positioning and framing your elements.
Our brains are programmed to look for patterns. More often than not, we are attracted to symmetry. Designers use basic principles of design on a daily basis for visual harmony so that their work appeals to all of us. In truth, you don’t have to submerse yourself in detailed articles about the golden ration or study the Fibonacci sequence to improve your designs. You can create well balanced, appealing designs using a simple rule — the rule of thirds The rule of thirds states that you can use a grid to guide your design — this grid splits any canvas into 3 equally sized horizontal and vertical sections. You can use this grid in your camera to compose better shots, but also in Photoshop to guide your design. This 3×3 grid is like a roadmap to show you where to place emphasis and how to align your objects (or subject in the case of photography). Remember that when you’re designing, the grid should be drawn according to your canvas, excluding the border, to make sure you don’t place key elements in an unproportional way. Rule of thirds in design The rule of thirds creates intersections on your canvas. The areas where the lines intersect is where you should place your focal points. As long as you bring your focal points somewhere closer to these intersections, they will stand out more. Objects that are further away from the intersections will be less of a focal point. Our brains look for these patterns. When you place your objects on two of the intersecting points to create asymmetry, the brain registers that something is different and those compositions actually tend to be more engaging. This is why the rule of thirds is so helpful, because it gives room to experiment with something outside the perfect symmetry while keeping your composition balanced. rule of thirds is important because it shows how effective having a focal point on the point is- your eye likes the composition better if it is like this- effective.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
NO RULE OF THIRDS
RULE OF THIRDS
Above you can see the two pieces of design, one following rule of thirds and one not. You can clearly see the difference when the rule of thirds is added and how much more spacious, effective and clear and less uncomfotable the composition looks in comparison to the one that has no use of rule of thirds. This principle is put into place so that aspects of a design can look balanced and clear in our brains, because our brains look for patterns and when a pattern is there the design becomes instantly more effective to our brains because it communicates better, which is what design is about and what principles encourage.
Without the rule of thirds being applied, as you can see from the example, it looks too spaced out, like the aspects are about to fall of the page, there is no pattern and no use of balance, which throws the design off and makes your brain not like it because its uncomfortable to look at. From this research I’ve realised how important rule of thirds is and am definatly going to refer back to this research to apply it to my editorial book and show others how important it is.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
Golden Ratio Simply, the golden ratio is a shape with a proportion of 1 to 1.618. The applications for print and web design projects are often less precise than that 1 to 1.618. Many designers will round numbers when creating a mathematic golden ratio for grids that are easier to work with. When it comes to applying the concept, it’s often represented using a spiral, circles or triangles. And it’s not “just a design thing.” The golden ratio is found in nature (nautilus shell), art (the Mona Lisa), architecture (the Eiffel Tower) as well as design.
Set up the design using a grid based on the ratio to create harmony Do nothing because it applies whether you do it intentionally or not The best solution might be somewhere in the middle. In all likelihood, your eye is probably trained to create and lean toward designs that include this theory, but it can never hurt to see if you are actually applying it well. And the canvas can cause all kinds of issues when it comes to the golden ratio. You don’t know what browser size someone might use or the ratio might not fall in line with a specific print size. The goal is to create parts within the design that fit this ideal shape. Consider it for a logo or photo crop. Use it to create a header or a certain piece of a design. Use the concepts to create a base grid or hierarchical scale for typography.
It’s one more tool to help you create something that establishes the right emotional and visual tone with users. This theory exists whether you apply it intentionally or not. So what matters is that you understand and acknowledge it in an effort to create the best and most usable design possible. What the golden ratio does is cue you into to focal areas where the user is likely to focus and look based on nature. It helps create balance and scale, even when not wholly intentional.
proportion is a very important principle because it is the perfect ratio, if you use this within your designs then your design is meant to be perfect for the eye to look at, this is what fibonacci discovered when he created it through maths. This will be a very interesting thing to include within my editoral- effective. This research will help back up this and help me to apply this knowledge effectively.
HONOURS- RESEARCH prominant principles in graphic design research
website etc- my pattern could be of the golden ratio.
The golden ratio is a principle that actually occurs naturally, without prompt. It occurs in nature, science and design. It’s important to apply this to some of your designs because of how effective it is, people studied it and realised if you kept to it that your design would be perfectly proportioned. This is important because if someone wants to create a design that’s effective they would have to research this and understand it before attempting. I have researched this and understood it and will now refrence it when I am creating my editorial because of the importance of it and how much it can effect a design positively and make it look better for the audience. Above are some examples of it being used within design. The golden ratio has and always will work because of the fact its natural and has always been around since the beginning of time, this is why I think its important that I include it and understand it in my editorial so that I can pass on this knowledge to first year university students so they can start on the right path.
