Graphic Design Class ~ Friday 4/24/2015
Hi Students. Thanks for being willing to take the class virtually. Feel free to call me or e-mail if you have any questions. This week we will be discussing the Seven Elements of Design as well as the Principles of Design. Read them over and think about how they might be used with your business card concepts. As part of your homework you will have to use one of these Elements or Principles in your business cards so read on ...
The Seven Elements of Design
1. Space - Negative space is empty space and Positive space is filled space.
2. Line – Negative space can form lines just as marks can create straight, curvy, angular lines.
3. Shape – Can be Organic (irregular undefined shapes) or Inorganic (geometric shapes)
4. Size – Can be used to discuss scale or exact dimensions. Changing the size greatly changes your design.
5. Pattern – Items being duplicated or repeated – creates a sense of order or familiarity
6. Texture - Can be actual and physical or can be simply the graphic illusion of depth, interest or dimension
7. Value – The tones of light and dark. Color or black and white images that lack in a big range of values can seem flat and uninteresting. Changes in value helps to add visual depth and variety (lack of monotony)
My daughter and I made a little video for you to see the Elements explained below:
1. Space - Negative space is empty space and Positive space is filled space.
2. Line – Negative space can form lines just as marks can create straight, curvy, angular lines.
3. Shape – Can be Organic (irregular undefined shapes) or Inorganic (geometric shapes)
4. Size – Can be used to discuss scale or exact dimensions. Changing the size greatly changes your design.
5. Pattern – Items being duplicated or repeated – creates a sense of order or familiarity
6. Texture - Can be actual and physical or can be simply the graphic illusion of depth, interest or dimension
7. Value – The tones of light and dark. Color or black and white images that lack in a big range of values can seem flat and uninteresting. Changes in value helps to add visual depth and variety (lack of monotony)
My daughter and I made a little video for you to see the Elements explained below:
Principles of Design
1. Focal Point
The center of attention that your eye goes to first. The most important element in a design. Be sure to have a focal point in all of your work and make it interesting!
2. Contrast
Can be achieved by varying any of the elements of design
3. Balance
This does not mean symmetry. It means balancing negative and positive space, lights and dark etc. so that they eye is comfortable.
4. Movement
This is used to move the viewer’s eye around the layout. Movements lead the viewer to your information and evoke emotion.
5. Rhythm
A pattern or repeated sort of movement that creates a visual beat. Think of foot tapping or snapping…
6. Unity
All parts of the design work together and everything looks like it belongs.
7. Perspective
Think of the Foreground and background. Things closer are larger and are more high contrast or brighter often times with more information and details. Things farther away look blurrier, smaller and often softer in value.
1. Focal Point
The center of attention that your eye goes to first. The most important element in a design. Be sure to have a focal point in all of your work and make it interesting!
2. Contrast
Can be achieved by varying any of the elements of design
3. Balance
This does not mean symmetry. It means balancing negative and positive space, lights and dark etc. so that they eye is comfortable.
4. Movement
This is used to move the viewer’s eye around the layout. Movements lead the viewer to your information and evoke emotion.
5. Rhythm
A pattern or repeated sort of movement that creates a visual beat. Think of foot tapping or snapping…
6. Unity
All parts of the design work together and everything looks like it belongs.
7. Perspective
Think of the Foreground and background. Things closer are larger and are more high contrast or brighter often times with more information and details. Things farther away look blurrier, smaller and often softer in value.
I've decided that it would be too difficult to create a group without us all first being FB friends and I didn't want to push anyone into Facebook who isn't already on there. That said, please e-mail me today an attached .pdf or .jpg of your computer generated mock ups for the business card. This should have been done over the past week. My e-mail address is, [email protected]. I will look at them over the weekend and get back to you with my feedback. You'll use this feedback to make revisions this week.
Assigned Homework
Read chapters 5 and 10 of the book , White Space Is Not Your Enemy they support what I want you to get out of today's class – Allow the pieces (elements) and principles of design in chapter 5 to sink in. Parts of your quiz next week will come from these two chapters.
Finalize your calling cards on the computer based on the feedback given from me.
Bring 2 in to share next week. One is for me to keep, and the other is for me to grade and hand back to you.
Lastly, select one of the 7 principles of design to discuss in class that you used in your calling card design.
Next week after our quiz and sharing our calling cards we will discuss the printing process and how to best save and organize your files on your computer. Thanks again for being flexible today!
Assigned Homework
Read chapters 5 and 10 of the book , White Space Is Not Your Enemy they support what I want you to get out of today's class – Allow the pieces (elements) and principles of design in chapter 5 to sink in. Parts of your quiz next week will come from these two chapters.
Finalize your calling cards on the computer based on the feedback given from me.
Bring 2 in to share next week. One is for me to keep, and the other is for me to grade and hand back to you.
Lastly, select one of the 7 principles of design to discuss in class that you used in your calling card design.
Next week after our quiz and sharing our calling cards we will discuss the printing process and how to best save and organize your files on your computer. Thanks again for being flexible today!
