‘Contrast’ Design principle of Graphic Design Ep9⧸45 [Beginners guide to Graphic Design

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 then 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 principles of design that can be considered. These principles are what 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 will keep these principles and guidelines in their toolkit and will consciously use them to develop their ideas. In this video I'm going to discuss the first key design principle and discuss contrast as a design principle in graphic design. In this video I'll be referring to some visual examples. For us to take a closer look at these you can find them in the downloadable pdf that accompanies this series, link is in the description. So contrast occurs when two or more visual elements in a composition are different. In design we use contrast to generate impact, highlight importance, create exciting graphics and create visual interest and dynamics. Now context is integral to contrast. We may think that the chosen visual object in a composition says something about itself but it is more often the visual elements around it that give it its meaning. For example here is a simple circle. What is it saying about itself? Well all it says here is that I'm a circle. But does it say how big it is or how small it is or how far away from us it is? To suggest that we will need another visual element. So here is another circle, this being a smaller circle. By placing this new visual object next to the original circle we now create contrast by context. By contrast this is now saying that the original circle is bigger. But what if I bring in another circle? This time we have another circle the same size as the original but this time it's darker. Well this may suggest that this circle is perhaps closer to us or more important. It certainly grabs our attention more. So contrast creates interesting relationships between the visual elements. It can push visual elements away, connect them or complement them. Without contrast visual elements can be meaningless. Contrast provokes our visual senses. Our eyes like contrast because it grabs our attention and makes it easier to digest and make sense of what we are seeing. Which is why it can be a strong method to communicate visually without the presence of type. So looking at the pdf here I have a few examples of contrast and how contrast can be used in design. First is contrast in shapes. Here we have two shapes almost identical in scale but they both vary in characteristic. One has a smooth surface, one has a pointed surface. Now which shape is your eye drawn to? In this case it may be the shape with the more complex outline. The circle with the smooth surface is so simple it makes us want to look at the other shape more because it's more complex. The next example demonstrates contrast in colour as well as shape. Even though we have a mixture of shapes they appear in various degrees of colour. Regardless of contrast between shapes here there is a clear contrast of colour or tone. The darker the shape the more attention it commands. The next two examples showcase contrast in scale. Here we have eight strokes but in different stroke sizes and a grid of circles. Again we can see how context is integral to contrast here. It's the visual elements around each other that give meaning to one another. Next we have contrast in layout. The top composition appears regimented and structured. The below layout seems more free and random. So next are some examples of contrast applied to type. In type contrast is commonly used to create hierarchy and structure. There are many methods for creating contrast in typography. Alignment, typeface, type size, colour and weight can be all considered. In this next example we can see a word pop out from a block of type by simply being of a darker shade. Next we can see contrast in type in a more dramatic way. We have type in various sizes, weights and alignments. The type is mostly dark but there is some white cutting through the dark solid bar. And we have type cutting off and on to the page from top to bottom. Next we have some similar type contrast but also contrasting with other visual elements. Here the main focus is on the title word. It creates its own dynamic as it crosses over from a light space into a dark space. Which our eye is mostly drawn to. Now contrast is such a strong method of communication it is used on some of the most important visual communication. Road signs. Here we can see how contrast is used to communicate bold simple messages. Here we have contrast using colour to communicate hierarchy and importance. This road sign suggesting to give priority to vehicles from the opposite direction. In this sign we see a cigarette but with a line through it it suggests it's a bad thing. It's wrong that we must not do it. We are not allowed to smoke in this area. So some examples of direct communication there. Now some of the most iconic logos are some of the most simple and contrasting. Just like how contrast plays its role in road signs to communicate bold important messages. Contrast is used in logos for the same purpose of bold communication. To be remembered. So that is the first key design principle in graphic design. Well I hope you enjoyed this video. If you did hit the like button on my Facebook page. If you'd like to see more videos like this in future hit the subscribe button. And you can also follow me on Twitter at TastyTuts. So the next key design principle is hierarchy. In the next video I'm going to be talking about hierarchy as a design principle in graphic design. So see you in the next video.