DESIGNSECRETS Graphic Design Graphic design is the art of communication, stylizing, and problem-solving through the use of type, space and image. The field is considered a subset of visual communication and communication design, but sometimes the term "graphic design" is used interchangeably with these due to overlapping skills involved. Graphic designers use various methods to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce a final result.
Tools
Common uses of Graphic Design include: • Identity: logos and branding • Publications: magazines, • Newspapers and books. • Print advertisements: posters, billboards • Website graphics • Elements, signs and product packaging. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials.
The pencil is one of the most basic graphic design tools. The mind is an important graphic design tool. Aside from technology, graphic design requires judgment and creativity. Critical, observational, quantitative and analytic thinking are required for design layouts and rendering. The appropriate development and presentation tools can substantially change how an audience perceives a project. The image or layout is produced using external traditional media and guides, or digital image editing tools on computers. Tools in computer graphics often take on traditional names such as “scissors” or “pen.” Some graphic design tools such as a grid are used in both traditional and digital form. Computers are considered an indispensable tool in the graphic design industry. Computers and software applications are generally seen by creative professionals as more effective production tools than traditional methods. However, some designers continue to use manual and traditional tools for production, such as Milton Glaser.
Computers and the creative process
Table of Contents Graphic Desing Basics Page 1
A Journey Through Beautiful Typography Page 3
Specctr, A free Adobe Illustrator Plugin Page 4
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A graphic designer may use sketches to explore multiple or complex ideas quickly without the distractions and complications of software. Hand-rendered comps are often used to get approval for an idea
execution before a designer invests time to produce finished visuals on a computer or in paste-up. The same thumbnail sketches or rough drafts on paper may be used to rapidly refine and produce the idea on the computer in a hybrid process. This hybrid process is especially useful in logo design where a software learning curve may detract from a creative thought process. The traditional-design/computer-production hybrid process may be used for freeing one’s creativity in page layout or image development as well
Page layout The page layout aspect of graphic design deals with the arrangement of elements also known as the content on a page, such as image placement, and text layout and style. Beginning from early illuminated pages in hand-copied books of the Middle Ages and proceeding down to intricate modern magazine and catalogue layouts, structured page design has long been a consideration in printed material. With print media, elements usually consist of type, images and occasionally place-holder graphics for elements that are not printed with ink such as die/laser cutting, foil stamping or blind embossing.
Color The color may even be the most important element of a design, because it offers the most powerful visual impact at a single glance. Color is obvious and does not need basic graphic skills to be noticed. While lines and shapes mean the same thing as in the reality, only at a little more profound level, the color means exactly the same thing as in the nature. Color creates emotions – red is passionate, blue is calm, green is natural. Even if you don’t realize this, colors have a clear effect on your mind. Therefore color theory is very important to know, because not many designers can call themselves experts in this field. Being a master of colors might make the difference between a good design and a stunning one. Graphic Design Basics:Elements http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/graphic-design-basics-elements/
Type of different page layouts. 2
Graphic design is about problem solving. One of the best ways to solve a problem in business or product development is through the design process. A good designer relies not only on the dominant right side of their brain for creativity, but also the left side to distill and simplify complex communication problems, visual explanations, methods, applications, diagrams and architectures to solve problems to help others understand what you’re trying to communicate
First impressions are lasting impressions. Whether you realize it or not, your typography helps to create an experience for users before they’ve even read a word or clicked a button. Typography has the potential to go beyond merely telling a story — it shows the user who is behind the website and what you’re about. The treatment of type creates an atmosphere and elicits a response much the same way as tone of voice does. You need to ask yourself, what do you want to say and how do you want to say it? Consider the user: What do you want them to feel and experience when the design is done. Typography establishes a mode of communication and, in turn, the personality of the design. The choice of typeface will determine how people respond to your designs. Good typography isn’t just about a beautiful visual treatment, but about speed as well. Clever graphic designers love to use typography to explore the interaction between the look of type and
what type actually says. In communicating a message, a balance has to be achieved between the visual and the verbal aspects of a design. Sometimes, however, designers explore the visual aspect of type to a much greater extent than the verbal. In these cases, the visual language does all the talking. This article explores when the visual elements of typography speak louder than words. The visual language established when designing with type can bring into play not only emotions, but also physical responses. The following examples are simple illustrations of the varied and emotive effects and highly dominant control that can be achieved by changing the visual language of a message, while still presenting the same
TyPe A Journey Through Beautiful Typography http://www.smashingmagazine. com/2013/08/06/beautiful-typography-web-design/
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TYPOG RA PHY
A Journey Through Beautiful Typography
A design is more than a simple drawing on a canvas in Illustrator, Fireworks or Photoshop; it is a representation of function. “Form follows function” is a well-known principle, first coined in 1896 by the architect Louis Sullivan. How will the website work? How will that section fold? What happens when you hover over this button? How does that menu function? Designers also know that the details will make or break a product’s usability. But designers are also responsible for not letting those details fall through the cracks in production. Yes, those 5 pixels do matter! The development or production team also needs to understand how the product will work and what it will look like in every scenario and variation of the product’s use. Annotating all of these scenarios can be a nightmare, but this is where Specctr can help. Being a successful designer takes not only creativity and design skills but the follow-through to see a project come alive just as you imagined it. A designer may create a well-crafted website or a beautiful logo or an elegantly packaged product, but chances are they won’t be the one bringing it to life.
Productivity is a crucial asset of professional designers. Photoshop is an extremely powerful application for photo processing and image manipulation, and we can make it even more powerful by using handy tools, actions, plugins and templates to save time for solving mundane regular tasks. The better our professional tool set is, the more time we can spend to focus on the actual design process rather than the tool we are using to implement it on screen. Blueprints For Web And Print: Specctr, A Free Adobe Illustrator Plugin http://www.smashingmagazine. com/2013/11/15/specctr-an-adobe-illustrator-plugin-freebie/
GRAPHICS
Blueprints For Web and Print: Specctr, A Free Adobe Illustrator Plugin
Communicating and explaining your design both verbally and visually is a requirement for precise and successful results.
“Design should never say, ‘Look at me.’ It should always say, ‘Look at this.’ “ 4 David Craib