Hello and welcome to this beginner's guide series to graphic design.
From what graphic design is, skills to be a graphic designer, design theory, education you need, equipment you need to the graphic design portfolio and interview advice.
This series is for anyone at any level.
So if you're interested in graphic design and considering becoming a graphic designer
join me as I discuss a series of graphic design topics.
Now graphic design is not simply about making things look good
in graphic design there are rules that could be considered
these rules are called the principles of design and these are typically separate
good design from bad design. These principles all have a relationship
between each other and appear in every well designed piece of work you see.
A good grasp of design theory will mean there is always substance behind your work.
The key principles of design are: Contrast, hierarchy, alignment, balance, proximity, repetition simplicity and function.
Whatever work you produce be it for a magazine, a poster, a website or advertisement
the principles of design should be considered. A good designer keeps these principles as guidelines in
their toolkit and will consciously use them to develop their ideas.
In this video I'm going to discuss the eighth key design principle and discuss function
as a design principle in graphic design.
So function is the consideration of the main objective for a piece of graphic work
and how well a design is explored and executed to meet that end.
The ultimate goal of any graphic design is to communicate and make an impression
but what's equally important is that the right impression is made and the
intended outcome is achieved. Earlier in this series I said that I believe
graphic design is the unity of two opposing forces:
Artistic expression and practical application, design theory.
As a creative graphic designer these two forces will always been odds with each
other in your mind. When you can harness these two forces together in harmony
then you can create great visual communication. When we create a piece of
graphic design more often than not there will be
a specific requirement that will have to be fulfilled.
Depending on the complexity of the task that could be one or many requirements.
Now in design one typically gets that requirement in the form of a brief from
a client, either written or verbally. Before a designer starts any piece of work
there is key information that will need to be understood. This will ensure that a
designer is put in the best position to produce the right creative solution.
a good and thorough brief will include at least three key things.
An overview, requirements and an intended outcome.
The overview should introduce the idea of the project.
and what exactly the design is intended for. The overview should
clearly highlight the target audience the client wishes to address with any
other relevant information which may be of importance. The requirements will
outline exactly what will be needed creatively across print and digital media.
This could be anything from a printed poster, a brochure to a website.
The intended outcome should clearly state what the client hopes to achieve
with the graphic work how it wants people to respond to the work and how it
wants people to think, feel or act. A brief may go as far as to suggest what
is required visually, a particular style or colour scheme to be used or typeface.
A brief maybe creatively limiting or open to exploration. So a brief will set out all
the challenges and boundaries a designer will have to deal with in order to
create the right quick solution. It will be the details outlined in the brief
that will influence the creative solution. Now if a piece of design fails
to deliver on what the brief asks than it fails in its function. This is where
form verses function often comes into play.
For beginners it is easily assumed that simplistic practical design
might not be good or interesting. So form, how good something looks
may be seen as a priority.
However in professional design it is understood that form follows function.
That priority should always be given to function over form, how good something looks.
During research, development and design one must always take into account
the function of the design. One of the most important things you can do is
understand your audience and the required goal.
Considering language, colour and layout
will enable you to communicate well and engage with a particular audience
to encourage the intended result. As a rule you can always
ask yourself the question why?
Why am I using that colour? Why am I using a typeface?
Why am I arranging my elements in this way?
Why am I using these shapes photos and soon on.
Is it adding anything to the piece of design or is it distracted, misleading,
thus taking away. Always ask yourself why and have a good rationale for each decision.
In design one should always try and avoid the appearance of having made
arbitrary decisions. If noticeable this can devaluate a piece of work.
However limited a brief or however creative a brief whatever is done remember
to keep in mind the function and be sure it delivers on its function.
A good designer will always strive to achieve a harmony in beauty and function.
So that is the eighth key design principle graphic design.
When you look at design ask yourself, how well does it function?
does it get across the intended message?
Could it be more striking? How clear is the message?
and how clear is the design?
Is there anything you would do to change the design?
and what impression does it make on you?
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So up until now I have been discussing design theory and the
essential things to know about graphic design. Now it's time to move into section two.
Now if your considering a career in graphic design
and wonder if it's right for you. In the next section I'll be answering a bunch of
key questions. So for the first video in section two I'm going to ask the question:
Why do graphic design, where I'll be discussing some pros and cons
So see you in the next video!