Elements and Principles of Graphic Design
THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
Marjorie Crum, 1998, said Graphic Design is the profession of a creative problem solver which been trained from their visual observation and revelations of creative ideas. Understanding of an audience from the message of designs will reveal and try to find the solution to give a good service to compete with the other Designer. In the combination of the Elements and Principle in Graphic Design, it is the indicator to impress the audience. The designer users imagery, Symbols, type, color and material whatever it’s concrete. Printing on the page or somewhat intangible, like pixels on a computer screen or light in a video to represent the ideas that must be conveyed and to organize them into a united message. Graphic design performs this service. On behalf of a company or other organization to help that entity got its message out to its audience and, in so design, evoke a particular response.
The fundamental of graphic design is LINE. A point is a single spot on a page. A point can be typographic, like a period or punctuation mark, or it can be a graphic element, and it doesn't have to be circular in form. It can serve as a foundation or building block for a design. The natural tendency is to put a point in the center of the design, to become the focal point. Moving the point off-center, however, shifts the focus to wherever the point is. Lines are another design element that can be used to show direction where you want the eye to go and movement. Vertical lines give elegance and elongation to the page, while horizontal lines create a more relaxed feel; curved lines suggest an organic theme. Repetition of lines, or other elements, can be used to also create patterns.
(Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 1: Line & pattern “needle” The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
The second element in Graphic Design is SHAPE. Shape is exactly what it sounds like, circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles are all design building blocks. Repeating shapes or grouping them in an organized method works to create patterns. (Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 2: Shape, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
FORM is another design element that has to do with the appearance of depth. Form gives a three-dimensional perspective sometimes through drop shadows and tone while physically occupying space or giving the illusion of occupied space in a flat, two-dimensional surface. Form is the shape of text, images, and white space also called void on a page. By using graphic elements or white space the designer can lead a viewer around a page. Because we are so accustomed to getting information quickly, form can help a viewer see pertinent elements. (Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 3: Form. The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
A fourth element in Graphic Design is TONE. When adding tone to a design, it’s like adding a sense of lightness and darkness. The most common way to do this is through gradients, where an area goes from light to dark or from darker to lighter colour. Using shadowing and patterns in a lighter tint can also add tone the overall goal is to add depth to a piece. (Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 4: Tone & contrast “egg” ” The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
Fifth elements in Graphic Design are TEXTURE, which officially is defined as the character of a surface. Texture on paper adds dimension, through repeated dots or lines, for example. Be careful when selecting textures; decide if you’re using a textured paper or adding it in the design. Using many different textures can be confusing and work against the overall design of a piece. (Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 5: Texture “tooth brush” ” The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
A last element that may play role innovative is the certain design is COLOR. Any kind of color adds impact and interest to objects and design. Brighter colors make elements of a design seem larger, while cooler colors make them seem smaller. While there are thousands of shades of color designers approach them in three major categories:
i. Primary colors; red, yellow, and blue,
ii. Secondary colors—green, purple, and orange and
iii. Tertiary colors—all the colors between the secondary colors on the color wheel.
(Marjorie Crum.1998)
Figure 6: Color. The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
The principle is FIGURE-GROUND the figure refers to the main focus within your design, and the ground is the area that surrounds the figure. Either one can be dominant, depending on where’s targeting focus for audience. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 7: Figure-Ground, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
The first principle is BALANCE elements in a design can either be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Large or small, all work in this principle. For example, when using a large object and small object together on the same page, the proximity to one another can be well-balanced or poorly balanced. By placing them close together, the balance is poor. If you allow more space between the objects the balance is more even. Asymmetrical elements are often used to create visual excitement, by calling attention to certain elements. Designs that are asymmetrical are generally divided into thirds, rather than halves. When using tone to create asymmetrical balance, use the rule of thirds for your composition. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 8: Balance, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
The next principle is CONTRAST, which refers to the relationship between the elements of design. The more differences among the two elements, the greater the contrast, as in the case of size big versus little. Colors can provide contrast with complementary colors opposites on the color wheel providing the greatest contrast, and coordinating colors having the least contrast. In the next figure, the color yellow works better with the purple color because the contrast is greater than with the green color The green text block is more difficult to read because the green and yellow are too similar in contrast. The chosen of color can make difference in readability. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 9: Contrast. The complete idiot’s guide (2009)
The third principle was CROPPING. Although we most often hear the term cropping with respect to photography, it really refers to the process of selecting the elements of design we want the user to see. It’s generally used to zero in on the most important subject within an image. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 10: Cropping, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
Fourth of the principle is the principle of SCALE, you most often see scale used for exaggeration, such as in caricatures, where certain features of a politician, for example, might be disproportionate to his or her body. Scale refers to how large an object is in relation to other objects in the design, and is often used to inject humour, by making smaller objects oversized, for example. Scale can also be used to show intricate detail that is not easily seen at a 1:1 ratio, but is also a technique used in technical drawings that show an
“exploded” or enlarged section. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 11: Scale, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
Fifth principle is PATTERN. As it suggests, the principle of pattern deals with the repetition of elements, such as lines, points, or shapes, as you saw previously. If you add patterned paper, don’t forget to count that as well. Patterns, if over used, are not attractive and show the mark of an amateur. (Layton Turner.1998)
Figure 12: Pattern, The complete idiot’s guide. (2009)
Bibliography:
Marjorie Crum and Layton Turner (1998) Graphic Design: Elements and Principles of Design. Available at: http://idiotsguides.com/static/quickguides/artphotography/graphic-design-principles-and-elements-of-design.html (Accessed: 30.5.2013).
Marjorie Crum and Layton Turner.(1998) Picture Elements and Principles of design. Available at: http://idiotsguides.com/static/quickguides/artphotography/graphic-design-principles-and-elements-of-design.html (Accessed: 30.5.2013).
No comments:
Post a Comment