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
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 third key design principle and discuss alignment
as a design principle in graphic design. In this video I'll be referring to some
visual examples if you wish to take a closer look at these you can find them
in the downloadable PDF document that accompanies this series
link is in the description.
So alignment is the placement of visual elements so they line up in a composition
In design we use alignment:
To organise elements, to group elements, to create balance, to create structure, create connections between elements
and to create a sharp and clear outcome.
In design there are two alignment principles: Edge alignment and centre alignment
Edge alignment either to the left or to the right to the top or bottom.
Centre alignment as it states is aligned to a centre line down the middle or cross the horizontal.
Alignment is often an invisible line visual elements are aligned to but can
also be hinted at physically. Alignment can be used to achieve a particular look and feel.
One should always be conscious when working with alignment to achieve the intended result
So looking at the PDF here are some alignment examples
where visual elements are aligned a composition can appear clear, confident,
elegant, formal and trustworthy. Good alignment is invisible
this doesn't have to be a literal line in your design. In design one should try
and avoid the appearance of having made arbitrary decisions. When visual elements
are out of align it is noticable and can devalue a piece of work
if done unintentionally.
However if mixed alignment is intended as part of a design it can appear more
radical, dynamic, free and playful. In design alignment can be simple or complex and
is commonly achieved with the use of a grid. A grid can create an invisible
structure the invisible lines that visual elements can be placed on these
grades can ensure accurate alignment and consistency in a large piece of design work.
Today grids are typically constructed in design software as a guide when layout is created on computer.
So here are a few examples demonstrating various approaches of alignment in design.
First we have a typical layout based on a grid of three columns.
Here we can see how the line elements hint at the grid structure
while the main title and image fits nicely into the two far right columns
aligned with the article copy below. Everything in this composition appears
well aligned neat and organized. So alignment is typically used to organize
and create a degree of structure as seen in the previous examples.
However alignment can also be used in more abstract ways as part of a visual message
or to add dynamics to layout.
The next example explores alignment both vertically and horizontally which
creates a nice dynamic on the page. Here the main title is aligned to the top of the page
the cap height of the header type is defining the column widths below
the lists below then follow down the page aligned to the left of the columns
defined by the header type above.
Next is a type composition exploring both
left and right alignment of type. The contrast between alignment in each
column creates an interesting dynamic on the page.
Next is another simple type layout. On the top we have a bold header and beneath this we have a column of type.
The justified type itself is aligned to the left but the column flows down
aligned along a diagonal spine.
This adds an interesting dynamic to the composition suggesting movement and direction on a page.
This next layout is a lot more abstract and attempts to challenge the
limits of alignment. Through the implementation of contrast in type size
weight and alignment a more radical and freestyle composition is achieved here.
This last example is another abstract composition. The alignments here seem to
suggest no hierarchy, no formal order. The contrast between the contradictory
alignments creates an interesting visually stimulating composition.
So those are just a few examples showing the variety at which alignment can be utilised
in both practical and more abstract design.
So that is the third key design principle in graphic design. When you look at design ask yourself
how has alignment been considered, is there a clear structure that has been used?
What grid structure might have been used to create it? and how well does it work as part of the design?
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So the next key design principle is balance.
In the next video I'm going to talk about balance as a design principle and graphic design.
So see you in the next video!