INTRODUCTION TO GRAPHICS DESIGN

GRAPHIC DESIGN -- is the process or practice of combining text and images in a

visually appealing way to communicate a message. Graphic designers use their
creativity and technical skills to create various designs, such as logos,
advertisements, and website layouts. They consider aspects like color, typography,
and layout to ensure the final product is both attractive and effective in conveying
the intended message to the audience. Graphic designers often work with software
tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to bring their ideas to life.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
A good graphic designer possesses a combination of creativity, technical skills,
attention to detail, and the ability to effectively communicate with clients and
understand their needs. They have a strong understanding of design principles such
as color theory, typography, and layout. Good graphic designers are also adaptable
and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines. Constantly seeking inspiration,
staying updated on design trends, and being open to feedback are also important
qualities that contribute to being a successful graphic designer.
CORE ELEMENTS IN GRAPHIC DESIGN
These are the building blocks of Arts and design. Understanding these elements will
help you understand how art and design are fundamentally made.
1. DOT – fixed point and is the building block of any visual form. This might seem
basic, but what if we added a second or more dots on the same space, we eventually
create an abstract shape.
2. LINE - is like a moving dot that can be straight or wiggly. It's a simple mark we
use in art. When we place lines strategically, they help guide our eyes to important
parts of a picture or design. We call this guiding effect "leading lines." They basically
control how we see the whole artwork.
3. SHAPE – also known as plane. Geometric shapes are angular, while organic forms
are irregular. Outlined shapes can represent a familiar object such as balls, house,
camera but simple shape can be square, circle, rectangle.
4. FORM is a three-dimensional object with volume of height, width, and depth.
These objects include cubes, spheres, and cylinders. Form is often used when
referring to physical works of art, like sculptures, as form is connected most closely
with three-dimensional works.
There are two types of Form.
● GEOMETRIC FORMS are those that appear manmade. Whether simple or
complex, these produce a feeling of control or order and appear clean and
sterile.
● ORGANIC FORMS are those that appear natural. Organic forms, whether
simple or complex, produce a natural feel.
5. TONE is the lightness or darkness of a color. It is also referred to as “value of a
color”. Tone is one of the most powerful design elements. In any painting,
photograph or design, the area of highest contrast between light and dark will
always demand maximum attention.
6. TEXTURE - brings feeling to your work. It defines the surfaces of shapes and
forms and allows us to imagine a vintage feeling, or modern feeling. There are two
types of texture: Image Texture and Pattern Texture.
a. Image Texture is generated from a combination of organic or geometric shapes
and color. It can be simple or complex and generally appears random to create a
particular look and feel. Image textures tend to tantalize the senses and therefore,
the eye is naturally drawn to image textures. They can be likened to the sense of
smell and touch; you can’t see anything in particular in it but overall, it triggers
emotions and sensations of touch.
Image Texture can be environmental, biological, or man-made.
Environmental textures can be wood, grain, sand, water to the stars in the
sky.
Biological textures can be skin, fur, feathers, and animal prints.
Man-made textures can be paintings, illustrations, dies, cloths, papers,
typography, photographic effects, etc.
b. Pattern Texture - is also generated from organic or geometric shapes and
color though pattern texture is mostly manufactured. Patterns can be simple or
complex but unlike image texture that generally appears random, patterns
appear more structured.
7. COLOR refers to the use of different hues, shades, and tones to create visual
interest, convey messages, and evoke emotions in various design projects. It plays a
crucial role in grabbing attention, conveying meaning, and influencing the overall
mood or atmosphere of a design. It involves understanding the color wheel, color
theory, and principles such as contrast, harmony, and saturation. Designers use
colors strategically to establish hierarchy, emphasize important elements, create
visual balance, and establish brand identity.
Whether developing a brand from scratch, or designing marketing collateral for an
existing brand, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of color. 80% of consumers
believe color increases brand recognition, and 84.7% cite color as the primary
reason they buy a particular product. Carefully selected brand colors help create the
right impression and differentiate a brand from its competitors.
8. TEXT – also referred to as Typography is the strategic arrangement of type to
make written language readable and visually appealing. The art of typography is one
of the most important skills every graphic and web designer needs to master. It's
central to every form of design, both print and digital. We use typography to describe
the shapes, forms, and lines that make up a letter. There are two common style
categories of text: Serif and San Serif.

