#1 Focal Points
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Focal points are a major consideration when creating designs, especially ones that are supposed to communicate something very clearly. The focal points are where the eye is drawn to immediately, usually the middle of the page or largest/boldest piece on the page. These two images represent exactly where the focal points are. Red as the main immediate ones, and cooling to blue to the areas which are looked at afterwards, usually the bottom corners. In website design, the important articles are strategically placed to where the eye subconsciously goes to straight away, usually the centre and top centre of the page.
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#2 Cost Cutting Palette
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A cost cutting palette is ideal for a graphic designer. Printing in full colour is expensive so learning to design with a limited palette is an easy way to save money, and also helps think of more ways to make the desgin stand out and more dynamic instead of trying to make it stand out by being in full colour.
Two or three colours and stock usually make design which is bold and memorable because it’s so clear and so bold. It also helps get the message across in a very easy, simple way because there’s only so many colours, tones and opacities that can be used.The images show two ways in which low colour palettes can be excecuted. They also show how effective a simple idea can be, as well as how a more complex design can work in a low colour palette. Low colour palettes can also work better than a full colour image as there is bigger contrasts between colours.
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#3 Legibility Vs Readability
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Legibility. Capability of being able to read and distinguish the characters on a page without them being displayed in the simplest form.
Readability. The quality of written language that makes it easy to read and understand. Readability is primarily down to leading, kerning and font choice and size.
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#4 Experimentation is the Key
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Experimentation is key to successful graphic design. Without experimentation a designer can not grow and learn new skills, and is just stuck doing the same thing over and over again. Experimentation can be as little as changing a typeface to changing the colour of lines in a piece, to larger changes like trying something completely different and opposite to the usual and comfortable aesthetic. It never has to be a huge change which is noticeable, but if the designer knows it is there and learns from it then it is successful. Experimentation also never needs to be a good outcome, it just means the designer has tried something new and in uncomfortable territory.
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#5 Leading is important
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Leading directly affects the readability of written pieces of work. It is the distance between each line in the written piece. If the spacing between each line is too little then the reader is going to have a hard time trying to read the sentences straight. If the lines are closer the readers eye will automatically jump from line to line, quickly tiring the eye and making the whole piece hard to read in general. The same can be said for when the leading is too big, it also tires the eye as it has to look down a greater amount to get to the next section. If the leading is too large or too small the viewer might not even bother to read the majority of it because of how it tires the eye easily. Usually the ideal leading is the font size multiplied by 1.2. It is also dependent on the font used, font size, and size of the text box.
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#6 Hand rendered design
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Not all designs have to be so clean cut and perfect to make them the desired outcome and give the correct message. Sometimes the best way to put a message across is to use hand rendered work. Hand rendered work adds a personal touch to a design and gives individuality and quirkiness. It also is sometimes considered to be more interactive for a viewer as they engage more because it’s not perfectly digitised.
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#7 Breaking the grid
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Breaking the grid set is something designers need to be careful about. Usually sticking to the grid does create the best possible outcome as everything is balanced and works in harmony together.
However sometimes, given the right circumstances and concept, breaking the grid is necessary and makes the design a lot more diverse and work a lot better as a visual piece. Post modernists like Caron or Brody were all about breaking the grid, the rules and doing whatever they wanted to create the visual outcome they wanted. Breaking the grid can be as simple as moving a line of text from it’s original place, or twisting it so it’s not in line with everything. Basic things like that are what start explorations into the grid and how it can be broken successfully and still be visually interesting to look at, not a mess which doesn’t put across the message.
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#8 Simple Ideas
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Graphic
design is all about communicating a message in the simplest and most understandable way. In this sense, it’s only logic to make the ideas for a concept simple and to the point. Overcomplicating an idea or concept will limit your designing, whereas using a simple idea can be built upon and turned into a strong concept. Some of the most memorable pieces of design are those that use one simple idea, especially in Branding & Identity, logo’s for companies.
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#9 Monochrome Design
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Design doesn’t always need colour to make it memorable or give an impact. Some of the most iconic designs are in monochrome design. When designing, colour is just another thing to take into consideration, and sometimes it take a lot of time to get that just right. Designing in black and white takes away the problems which arise when working in colour, like trying to get the whole design to work in balance and harmony. Working in monochrome does not make you a bad designer, it makes you a designer who is confident in the design and doesn’t rely on colour to help get the intended message across.
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#10 Typographer
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Just because you create a typeface, or work with one, it doesn’t make you a typographer. Traditionally a typographer is someone who was a specialised knowledge in type, type setting and creating type. Staying in that sense, laying a bit of type over an image or manipulating a typeface and calling yourself a typographer is completely wrong. To be a typographer you have to know the ins and outs of type and typefaces, be able to create typefaces which are individual, clean cut and have a lot of work put into it.
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Front & Contents
Digital Book
Final Images
190x215mm, printed on Antique white paper & bound.
Overall I am pleased with the way this turned out. I think I stuck to the original design ideas intended, and kept everything in an ordered and consistent way. I think each page flows to the next well and the aesthetic qualities of the images are all similar so it keeps a good consistency throughout. Printing the body text in another colour was a risk that paid off as it stands out and holds its own amongst the large images of the pages.
I think the images all demonstrate the 10 things I have put across, so there doesn't need to be a huge amount of body text present. I also think the amount of white space on the pages breaks it up well so it doesn't overload the viewer too much.
Printing on antique white instead of plain white paper is also something that has benefitted the final outcome. It brought out the images a lot more so they all stand out on the page as the paper is duller than a clean white.
