Think Like a Graphic Designer
Thinking like a graphic designer requires both technical skill and emotional maturity. You'll need to master both aesthetic and psychological concepts to complete effective work.
Contents
Steps
Part One: Learning Graphic Design Concepts
- Familiarize yourself with the elements of design. The elements of graphic design are the building blocks of all design work, so you'll need to be actively aware of them. There are six commonly accepted elements: line, shape, direction, size, texture, and color.
- A line is a visible mark that connects any two points.
- Shapes are self-contained areas of geometric or free-formed, organic space.
- Direction refers to the orientation of a line: horizontal, vertical, or oblique (slanted). Horizontal lines are calms, vertical lines are formal, and oblique lines are active.
- Size is determined by the relationship between two or more areas of space.
- Texture is the surface quality of a shape. Common textures include "rough" and "smooth," among others.
- Color refers to the the way that light is absorbed and reflected off an object. Color is further broken down into hues (names like "red" and "yellow"), value (light versus dark), and intensity (brightness).
- Understand the concept of space. Space is a fundamental principle of design work, and knowing how to handle the space in a layout is crucial to arranging the layout effectively.
- Space can exist outside or inside any element in the layout, including lines and shapes.
- Positive space is active and filled by some element or elements.
- Negative space is empty space.
- Both positive and negative space must be balanced well for the layout to work.
- Divide the visible space into its building blocks. When you approach the overall space of the design, you need to break it down into its elements (line, shape, direction, size, texture, and color). Try to view the layout as a combination of these elements to enhance your understanding of how they exist in the visible space.
- If you have difficulty separating the design into all six elements at once, work in smaller element sets. Start by breaking the space down into lines and shapes. Note the texture and color of those lines and shapes after that, followed by the size of your lines and shapes and the direction of your lines.
- Study the principles of arrangement. The principles of design arrangement are the manners by which the elements of design are handled. Space can technically be classified as one such principle. The other five—balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast—are used as you arrange elements within the overall space of your design.
- Balance is the way in which visual weight is distributed throughout the design. Too much weight or activity in one part of the design can make the layout aesthetically displeasing.
- Proximity is the distance between elements. It creates a sense of relationship between the various elements.
- Alignment refers to the way that elements are connected to each other within the overall space of the design. This is another tool used to create order and relationship.
- Repetition is used to create a sense of consistency and rhythm. You enact this principle by create commonality between the elements.
- Contrast is any opposition created by opposing elements. It is usually used to emphasize certain parts of the design.
- Rearrange the elements. Move the elements around or shift the perspective they are viewed from to improve the balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast of the overall visible space.
- Each design will be different, but there are a few general tricks and tips worth remembering when you arrange elements by each principle.
- Large shapes in one part of the design can be balanced out by smaller shapes in the opposite side of the design.
- Objects directly related to one another are often placed in closer proximity than those with less connection.
- Similarly, an element that depends upon or closely related to another element may be aligned to the position and direction of that other element.
- Use repetition to give the layout cohesion. An object does not need to be perfectly identical to any other object within the space, but it may benefit to connect it to at least one other element in the layout through the use of color, size, texture, or direction.
- Use contrast to highlight objects and to prevent things from looking identical and dull. Even similar lines and shapes can vary in color, size, texture, or direction.
Part Two: Approaching Specific Projects
- Accept constraints. It might seem counter-intuitive, but guidelines and restrictions often help creativity flourish. A lack of such constraints can make effective work more difficult to produce.
- "Blank page syndrome" is a phrase often used in writing, but it applies to graphic design, as well. When you start with a blank page and limitless possibilities, your mind can easily become overwhelmed and unable to find a starting point.
- Some constraints, like lack of time or tools, will make a good design harder to complete. Creating an effective piece in spite of these constraints will ultimately build your talent as a designer, though.
- Demonstrate empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience or client. Ask yourself what they would want to see instead of designing solely based on what you like.
- Graphic design is meant to be viewed by other people, and for the most part, it's about those other people and not about you.
- There is room for you let your own skills and trademarks shine through, but ultimately, the work needs to have an effect on those it is meant for.
- Take risks. Even if convention works 99% of the time, there is still that 1% in which something out of the ordinary would make a better choice.
- During the early stages of a design, don't be afraid to take any risk that falls within the strict constraints you have to deal with.
- Be open minded as you plan the design. The final piece may or may not break with convention, but there is still a wealth of knowledge and experience to gain from experimentation either way.
- Restrain yourself as needed. A classic novice mistake is to continually add more and more to a design, but oftentimes, less is more.
- While each new addition might be good on its own, crowding too much "good stuff" into one space can weaken the work overall.
- Knowing what to cut out demonstrates more refined talent.
- Communicate through the piece. Good graphic design should do more than present a pretty picture. It should communicate an idea to the audience.
- The aesthetics of design are certainly important and necessary, but they alone do not determine good design.
- Indulge in the experience. Treat each project as though it were a new learning experience. Benefit from it in both technical and emotional ways.
- Each project can help you grow and improve your graphic design skills.
- Each project can also help you grow emotionally, making you more proficient at answering the needs of others and at gaining inspiration.
Part Three: Improving Your Skills
- Observe the world around you. Gain inspiration for your work by consciously viewing more of the world around you. Settling for the same sources of inspiration can limit your creativity and stunt the growth of your work, so look for inspiration where you least expect it.
- A wider range of inspiration will make it easier for you to produce varied, well-rounded work.
- Inspiration can be found in the ordinary and mundane. It can come from nature or from manmade aspects of living.
- Walk around familiar and unfamiliar areas, taking pictures of things that grab your attention. Visit local art exhibits. Look through magazines, catalogs, and newspapers for interesting examples of design.
- Experiment with different tools and skills. Instead of trying to become an expert with one method of graphic design, play around with different mediums, skills, and tools.
- Even if you prefer one for most of your work, having experience with multiple tools of the trade can influence your perspective, making your work more varied and unique.
- If you do most of your work on your computer, try creating offline work, or vice versa.
- Don't be afraid to mess up since the idea is to experiment. You can hone the skills you want to continue using later on.
- Learn from others. You can learn some new techniques through experimentation, but many technical skills are easier to learn when you have an example to follow.
- Take a graphic design course if you want hands-on instruction from an experienced professional in the field.
- When courses are not an option, read and follow design tutorials. A good tutorial will explain a specific technique in detailed steps, and you can find tutorials online that cover skills from a wide range of design categories.
- Practice designing around a specific idea. When you first start designing, you might base your work around general themes like "nature" or "color." Narrowing your theme down to a more specific idea can help you create something even more unique, however.
- Themes with personal significance are often the easiest to work with, but you can also experiment with something more abstract.
- Consider choosing a song lyric, memory, quote, or other meaningful symbol.
- No matter what you choose, consider how the theme makes you feel and what sort of associated images it produces.
- Vary your themes from time to time to make your work more well-rounded.
- Seek feedback. You need to accept and learn from constructive criticism. Through objective criticism, you can gain helpful insights on how to improve.
- Instead of waiting for feedback to come to you, try to intentionally seek it out. Post your work to your personal blog, social network accounts, or a reputable design network.