In my editorial, i can apply this golden ratio within the actual layout of the editorial to show how it works and show the effectiveness to the audience overall- this is really helpful because im able to see how it works and the research is really backing up the principle and how effective it is -i can use this information within my editorial to explain this spefiic principle and how it works.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research
Psychology - Principles
The Von Restorff Effect The Von Restorff effect is, quite simply, the idea that the oddball out is the one that gets remembered. When designing, sometimes you want your audience’s eye to be drawn to one spot --even if there are other design elements around it. This might mean using a different color, font, size, etc. In this example, Target Jobs, a UK-based career and job-searching tool, used this image to illustrate how one might stand out from the crowd in the job market. By placing a group of similar elements next to one different element (the red shoes), this image uses the Von Restorff effect to show how it’s the different idea that really stands out to the viewer. While this example’s idea is fairly straightforward, you can also use the Von Restorff effect throughout your site pages to draw your users’ eyes to certain spots on a page. :
Gestalt principles Gestalt psychology explores how elements are perceived in relation to each other visually. The gestalt principles, or gestalt laws, focus specifically on how design elements are grouped together.
Proximity: The idea that when objects are placed in close proximity to one another, those objects are seen as a group rather than seen individually. Although there are lots of shapes within the “U,” in the Unilever logo, the eye still recognizes those objects as a group making up the "U" figure.
Similarity: Objects that look similar will be perceived as one object or as a part of the same group. In the NBC
logo, the similar cones are perceived as a group because they look similar to one another therefore the eye percieves them as a group instead of individual. This principle is used when designing to make things look more effective and grouped together effectively.
Looking at the psychology of design as research for my project is very key to my project because it is really helping me to understand the actual science around the principles- the principles werent just made up, they were made based off of actual mental evidence that humans like certain designs better than others, this is what im trying to show through my editorial to my audience and show them that applying principles actually really increases the effectiveness of your designs and how theyre percieved by your audience overall. I will definatly use this research within my editorial because it backs up the principles and how they work and uses the fact that the brain actually likes certain aspects of design for reasons and not just nonsense, so for my audience to apply the principles would be effective because it would show them that they work on a psychological level and not are not just made up rules that some one came up with, so if they were to apply this to their work then they would always have something that is very effective overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research
Closure: Closure occurs when a shape is still perceived as a whole even when the object is not
fully closed in reality. In the Girl Scout logo, the shapes and whitespace are used to create a perceived series of silhouettes even though only some of the shapes are actually enclosed.
Continuity: Occurs as the eye moves naturally from one object to the other. This often hap-
pens through the creation of curved lines allowing the eye to flow with the line. In the Olympic logo, the eye can see that the objects are continuous as they link with each other, creating a grouped visual.
Figure & ground: When the eye notices an object as an object, it separates the object (figure)
from the surrounding area (the ground). In this logo-tribute to Steve Jobs, the viewer either see the white space as the figure or the ground, depending on whether the eye looks at the apple or the silhouette of Steve Jobs.
This theory is really based off of how our brain percieves things, science shows that our brains will fill in the blanks, so to design something with white space etc is fine because our brain will fill in the blanks effectively. This theory is effective because it also shows the positives of studing that particular principle and how it works effectively. I could use this research within my honours because it has shown me how effective certain techniques can be when creating a piece of design.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research
Visceral Reactions A visceral reaction is a reaction that comes from your gut, and in this case, when you like a piece of design work, without explination, it means it was a visceral reaction. Designing for visceral reactions is essentially designing to create a positive aesthetic impression. To some extent it takes just knowing what looks pleasing to people and what doesn't. Airbnb uses visceral designs to capture the beauty and exotic aesthetic of travel. Airbnb uses design to connect their audience with the excitement and possibility of traveling the world. Designing for the visceral can be as a simple as using beautiful photography and colorful imagery to capture the attention of your audience.
principles can effect thiswhich in turn really helps the designer to decide how theyre going to design something overall.
