Principles of

Graphic Design
Basics
Instructor: Melbrick A. Evallar

[email protected]
Graphic Design

• The process and art of combining text and

graphics and communicating an effective
message in the design of logos, graphics,
brochures, newsletters, posters, signs, and any
other type of visual communication
Building Blocks of Graphic
Design
• The five elements of lines, shapes, mass, texture,
and color are the building blocks of design for
desktop publishers.
Lines

• Sometimes a designer uses a line alone to divide or unite

elements on a page.
• Lines can denote direction of movement (as in diagonal lines
and arrows) or provide an anchor to hold elements on a page
(such as lines at the top, bottom, or sides of a page).
Lines
Shapes

• Circle, square, and triangle are the three basic shapes used in
graphic design.
• Perhaps the most familiar shape to desktop publishing is the
square (and rectangle).
• Paper is rectangular. Most text blocks are square or
rectangular.
• While you may encounter printed projects cut into other
shapes, most circles, triangles, and freeform shapes in desktop
published materials are found on the page within the graphics
or in the way the elements are placed on the page.
Shape

 The logo uses implied shape

and lines to create the E and
the beebody. This practice of
implied shape is often referred
to as Gestalt theory, which
basically states that you can
infer a whole by only seeing its
parts. There really is nothing to
that bee body other than
three lines, but you see the
striped body of a bee
because your mind says
you should.
Shape

 Typography can take shape,

too. With weight (bold, light),
leading, size, style (regular,
italic), tracking or kerning, and
word wrap, you can control
the shape your type takes.
Also pay attention to the
shape of your body copy and
remember that you can wrap
it around images or make it
take on shapes of its own to
incorporate it into the rest of
the design.
Mass

• Mass is size.
• There is physical size and visual size.
• Size can be relative.
• A physically small brochure can have a great
deal of mass through the use of heavy text and
graphic elements.
• A physically large brochure can appear smaller,
lighter by using text and graphics sparingly
Mass

 It is easy to distinguish the

header from the headline,
byline, subheaders and
body copy. This is because
they vary in size and your
eye is naturally drawn to
the largest element first.
Note the drop cap, too;
it’s a great way to indicate
where the reader should
start and an example of
using size to direct the
viewer’s eye.
Texture

• For desktop publishing, actual texture is the feel of

the paper.
• Is it smooth to the touch or rough?
• Textures can also be visual. On the Web,
especially, backgrounds that simulate familiar
fabrics, stone, and other textures are common
Texture

• Free People integrates

the unique textures and
patterns of its textiles, so
the design not only is a
great example of texture,
it’s also an excellent use
of incorporating the
product into the design.
The textures used in this
site give it a very earthy,
down-home, yet semi-
exotic feeling.
Color

• Color can be used to ellicit specific emotions and reactions.

• Red is typically thought of as an attention-grabbing, hot color.
• Blues are more calming or convey stability. Some color
combinations are used to create a specific identity (corporate
colors, school colors) or may be used in conjunction with
texture to simulate the look of other objects (the look of plain
paper wrapping or neon lights, for example).
• Color may provide cues for the reader.
Color

• Color holds the most critical appeal to emotions

out of all the elements of design!
Complementary Colors
 Pick a color on the color wheel
then draw a straight line across
the color wheel, this is the color’s
complement. These colors are
basically opposites. On the wheel
we started with yellow and its
complement or opposite is violet.
The complementary colors are
used to offset the main color and
are thought to complete each
other.
 There are also split
complementary colors which
means that once you pick the
complimentary you choose one
of the colors next to it giving it a
more subtle look.
Analogous Colors  This is when you choose a color
on the color wheel that is next to
the color you are choosing. If we
choose yellow the analogous
colors would be yellow green and
yellow orange. This type of color
choice is great when you don’t
want to match the exact color or
if you want to use your art work
and/or accessories to create the
dramatic colors in the room
highlighting the art.
 Quite often neutrals are used
when highlighting the art work
such as white, off whites, grays
and browns, even black.
Triad Colors  Choose a color on the color
wheel then draw an
equilateral triangle to find
the two other colors. You will
notice that each color has 3
colors between them to form
the triangle. Let’s choose
violet, the other two colors
will be orange and green.
These colors would be the
secondary colors. The
approach organizes the
colors in terms of purity but
can be a little more difficult
to work with.
Color

• This packaging uses the

colors orange and green,
two pieces of a triad
(purple would be the
other one). This produces
an interesting and often
unexplored combination;
it’s not quite a
complimentary, but the
colors still go
well together.
The Big Picture

• Different instructors or designers have their own

idea about the basic principles of design but
most are encompassed in the 6 principles of:
• balance
• proximity
• alignment
• repetition or consistency
• contrast
• white space
Balance

• Primarily there are three types of balance in page

design:
• symmetrical
• asymmetrical
• radial

• Additionally, we'll discuss:

• the rule of thirds
• the visual center of a page
• the use of grids
Symmetrical Balance

 In a design with only two

elements they would be almost
identical or have nearly the
same visual mass. If one element
was replaced by a smaller one, it
could throw the page out of
symmetry. To reclaim perfect
symmetrical balance you might
need to add or subtract or
rearrange the elements so that
they evenly divide the page
such as a centered alignment or
one that divides the page in
even segments (halves, quarters,
etc.).
Symmetrical Balance

• Vertical Symmetry — Each

vertical half (excluding
text) of the brochure is a
near mirror image of the
other, emphasized with the
reverse in colors. Even the
perfectly centered text
picks up the color reversal
here. This symmetrically
balanced layout is very
formal in appearance.
Symmetrical Balance

