Introduction to Design Principles

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'Graphic design is a process of visually communicating concepts, messages and content through the effective use of visual language.'

All that is necessary for any language to exist is an agreement amongst a group of people that one thing will stand for another. If only one person understands then it isn't a language. 

Semiotics - is the study of meaning-making, the study of sign processes and meaningful communication.

Road signs designed by Margaret Calvert

Introducing Gestalt Principles: Theories that explains how we see things.

Gestalt Phsycology:

Meaning "shape, form" and defining an area of psychology that aims to understand our ability to perceive and organise the world.

"The whole is other than the sum of the parts." - Kurt Koffka

That is, that our perceptions can be more than merely what is presented to us; we can conceive ideas informed by our already complex understanding of the world. 

We look to make sense of the ambiguous, meaning we look at the outline of shapes to understand their meaning. 


Continuation:

Our instinct is to follow what we perceive to be a line or a path.

Law of Pragnanz:

Phil Cleaver - What they didn't teach you in design school

We are conditioned to follow simple paths and shapes. We prefer things that are simple, clear and ordered. We like things in their purest forms. Safer, less time to process, less dangerous surprises.

We break down complex shapes by thinking of how it's made rather than of how it's presented to us.

Our brains are conditioned to see figures and faces, we fill in a lot of the blanks. 

Closure: 

Noma Bar

Closure is the glue that holds elements together. It is about the human tendency to make links and try to understand. Reading images to comprehend their meaning.

Danny believes that something is sophisticated when it's a bit more ambiguous and requires something extra from the viewer. Noma Bar is a good example of this. The reader is rewarded by understanding the image and 'solving' the riddle.  It creates a sense of pleasure when they get to the conclusion by themselves. 

The key to closure is providing enough information so the eye can fill in the rest. If there are too many gaps then the image will start to break up rather than being seen as a whole. 
If too much information is provided there is no need for closure to occur and the image becomes boring. 

Symmetry and Order:

Grapheme Shigeo Fukuda 

Symmetry created order and solidity: It is our nature to impose order on chaos. 

We want balance in the image and text, yet compositions don't need to be symmetrical to create balance.

Lorem Ipsum: Style Rather Than Content

Explore the work and begin to understand your preferences in Graphic Design. Look at the relationship between image and text in addition to what you're reflecting on in your blog. 

Colour, Palettes, Formats, Shape, Grids, Layout, Image.