3 emotional reactions to design
This research is helpful to my project because its helping me to understand how brands work and the fact they play on peoples psychological meanings for liking things. Air Bnb for example making their designs capture beauty and an exotic aesthetic to travelling and linking the two so when their audience think of them they think of the fact that theyre aesthetic is clean and professional overall. This is really helpful because I can use this as more evidence as to why the principles actually improve designs and make them look better and more professional overall.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research In the brain, there are alot of areas responsible for what we refer to as emotion; collectively, these regions comprise the emotional system. Don Norman proposes the emotional system consists of three different, yet interconnected levels, each of which influences our experience of the world in a particular way. The three levels are visceral, behavioral, and reflective. The visceral level is responsible for the ingrained, automatic and almost animalistic qualities of human emotion, which are almost entirely out of our control. The behavioral level refers to the controlled aspects of human action, where we unconsciously analyze a situation so as to develop goal-directed strategies most likely to prove effective in the shortest time, or with the fewest actions, possible. These three levels, while classified as separate dimensions of the emotional system, are linked and influence one another to create our overall emotional experience of the world. These levels are really important to the principles as they prove why theyre so important within design to consider, because our brains actually react to design and determine its effectiveness. Three emotional reactions to design- these are important because I need to know the psychology around the principles before I can apply them and this will also help me to write body text within my editorial about the principle, to prove to the audience that they work for a reason, our brain, and thats why they’re important to consider. Visceral Design – "Concerns itself with appearances". This level of design refers to the perception of a design and how it makes the audience feel. For example, a grandfather clock, is a clock, but the visceral (deep-rooted, unconscious, subjective, and automatic feelings) qualities distinguish the two in the eyes of the owner. Much of the time spent on product development is now dedicated to visceral design, as most products within a particular group (e.g., torches/flashlights, kettles, toasters, and lamps) tend to offer the same or a similar set of functions, so the superficial aspects help distinguish a product from its competitors. What we are essentially referring to here is 'branding'—namely, the act of distinguishing one product from another, not by the tangible benefits it offers the user but by tapping into the users’ attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and how they want to feel, so as to elicit such emotional responses. Visceral design really aims to tug on the audiences emotions and get a response because of this. Behavioral Design – "...has to do with the pleasure and effectiveness of use." Behavioural design is probably more often referred to as usability, but the two terms essentially refer to the practical and functional aspects of a product or anything usable we are capable of using in our environment. Behavioral design (we shall use this term in place of usability from now on) is interested in, for example, how users carry out their activities, how quickly and accurately they can achieve their aims and objectives, how many errors the users make when carrying out certain tasks, and how well the product accommodates both skilled and inexperienced users. Example: the pleasure derived from being able to find a contact and make a call immediately on a mobile phone, the ease of typing on a computer keyboard, and the enjoyment we feel when using a well-designed computer game controller. The behavioral level essentially refers to the emotions we feel as a result of either accomplishing or failing to complete our goals. When products/objects enable us to complete our goals with the minimum of difficulty and with little call for conscious effort, the emotions are likely to be positive ones. In contrast, when products restrict us, force us to translate or adjust our goals according to their limitations, or simply make us pay close attention when we are using them, we are more inclined to experience some negative emotion. This realtes to graphic design as if something is easy to read for example, it will be postively reacted to, whilst if the audience has to decipher something, theyre more likely to get frustrated with the design and give up, therefore making it a negative design. Reflective Design – "...considers the rationalization and intellectualization of a product. Can I tell a story about it? Does it appeal to my self-image, to my pride?" This is the highest level of emotional design; representing the conscious thought layer, where we consciously approach a design; weighing up its pros and cons, judging it according to our more nuanced and rational side, and extracting information to determine what it means to us as an individual. Reflective thinking allows us to rationalise environmental information to influence the behavioural level. Take for example smartwatches." The reflective level shows the effects of the behavioral level – users may put up with difficulties and shortcomings in the usability of the smartwatch because they believe they will gain other, non-functional benefits from it. This emotional reaction refering to the fact that people will buy things if theyre nice looking, even if theyre not completly practical, they will still like them based on their popularity and the fact that people will look up to them if they have that certain product.
looking at this has backed up more evidence on why the principles work psychologically, because we view design in three different ways.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research
The Psychology of Color
emotional shapes.
