GRAPHICS DESIGN FOR NEWBIES!

Tonight I'll be taking us through 'DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS'

It's one thing to know how to use 'DESIGN TOOLS' and another to know the 'DESIGN
FUNDAMENTALS'
I see so many people do 'WACK' designs because they do not understand the basics.
Graphic design is all around us - in our homes, places of work, school, places of worship etc- in a
myriad of forms, both on screen and in print, yet it is always made up of images and words to
create a communication goal.
We can hardly find any organization that does not need a design!
There are basically four design elements as shown in the below;

LINE, COLOUR, SHAPE AND TEXTURE

To save time, let read the slides. I'll go straight to the Design Fundamentals
 DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS / PRINIPLES
Graphics design is birthed on the bedrock of principles.
Permit me to say that as you have rules and regulations guiding whatever activity you do, so it is
with graphics.
Violating the principles of graphics would make your design stand out as an obvious newbie in
the game…
Before setting out to design whatever you have in mind, with the use of any software, you must
respect the principles of graphic design.
This might sound harsh, but absorb it with peace; Principles of Graphics is no respecter of
persons! Lets quickly dive in to see what these principles are
1. ALIGNMENT
In literal terms, alignment means the arrangement of various items in relation to the various
borders or edges of the allowable area.
Correctly applying the principles of alignment in graphic design can improve one's work tenfold
by yielding a clearer, much easier-to-understand work. On the other hand, incorrect use of
alignment makes a design appear cluttered and unfinished, and can be very hard to understand.
Let's carefully look at the designs below…
Take a look at the design above, how pleasant is it? Y ou would agree that the alignment is
poorly done.. 'US' is on its lane while 'TRUST' is on another lane... Everything is disorderly....

Now let's see this too... The word 'TRUST' and 'US' are aligned properly to the right and the lady
in the flyer too..
Doesn't this appear classy than the first?
You get the point now, right?
There are three types of alignment, which are…
Centralized Alignment
Rightward Alignment
Leftward Alignment

2. CONTRAST
In simple terms, contrasts refers to how readable, how visible and how clear your design
elements are.
Contrast is the juxtaposition of two or more graphic elements with opposing qualities. While
most people think of contrast as dark vs. light, it can also be thin vs. thick, bright vs. dull, big vs.
small, geometric vs. organic, etc.
When you see a fat and slim person,
What do you notice? CONTRAST!
Why is it important: Contrast creates the dynamism that makes a design appear to “pop-off” the
page. It creates a visual hierarchy that brings key elements to the forefront while simultaneously
receding the less important stuff into the background. Think about it: if all the text in a design
was the same size, you’d have to skim through it all to figure out the main message — and
nobody has time for that.
Contrast can be achieved through weight. Contrasting a larger, bolder font for the main message
with a smaller, thinner one for the details separates information into bite-size, easily digestible
pieces. Likewise, contrast can be achieved through color combinations. A white shape on a black
background is a lot harder to ignore than a gray shape on a slightly grayer (if there is any word
like that) field.
When white and black are seen together, what comes to your mind?
CONTRAST
Please do not use LIGHT COLORS ON LIGHT BACKGROUNDS and vice versa..
That is BAD COLOUR CONTRAST
3. BALANCE
What Does Balance Mean in Graphic Design?

Balance definition in graphic design is offsetting how the graphical weight of components
balance with each other on either side of a design to create satisfaction, completion, and
cohesion. Your composition should balance diagonally, horizontally, vertically, or foreground
versus background to achieve visual balance.
If your designs have no sense of balance, the viewer will not know where to look and may not
understand the message you're trying to convey since fewer interest areas can go unnoticed
quickly.
Some of the components you have to balance to achieve your desired outcome are:
-Space
-Objects

4. COLOUR
I believe we see colours in our day-day endeavors. From our bodies; hair, finger nails,
complexion; the clothes we wear, our home equipments etc. Everything around us has a color.
Color is all around us
The truth is, there really is nothing more important than the use of color in creating graphic
layouts—the goal of your graphic design is to communicate so strongly with the viewer that they
take the desired action.
Emotion is one of the powerful influencers that trigger this type of behavior. Color evokes
emotion. It is so compelling that entire careers have been built on color consulting. Through the
application of color psychology in graphic design, you can achieve magnificent results.
Colors can have both positive and negative connotations.
Warm colors
Red, yellow, orange, and their combinations are considered warm colors.
Red (primary color) — excitement, fiery passion, powerful emotions, love, warmth, anger, fire,
war.
Yellow (primary color) — cheerful, happy, hopeful, attention-getter, frustration, caution,
cowardly, deceit.

Orange (secondary color) — enthusiastic, health, enthusiasm, energetic, affordability, seasonal

change, transformation.
Cool colors
Blue, green, purple, and their variations are called cool colors.
Blue (primary color) — authority, reliable, peaceful, stable, prosperity, strength, sadness,
distance.
Green (secondary color) — new beginnings, growth, nature, money, fertility, harmony, greed,
envy.
Purple (secondary color) — creative, imagination, luxury, royalty, honor, romance, spiritual.

Neutral colors
Black, white, gray, brown, and beige are considered neutral colors because they often function as
the backdrop to brighter colors.

Black — elegance, mystery, power, magic, formal, death, evil, intimidation, the occult.

White — innocence, cleanliness, purity, goodness, cold, impersonal, sterile.

Gray — sophisticated, formal, professional, moody, depressed

Brown and beige — earthy, friendly, dependability, comfort, family, dull, dirty.
The colour we use in a design matters a lot ..
Imagine doing a birthday bash flyer with very dark colours, that's a big REPELLER
Or worse still making a children's flier using grey & black or other very serious colours.. No kid
will want to attend I assure you
Please let's be guided in selection of color combos for our design.. It counts
Most often, bright colors draw the eye and keep the viewer's attention. By emphasizing the color
of a specific object or objects, you show that you want the viewer to take note of those items.
Sometimes, this is a relatively subtle effect: one specific item that is only a little brighter than the
others in the frame or that is a specific color while others are not.
Definitely, we can go on and on discussing about the other principles…
To get a comprehensive understanding about design principles and fundamentals, do well to
meet me in class!
Till I come your way again, CHEERS!