10 Things you need to know about Graphic Design

s g n i h t 0 1 t u o b a n w o i g n k e s o t D d e c e i n h u o p y r a G

There is no design without discipline - M a s s i m o

V i g n e l l i

There is no discipline without intelligence

Pantone

Colour matching system

Pantone 68-16 U

Pantone is an accurate system of every colour that has been made.

The purpose of this is so designers, manufacturers etc. can refer to it and be assured that they get the right colour when work is printed - even if the colour may not look right on the screen.

Each Pantone colour system uses a unique coding scheme. This key helps you to find which system a particular pantone number of name is assosiated with. The letter suffix within the codes referes to the paper stock on which it is printed -C for Coated or Gloss, U for Uncoated and M for Matt.

Pantone Black 7 CP

Look Here The level of attention a specific element can demand from a user is often refered to as ‘Visual wieght’. Hevier stokes, bright colours, and more exaggerated fonts all carry hiegher levels of visual wieght.

F i n a ll y

h er e . . .

T h e n

Visual Hierchy is the arrangement of elements in a gradu al series in o r d e r o f i m p o r tan c e .

Visu a l Hi era c h y

Ch aracteristics such as size, wieght,

Typographical emphasis

style, colour and

comes into play when

lo cation help the

designing a higher

audience read

priority to one element

through emphasis.

over another.

This emphasis is giving

h e r e

type a treatment that contrasts with that of type around it, in order to call more attention to it.

Ma y b e

over

h ere?

V i s u a l Metaphor

Synecdoche

A visual metaphor is used to transfer certain meaning from one image to another. Although the images may have no close relationship, a metaphor conveys an impression about something relatively unfamiliar by drawing a comparison between it and something familiar.

The term visual

A visual metonymy is a

synecdoche is applied

symbolic image that is

when a part is used to represent the whole, or visa versa. In more simple terms, the main subject is substituted

Metonymy used to make reference to something with more of a literal meaning.

By way of assosiation

for something that is

the viewer makes a

inherently connected to it

connection between the

in some way.

image and the content.

Metaphor

Synecdoche

Metonymy

L I T E R A C Y

S i g n - t h e s m a ll est u n i t of m e an i n g ( an y t h i n g t h a t can b e u s e d to co m m u n i ca te . ) S i g n i f i e r - t h e fo r m t h e s i g n takes .

S i g n i f i e d - t h e co n c e p t t h e t h e s i g n i f i e r r e f e r s to .

S y mb o l - s i g n s w h e r e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t we e n t h e s i g n i f i e r an d t h e s i g n i f i e d i s p u r e l y co nve n t i o n a l an d c u l t u ra ll y s p e c i f i c .

semiotics

S e m i o t i cs , o r S e m i o l o g y , i s t h e st u d y of s i g n s , s y mb o ls an d s i g n i f i ca t i o n .

I t s i s t h e s t u d y of h ow m e an i n g i s c r e a te d .

scitoimes

As co nsumers of v isu a l art, we h ave b e come h i g h l y so p h isti cated re aders of si g ns an d symb o ls.

We de co de me an i n g from im a g es wi th sub co nsi o us e ase.

- Dav i d Crow

a n a t o m y o f t y p e Within Typography and design, it is very important to be able to understand and know the components that make up all the typographical characters.

Bar

Ascender line

Baseline Descender line

Bowl

Shoulder

Body

Ascender

Typography Terminal

Serif

Counter

Loop

Descender

Stem

X-hieght

e v i t a g e n ace p s

The use of negative sp ace is important as it can define the content that exisits in the positve sp ace - it is a major structural player within layout design.

To summarise it, negative sp ace is the white sp acing between elements; whether it is between the actu al sections of the p age, or right down to the sp ace between the lettters.

Negative space works best when there is a balance between that and the positve, Focusing on the negative can give you a more accurate, aesthetically pleasing design, with balanced composition, drawing the viewers eye to the subject.

C M Y

Subtractive colour Printing on sto ck creates colours by mixing inks which absorb light C y an , M a g e n ta , Y e l l o w , an d K e y ( B l a c k ) When you mix all 4 colours together and you get black. The more ink applied, the less light is reflected, d arkening the colour.

Therefore CMYK is a subtractive model.

R Additive colour mixing light using the 3 primary colours -

G

Computer moniters produce an image by Red, Green and Blue.

If you mix all 3 colours together you will get white, therefore RGB is an ad d itive model.

B

u s i n g

g r i d s

The use of Grids as an ordering system is the expression of a certain mental attitude in as much as it shows that the designer concieves his work in terms that are constrcutive and orientated to the future.

- Josef Muller Brockman

Column Gutter Flowline

Margin

Grids are in important mean of p ositioning and containing the elements of a design in order to facilitate and ease decision making.

They help to result in a more considered ap proach to the layout of a design. They allow greater accuracy in the placement of elements, in terms of ph ysical measurements or proportional sp ace.

Margin

the colour wheel

These colours are formed by mixing the primary and second ary colours, hence the two word names.

Blue green and Yellow green

purple, Blue purple , Blue purple,

- Yellow orange, Red orange, Red

T e r t i a ry C o l o u r s

The second ary colours are formed by the mixing of primary colours.

- Green Orange Purple

Secondary Colours

In traditional colour theory, primary colours are the 3 pigment colours th at cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues.

- Red Yellow Blue

P r i m a ry C o l o u r s

legibility Le gibili ty is co n cern ed wi th h ow e asy i t is to d istin gu ish ind i vidu al ch ara cters. Th e simp ler a typ e desi gn is, th e m o re le gib le i t is. Wh ile i t is ge n erall y better to use a l e g i b l e t y p e fa c e , t h e r e a r e t i m e s w h e n d i s t i n c t i v n e s s m a y b e m o r e i m p o r ta n t t h a n l e g i b i l i t y .

Legibility is concerned with how easy it is to distinguish individual characters. The simpler a type design is, the more legible it is. While it is generally better to use a legible typeface, there are times when distinctivness may be more important than legibility.

Readability refers to the ease with which a reader

Re ad abili ty refers to th e e ase wi th wh i ch a re ader can scan over t ex t - i n o t h e r w o r d s h o w e a s y i t i s t o r e a d . W h i l e l e g i b i l i t y i s

can scan over text - in other words how easy it is to

b a s i c a l l y d e p e n d a n t o n t y p e fa c e d e s i g n , r e a d a b i l i t y i s d e p e n d a n t o n th e m an i p ul ati o n o r h and lin g of th e typ e. A h i gh l y le gib le typ e can

read. While legibility is basically dependant on typeface

be m ade un re ad ab le b y p o o r typ o grap h u c desi gn. Fa cto rs wh i ch will a f f e c t r e a d a b i l i t y i n c l u d e l i n e l e n g h t , p o i n t s i z e , l e a d i n g , t y p e fa c e

design, readability is dependant on the manipulation

se le cti o n, sp a cin g, typ e ali gnme nt and b a ckgro und.

or handling of the type. A highly legible type can be

readability made unreadable by poor typographuc design. Factors

which wil affect readability include line lenght, point size,

leading, typeface selection, spacing, type alignment and