SERIF TYPEFACES are characterized by small decorative lines or strokes that are
added to the ends of characters, known as serifs. These serifs give the typeface a
more traditional and formal appearance. Serif fonts are often used for printed
materials such as books, newspapers, and magazines because the serifs help guide
the reader's eyes along the lines of text, improving readability.
 • Examples of popular serif typefaces include Times New Roman, Georgia, and
Garamond.
SANS SERIF TYPEFACES, on the other hand, do not have serifs. The term "sans" is
French for "without," so "sans serif" literally means "without serifs." Sans’s serif
typefaces have a cleaner and more modern look compared to serif typefaces. They
are often used for digital designs, such as websites and presentations, as well as for
signage and advertisements where readability from a distance is important.

• Examples of popular sans serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, and

Verdana.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN - are guidelines that help designers organize and arrange
the Elements of Design in a harmonious and effective manner. These principles serve
as the foundation for creating visually appealing and functional designs across various
mediums, including graphic design, architecture, interior design, fashion design, and
more. Here are some key principles:
1. BALANCE - The visual weight of objects, texture, color and space is evenly
distributed on the screen.
2. HIERARCHY: Hierarchy establishes the order of importance within a design,
guiding the viewer's attention to the most critical elements first. It is often achieved
through variations in size, color, contrast, and placement.
3. EMPHASIS - Area in the design that may appear different in size, texture, shape,
or color to attract the viewer’s attention. Sometimes referred to as dominance,
emphasis might seem similar to contrast, but it’s not quite the same. Contrast deals
with the difference between two objects, and emphasis deals with the impact of an
object.
4. CONTRAST - refers to placing two opposite elements together. This most often
refers to a contrast in VALUES (very light areas next to very dark areas, like in the
image of the lion below). But contrast can refer to any opposing elements- such as a
contrast in different textures, colors, shapes, etc.
5. MOVEMENT - means guiding the user’s eye to a predetermined path in a
composition. When a viewer views a design, they are first attracted to the focal points
of the design. By careful placement of these focal points, designers can easily guide
the viewer through the design. This is called Movement in design.
6. REPETITION - These are the repeating visual elements on an image or layout to
create unity. Repetition is the recurrence of a design element, commonly utilized in
patterns or textures. Repetitive elements can be used in conjunction with other
principles to create a design that leads a user’s eye to a focal point, has continuity, or
flow. A repetitive element could be repeated lines, shapes, forms, color, or even design
elements.
7. RHYTHM -is the visual tempo of a combination of elements when used repeatedly,
and with variation, it gives the feeling of organized movement. • Rhythm can be
Regular, Flowing or Progressive.
8. PROXIMITY: Proximity refers to the grouping of related elements together,
creating visual relationships and organizing information in a clear and intuitive
manner. In design we use proximity for two main reasons:
1. To Create Connections - Proximity can create relationships between visual
elements in a composition, create relevance, hierarchy, create organization and
structure.
2. To Dispel Connections - Proximity can also be used to suggest no
relationship between elements, to break organization and structure.
9.UNITY AND VARIETY. Unity refers to the harmonious integration of all elements
in a design, creating a cohesive pleasing composition. This ensures no single part is
more important than the other.

WORKING WITH COLORS

COLOR is a universal language and perhaps the most vital and influential in design.
They can change how we feel and see things. Designers use different colors to make
things stand out or to make us feel a certain way. They pick colors carefully to make
sure everything looks balanced and works well together.
The key to understanding colors and their relationships to one another is to
understand the color wheel. The positions of the different colors on the wheel
determine their relationship to one another.
 UNDERSTANDING HUE, SATURATION AND LIGHTNESS (HSL).
It’s one of the main ways to represent RGB color values.
The HUE is what we most often think as color and it always refers to the base color. It’s
calculated in degrees of the color wheel and it’s referring to a color wheel that goes from
red, to yellow, to lime, to aqua, to blue, to magenta, and finally back to red. For this reason,
0° on the hue color wheel is red and then 360° is red again.
SATURATION is how pure the hue is. A full saturation means that the pure base hue is
used. Saturation is calculated as a percentage value between 0% and 100%. 0% saturation
will always be black. Lightness (or brightness) is the amount of white or black mixed in with
the color. It’s also calculated as a percentage value between 0% and 100%. 0% lightness will
also always be black.