 Vertical & Horizontal Symmetry

— This poster design divides
the page into four equal
sections. Although not mirror
images the overall look is very
symmetrical and balanced.
Each of the line drawings are
more or less centered within
their section. The graphic (text
and image) in the upper
center of the page is the focal
point tying all the parts
together.
Asymmetrical Balance

 This page uses a 3 column

format to create a neatly
organized asymmetrical
layout. The two columns of text
are balanced by the blocks of
color in the lower left topped
by a large block of white
space. In this case, because
the white space is in a block
shaped much like the text
columns, it becomes an
element of the design in its
own right.
Radial Balance

• Here we have an example

of radial balance in a
rectangular space. The
year represents the center
of the design with the
subtle color sections
radiating from that center.
The calendar month grids
and their corresponding
astrological symbols are
arrayed around the year in
a circular fashion.
Rules of Thirds

• The rule of thirds says that most designs can be

made more interesting by visually dividing the page
into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing
our most important elements within those thirds.
• Take this concept a step further, especially in
photographic composition, by dividing the page
into thirds both vertically and horizontally and
placing your most important elements at one or
more of the four intersections of those lines.
Rules of Thirds

• In this vertically
symmetrical layout the
headline appears in the
upper third of the page,
the logo in the middle
third, and the supporting
descriptive text in the
lower third. The most
important information is in
that lower third and
anchors the page.
Visual Center and Balance

• Placing important
elements or the focal
point of the design
within the visual center
of a piece is another
design trick.
• The visual center is
slightly to the right of
and above the actual
center of a page.
Grids and Balance

 Sometimes the use of a grid is

obvious.
 This asymmetrically balanced
design uses a simple three
column grid to ensure that each
text column is the same width
and that it is balanced by the
nearly empty column on the left.
 The grid also dictates the
margins and ensures that the
page number and header
appear in the same place on
each page..
Proximity

• Keeping like items together and creating unity by

how close or far apart elements are from each
other.
Alignment

• While centered text has its place it is often the

mark of a novice designer.
• Align text and graphics to create more
interesting, dynamic, or appropriate layouts.
Proximity & Alignment
• Consistent and balanced look through different types of
Repetition/Consistency
repetition
•
Contrast
Big vs. small, black vs. white. These are some ways to create
contrast and visual interest
Contrast
White Space

• The art of nothing is another description for this

principle.
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?

• Can you recognize the differences between

‘good’ and ‘bad’ graphic design?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
What’s Your Graphic Design IQ?
Adobe CS3

• Illustrator
• Vector graphics program
• Business cards, Flyers, Logos
• .ai, .eps, .pdf

• Photoshop
• Pixel graphic program
• Manipulate images, jpg and tiff files
• .psd, .pdf, .jpg, .tiff

• InDesign
• Multi page documents
• .indd, .pdf
RGB vs. CMYK

 Red, Green, and Blue are  Cyan, Magenta and Yellow

"additive colors". If we are "subtractive colors". If we
combine red, green and blue print cyan, magenta and
light you will get white light. yellow inks on white paper,
This is the principal behind the they absorb the light shining
TV set in your living room and on the page. Since our eyes
the monitor you are staring at receive no reflected light from
now. the paper, we perceive
black... in a perfect world!
 Additive color, or RGB mode, is
optimized for display on  The printing world operates in
computer monitors, ie. subtractive color, or CMYK
Websites, powerpoints. mode.
Always PRINT your digital images
in CMYK mode!
• One of the most common errors made by inexperienced
graphic designers is submitting RGB files. As a result we
must ask if they would like us to convert to CMYK before
we send the files for film output.
• Most of the time, the color change that will occur is slight.
However, every once in a while, the color range after
conversion is compressed during the transition to CMYK
mode resulting in a complete change in color tones.
• Be warned that there is absolutely no way to get that
deep RGB blue using CMYK, no matter how much we
want t
Image Resolution & Size

 Resolution: detail an image holds

 300ppi (pixels per inch) for print
 72ppi for on screen

 Jpg or Tiff?
 Not all digital cameras will offer TIFF as a choice, but when you
have both TIFF and JPG available, then here's how I'd think about
your choices:
 TIFF files will always be higher quality than JPEGs, and JPEG files will
always be smaller than TIFFs. The main problem with TIFF files is that
they are huge, which will cause your camera to slow down when
trying to write your images to the memory card loaded into your
computer.
 That also means that the number of images you can capture in
one minute will be much less with TIFF than with JPG (and,
ultimately, you'll take less photos because of storage limitations).
Printing Full Bleed

• Printing that goes

beyond the edge of
the sheet after
trimming
• Need gutters (trim
area)
Printing Full Bleed

 Full Bleed (printing beyond regular product size) If you wish to have
colored backgrounds or images continue to the edge of the product,
they must continue past the trim marks to the full bleed margin. Going
beyond your regular size. If they do not continue to the full bleed margin
you most likely will end up with white lines along the edges of the product
due to cutting tolerance.

 Cut & Trim Marks (this is where your product is sized to correct specs)
The product will be cut on the trim mark (blue line), however the cut may
shift up to 1/16 of an inch in any direction. This is why you should design
your files with that extra 0.125" bleed.

 Safe Zone (make sure important text and/or images do not go pass this
area)The text or other elements you want to guarantee not to be trimmed
off must be placed within the safe zone. If they are placed directly next to
the trim mark and the cutting is off but within tolerance, the text will be
chopped off.
Printing Full Bleed
Printing Full Bleed

 The image on the left is the correct way to align

your text within the guides. Notice the phone
number laid right on top of the blue guide.
 Anything beyond the yellow will be cut off.
 The final product will look like the image to the
right.