shapes of logos actually effect your brain
Above are some psychological reasons why we like different designs, from colour to shape and type. We like certain designs because of how they resonate with our brain, e.g. we find portrait pieces of design more confrontational than landscape because our brains relate it to a person standing- which is a evoluntionary thing---This research has helped me to understand psychologically how the principles work effectively so I can apply them to my editorial with information. Looking into the psychology of colour is really helpful to my project because this is one of the main things that i want to include within my editorial- colour theory- there are alot of aspects to colour theory, and the psychology is the main reason for it, why we like certain colours, colour pairings, colour palettes and why colours give us certain emotions, this reasearch has really helped to uncover alot of information about this and will really help me when producing visuals for this type of work in colour theory because i will be able to look back at this research and reference the information on why certain colours work to inform the audience on why they work so they can go ahead and use them effectively within their own work.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research
According to some studies, when human beings see colour our eyes send messages to a specific region in the brain known as the hypothalamus. The brain then activates the pituitary and thyroid glands, which promotes the release of hormones responsible for causing fluctuations in emotion, and behaviour. In simple terms, colour plays an essential role in creating a strong first impression for your customers. Not every person will respond to colour in the same way. One of the most significant problems with the psychology of colour and design, is that the meaning of certain shades can vary depending on cultural background and personal preference. Colour psychology isn’t an exact science. Studies show that the way you use colour in branding will often be affected by individual perceptions. In fact, it’s not always the shade itself that has the biggest impact on your audience, but how “appropriate” that colour feels in the context of the brand that’s using it. Of course, just because the psychology of colour is complicated, doesn’t mean it isn’t important. One research paper from the University of Winnipeg found that the initial judgements people make about products, and brands, are based almost entirely on colour. In fact, up to 90% of first opinions come from colour alone. There’s also plenty of evidence in the marketplace that the wrong use of colour can damage your brand image for good. Pepsi once made a huge mistake by introducing ice blue vending machines into South East Asia. While light blue might be a refreshing colour in the western world, in Asia, ice blue is associated with mourning and death. Another reason we react to colours has been studied, it shows that colours such as blue take less energy for our eyes and brain to process, whilst colours like red take a lot of energy to process and actually make your heart beat faster because of the process of the colour- this is important information to find out because it shows that there are actual physcial raections to colours and why we react to certain ones in certain ways all boils down to how we process the colour and the culture towards that particular colour we have grown up with. Looking at the psychology is important for my honours project because this has helped me understand why we react to certain colors in brands and designs, the actual reactions that our brains have to the colours. This is important because in my editorial I can show why the principles of colour theory is so important and how applying it to designs can alter them alot.
Corporate businesses often use blue to convey a neutral sense of trustworthiness. Facebook’s blue color scheme, for example, helps convey to users that it’s a secure, strong social network. This helps users feel a sense of privacy and security even when sharing and displaying lots of personal information.
This research is really important to look at in terms of my honours and editorial because in it i could include a sub section that explains about the cultural differences within colours and how other cultures have different conotations to different colours rather than we do. Having this information is really helpful to my project because it has really informed me on the different outcomes i could have within my editorial, not just on colour theory but on everything, which is really effective and helpful.
HONOURS- RESEARCH psychology surrounding principles research Red: Energy, love, exciting, action, bold, passionate Coca-Cola is one of the classic examples of how a company has used red in its branding to communicate how exciting and energetic it is as a product.
Circles, Ovals, and Ellipses: Positive emotional messages attached to community, friendship, love, relationships, unity, and femininity. AT&T’s circular logo helps its brand communicate a universality feel. As a wireless network, this makes sense. The use of shape helps connect the audience with a recognizable pattern.
Squares and Triangles: Stability and balance, strength, professionalism, efficiency, power, and masculinity. Microsoft and Delta both use triangles and squares in their logos. This helps establish feelings of stability and efficiency when viewing the logo, which are positive feelings to associate with brands.
Psychology of the rule of thirds: Why is the Rule of Thirds so important in visual design? The human mind doesn’t particularly like disorder and chaos. It naturally seeks out patterns and quickly detects their presence, sometimes on an involuntary, subconscious level. The three part geometry of the Rule of Thirds is particularly catchy to the eye. It feels interesting, dynamic. It conveys tension and energy, especially at the power points. As I mentioned in the essay on diagonal lines, the number 3 is psychologically compelling, sometimes even mystical. Think of mother/father/child, the love triangle, the Pyramids, the Holy Trinity. Think of the Three Stooges and the Three Little Pigs. Researching all of this psychology of the principles is important, because I can use this information to back up the fact that I am creating this editorial that explains the principles, and the reason I’m doing it is to educate people on the principlesto make their work better, by doing this research I’m able to show them why they should use the principles and how it impacts peoples brains when you do. This research is really important to my project because of the fact that looking into the psychology of the principles is really important and makes me understand further into it and the reasons for certain principles- which in turn helps me because that is what im trying to show my audience when i am creating this editorial- show them why the principles are so important and the difference they make when you apply them to your design work physically and pychologically to the clients/audiences. I will be able to refer back to this research when i am creating my editorial in order to gather information on the reasons im actually promoting the principles as effective for work.