CREATING A COLOR PALETTE:

Choosing colors for your brand logo is important because each color has its own
meaning and can make people feel different things. This affects how they behave and make
decisions. So, picking colors for your logo isn't just about what you like, but about creating a
strong impression for your brand.
Selecting the colors that represent your brand can seem overwhelming because there
are so many options available. However, this guide will help you understand the distinctions
between various colors and provide tips on selecting the perfect color for your brand.
When you first start considering colors, you may wonder how many you need to define
your brand. In examining some of the world’s most popular brand color schemes, it’s evident
that many highly effective palettes contain three key elements:
● BASE COLOR: This is your primary brand color. Therefore, it should reflect your
most important brand personality trait while appealing to your target audience. You can play
around with different shades and tints, from dark to soft and pastel, to find the best fit.
● ACCENT COLOR: The second-most important brand color, after the base color.
Not only should it convey another trait of your brand, but it also needs to pair well with your
base color and appeal to your audience.
● NEUTRAL COLOR: Refers to a color that doesn’t demand attention but ties your
color palette together in an understated way. Think of colors you’d typically use in the
background, such as shades of white, beige, or gray.
 TYPOGRAPHY
TYPOGRAPHY involves the skillful arrangement of type to ensure that written
language is both legible and visually pleasing when presented. This process includes
selecting appropriate typefaces, adjusting point sizes, line lengths, line spacing, letter
spacing, and managing the spacing between individual letters.
There are two common types of fonts, the Serif and Sans Serif at we have discussed
previously. But there are also called display fonts as they come in many different styles, like
script, blackletter, all caps, and just plain fancy. Because of their decorative nature, display
fonts are best for small amounts of text, like titles and headers and more graphic-heavy
designs.
FONT VS. TYPEFACE These terms are frequently swapped, yet font and typeface
hold distinct meanings. As a designer discussing typography, it's important to understand
and use the terms accurately.
• Typeface is the name of the design in full – style or font family. Ex. Arial, Calibri,
Times New Romans
• Font refers to format or storage mechanism. Ex. Arial.ttf, Calibri.tt
TYPEFACE is to a font as a song is to an mp3.
HOW TO CHOOSE A FONT
In a way, fonts have their own language. They all have something to say beyond the
words on the page. They can come across as casual or neutral, exotic or graphic. That's why
it's important to think about your message, then choose a font that fits.
FONTS TO AVOID
Some fonts come with extra baggage, including Comic Sans, Curlz, and Papyrus.
There's nothing particularly wrong with these fonts—they just have a certain reputation for
being outdated and overused.
COMBINING FONTS
When deciding which font to use, less is more. It's best to limit yourself to one or two
per project. If you need more contrast, try repeating one of your fonts in a different size,
weight, or style. This trick is practically foolproof for creating interesting combinations that
work. You've probably heard that opposites attract. The same is true for fonts. Don't be
afraid to combine font styles that are different but complementary, like sans serif with serif,
short with tall, or decorative with simple. This can be challenging at first, but don't despair.
Look to other designs for inspiration, and soon you'll get the hang of it.
THE ANATOMY OF TYPE
• Aperture - The partially enclosed space of a letterform.
• Ascender - An upward vertical stroke that extends beyond the x-height.
• Baseline - The invisible line on which all letters rest.
• Bow - The generally round or elliptical forms which are the basic body shape of
letters.
• Cap height - The distance from the baseline to the top of the capital letter.
• Counter - The white space enclosed by a letterform. • Cross bar - The horizontal
stroke in letters.
• Descender - A downward vertical stroke that extends beyond the baseline.
• Dot - Also known as a tittle, is a small diacritic on a lowercase i or j.
• Eye - The closed counter of a lowercase e.
• Finial - A tapered or curved end on a letterform.
• Ligature - Two or more letters tied into a single character.
• Lowercase - A smaller form of letters in a typeface.
• Shoulder - A curved stroke originating from a stem.
• Spine - The main curved stroke of a lowercase or capital letter.
• Stem - A main stroke that is more or less straight, not part of a bowl.
• Serif - A stroke added to the beginning or end of one of the main strokes of a letter.
• Small Capital - Short capital letters designed to blend with lowercase text.
• Stroke - A straight or curved line that creates the principal part of a letter.
• Terminal - A circular form at the end of the arm, leg or brow in letters.
• Uppercase - A typecase containing capital letters.
• x-height - The distance between the baseline and the height of the lowercase letter
‘x’.
• Weight - The thickness of a font’s stroke.
Type has Anatomy. It has its very own language full of serifs, shoulders and stems.
Whether you’re an aspiring designer or a typography enthusiast, learning the building blocks
of typography will help you apply it effectively within your designs.