BASIC DESIGN

Creating beautiful design is about more than inspiration or a great idea, it’s about understanding the fundamentals of the subject. Although it’s possible to spend years studying the nuances of design and the many varying takes on how to be successful at it, there are a handful, or two, of basic elements that every designer should know before beginning any project. Even amateurs in the field who maintain personal blogs or only make a hobby of it can utilize these following ten tips to create professional looking pieces, and anyone who intends to earn money from the endeavor must know them. Rules were made to be broken, of course, but you have to know what they are first.


Course Description

Introduces two dimensional black and white foundations studio experience centered on creative problem solving. Develops perceptual awareness and understanding. Establishes critical skills and personal artistic vision. Investigates a broad range of materials, techniques and projects to explore black and white design concepts with reference to historical and contemporary perspectives. Basic Design series 115, 116, 117 and 119 may be taken in any sequence. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Course may include demonstrations, slides, lectures, films, and field trips.
College level reading comprehension is necessary.
ART 115 fulfills Arts and Letters requirements for block transfer and PCC graduation.

Intended Outcomes for the course

1. See and apply design and sources of design with increasing perceptual awareness and understanding in daily living.
2. Create personally significant works of design applying basic design concepts and techniques.
3. Assess, evaluate, appreciate and respect design work.
4. Develop creative solutions to design problems.
5. Handle art materials with environmental awareness and responsibility.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Students will:

• Participate in studio work sessions, class discussions and critiques.
• Create original visual solutions: from design concept through process to self-reflection and evaluation.
• Observe and demonstrate understanding of the effect of visual elements and art principles evidenced through the design process, which may include journals/sketchbooks, tests, presentations, preliminary studies, design projects, and/or writing assignments.
• Demonstrate increasing technical skill and innovation in the application of the design process.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

1. Demonstrate increasing technical skill using two-dimensional art methods and media in black and white, that may include collage, paint, drawing, computer tools, etc.
2. Practice observation of visual relationships found in natural and manmade designs.
3. Demonstrate understanding and use of basic formal design concepts; elements and principles of two-dimensional design, as they apply to two-dimensional black and white formats

Unifying/Organizing art principles may include Harmony/Chaos, Variety/Boredom, Repetition, Rhythm, Balance, Emphasis and Economy, Proportion, Randomness, Composition/Design


Create, recognize and analyze the concepts and relationships of COMPOSITION/DESIGN. Define and explore the PICTURE PLANE, recognizing:
Dynamic and Static divisions
Balance through symmetry and asymmetry
Rhythmic arrangements
Unity of the image
Expressive effects through composition

Art Elements may include Line, Shape, Value, Light, Color (related to Value), Texture/Surface, Space, Form, Spatial Illusion


Observe, recognize and employ LINE and IMPLIED LINE related to value, shape, form, space and expression.

• Practice varied materials and tools that make linear marks.
• Distinguish between line in nature and non-objective line.
• Observe line as contour (boundary), cross-contour (surface direction).

Define and recognize SHAPE as it applies to two-dimensional design/composition, such as:

• Geometric/Organic
• Implied/Closed/Open Shapes
• Figure/Field/Ground or Positive/Negative relationships
• Compositional dynamics through shape arrangements

Observe, recognize and employ VALUE using practices that may include:

• Practice awareness of light/dark contrasts and their visual effects.
• Create a gray-scale, (value system) based on a ten-step scale including black and white.
• Observe expressive use of value contrast in a composition.
• Manipulate value to create visual weight in a composition.
• Observe value in relation to textural densities.
• Observe and control modeling in light.
• Observe and recognize the characteristics of value in color.

Observe, recognize and employ TEXTURE using practices that may include:

• Define the relationship of Pattern to texture.
• Observe, create and contrast the tactile and visual effects of a textured surface and textural illusion.
• Explore expressive possibilities of texture.

Observe, recognize and employ SPACE and SPATIAL ILLUSION using practices that may include:

• Demonstrate control of spatial effects on a two-dimensional surface.
• Examine effects of overlapping, relative scale, relative position, diagonals and atmospheric perspective in creating spatial illusion.
• Demonstrate understanding and apply the principles of linear perspective.

        4.  Understand and utilize aspects of perceptual, conceptual (imagining, experiencing, visualizing, symbolizing, playing) and expressive processes in creating works of two-dimensional design.
        5.  Discuss an understanding of historical and contemporary perspectives in the use of visual elements and art principles their relationship to content and manifestation of ideas.


A. LINE


The first and most basic element of design is that of the line. In drawing, a line is the stroke of the pen or pencil but in graphic design, it’s any two connected points. Lines are useful for dividing space and drawing the eye to a specific location. For example, think about how a magazine uses lines to separate content, headlines and side panels.

Here are a few examples of what we traditionally think of when we think of lines:

B. SHAPE


Shapes, geometric or organic, add interest. Shapes are defined by boundaries, such as a lines or color, and they are often used to emphasize a portion of the page. Everything is ultimately a shape, so you must always think in terms of how the various elements of your design are creating shapes, and how those shapes are interacting.

C. SPACE



Negative space is one of the most commonly underutilized and misunderstood aspects of designing for the page. The parts of the site that are left blank, whether that’s white or some other color, help to create an overall image. Use negative space to create shapes as you would any other element.

D. TEXTURE

It’s counter-intuitive to think about texture when the piece isn’t ever going to be touched. Websites and graphic design do rely on the look and impression of texture on the screen, however. Textures can create a more three-dimensional appearance on this two-dimensional surface. It also helps build an immersive world.

E. TYPOGRAPHY


Perhaps the single most important part of graphic and web design is typography. Like color, texture, and shapes, the fonts you use tell readers you’re a serious online news magazine, a playful food blog or a vintage tea tins shop. Words are important, but the style of the words is equally essential.


F. SCALE (SIZE)


Playing with the scale and size of your objects, shapes, type and other elements add interest and emphasis. How boring would a symmetrical website with all similarly sized ingredients be? Very. But the amount of variation will depend heavily on the content within. Subtle differences suit professional content, while bold ones prefer creative enterprises.

G. BALANCE


There are two schools of balance: symmetry and asymmetry. While most designers, artists and creative folks much prefer asymmetry for its eye-catching nature, symmetry does have its place. Sometimes.

H. HARMONY


Harmony is “The main goal of graphic design,” according to Alex White, author of “The Elements of Graphic Design.” So, you know it must be important. Harmony is what you get when all the pieces work together. Nothing should be superfluous. Great design is just enough and never too much. Make sure all the details accord with one another before you consider the project complete.