Graphic Design

Understanding the Principles and Theory of Graphic Design

There are a few graphic design principles that affect every project youn create. ll Understanding these principles conceptually and learning to apply them practically will formulate the foundation of your graphic design education. Letn take a look at the basic s areas you should study to get a solid footing in graphic design. Shape, Spacing, and Rhythm Color, Texture, and Imagery Working with Type

Standing Strong with a Historical Graphic Design Grounding

Philip Meggs book (see below), is a must have for every graphic design. You should read it from cover to cover. Also, as you go through spend time researching areas that interest you the most. Pick at least three areas to go into detailed study with and learn as much as you can about them. One area of interest for me is the Bauhaus, which was a graphic design and craft school founded in the early twentieth century. I find the subject captivating, probably because it combines so many of my passions: art, design, history, and education.

Internalize the Graphic Design Process, Conceptual Solutions, Real World Experience, and Creative Application
Graphic designers solve visual problems. The key to teaching yourself graphic design is to understand the process of solving a visual problem. This means youn benefit from ll tackling design briefs. Youn learn to apply the skills you study by solving fictitious ll design problems to begin with and as you advance tackling real world problems and working with clients.

Visual and Conceptual Problem Solving

Visual and conceptual problem solving is the core of what we do as graphic designers. Clients come to us with a brief, which is a problem that needs to be solved. A new company may need to enter a specific market and come to you for a comprehensive identity solution. Or you may work at a newspaper and have to lay out a page to deadline. The problems are endless and your job is to solve these issues. What is a visual concept? Well itn more than a pure visual solution. Itn a unification of a s s graphic and an idea, which is placed in context to solve a problem. Letn look at the s

example of a logo. It s a visual mark, which represe ts the idea of a compa y, prese ted resources for developi g your visual a d co ceptual problem solvi g skills for graphic desig ers. Keep i solvi g skills. The Design Process Lear i g to research, create thumb ails, refi e sketches, work up visual solutio s i

the co text of all the compa y s ide tity, marketi g, a d history. Let s look at some mi d though practici g your craft will help build your visual problem

programs, a d prese t to clie ts are just some of the basics of the desig process. Every subset of desig may have a slightly differe t procedure, a d your worki g methodology, productio e viro me t. Eve so, the basics remai of the process o each project you work o . Real World Graphic Design Application A busi ess card, like a ca vas, has bou daries. A book has specific dime sio s a d tech ical pri t limitatio s. These type of practical a d tech ical limitatio s are a

or a compa y you work for may impleme t thi gs i

a somewhat u ique way i their the same. Get familiar with the

desig process from start to fi ish, a d work o getti g faster a d better at each stage

importa t part of practici g the craft of graphic desig . Work to lear about these tech ologies a d build up your k owledge through real projects. You ll lear a whole lot about pri t by havi g to get a big project pri ted o a budget. Also, keep i

mi d that

creative solutio s are ofte drive

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co tai ed creative e viro me ts. Part of the

fu of graphic desig is solvi g tech ical problems with creative solutio s.

Adva ced study ca take ma y differe t paths for each desig er. You may become that field. However, every graphic desig er will be efit from adva ced study a d Of course, there s o limit to the depth you ca study o a y subject of graphic desig . Grid Theory, Graphic I formatio Desig , a d Career Pla focus o . You could certai ly go much deeper i Grid Theory Ma y areas of graphic desig i corporate grid based solutio s. I ma y ways, grid theory is adva ced pri ciples of spaci g, flow, a d rhythm, though applied to real projects, like layi g out a e tire book or website. Putti g together a y multi-page docume t will likely be efit from a grid, as it makes the desig feel cohesive. Below are some resources to get started with grids.

i terested i pla i g.

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Consider Advanced Study and Development

Graphic Information Design While many of the principles of graphic information design are similar to graphic design, it takes on a more technical and practical approach to visual problems. Rather than looking at the concept on a billboard, a graphic information designer might analyze the proper font size to use for traffic passing the billboard at 40mph, so as to have maximum impact. Itn a blend of scientific research and practical application to visual design. s Edward Tufte has written many good books on the subject, and I recommend you read them all. They are elegantly written, the layout of the books are beautiful, and the principles taught have strong, illustrative examples. Planning Your Career Spend some time getting acquainted with the graphic design landscape and plan your career. Graphic design is a large discipline, which is directly involved in numerous occupations. Learning the potential of the field will help you decide what you want to focus on. You may be attracted to print design, advertising, interface design, or another graphic design or related field.

Learning from Professional Graphic Designers

Aside from studying graphic designers throughout history, youn also benefit by studying ll contemporary designers whom you identify with. A couple designers I found inspirational while I was in design school were David Carson and Carlos Segura. Both of these designers utilize typography in intuitive, innovative, and illustrative fashions. They helped encouraged me to get expressive with my use of type, spacing, and texture. While the approach they practice in design isnn appropriate for every project, it certainly t helped develop my graphic range and ability to think illustratively through graphic design. You may fall in love with some other approach to design. Also, youn go through ll numerous phases, where youn be attracted to something else in design. This is part of ll whatn great about the field; itn so diverse. Donn be afraid to emulate designers s s t approaches on some projects. Itn a good way to learn. Then youn move on to something s ll else and it will become part of your collective design experience. Developing Your Proficiency, Intuition, and Flow Part of becoming a good graphic designer is becoming one with your tools. If you can wield a pencil, and quickly sketch down conceptual solutions, then youn a more re proficient designer. Of course, when working within programs the same thing applies. If youn a logo designer, the better you know Illustrator, the better a designer youn be. re ll Thatn one of the reasons why sites like Vectortuts+ are so useful. s

Being proficient with your tools helps you to be able to enter an intuitive flow like state when working, but itn more than that. The better you know design, your medium, your s chosen field of focus, your toolsets, and your workflow, the easier it will be to sink into that space where decisions come easily and time disappears. This flow state is a big reason why people choose any art related field, like graphic design; they enjoy being in the flow of creating and working visually.

Put Together Your Portfolio and Blog

Make sure to create a portfolio (a home base with your own url), and blog regularly on what you learn as you grow as a designer. Three things help get you hired as a graphic designer (in order of importance): your portfolio, your demonstrated experience, your ability to communicate your knowledge on graphic design. You build all three of these over time. Itn not something that happens s overnight. Your portfolio is your most important tool in marketing yourself as a graphic designer. It demonstrates your abilities to practically apply your skills. It also holds some of the greatest weight when interviewing in you being hired. Experience takes time to grow. Someone that has worked in the field for years, run an agency, or worked with large known companies has a tremendous leg-up in the industry. Donn get discouraged though, everyone started from ground zero to begin with. t One of the greatest skills one learns in design school is how to talk and write about design. Itn not just being able to create something that looks cool, but being able to s critically analyze a problem, apply a proven workflow to solving it, and communicate the process. In the field, this will equate to needing to sell your solutions to clients or bosses. Or when interviewing, describing how you solved a design problem. Writing articles for your blog is a great place to practice discussing graphic design, and how youn solved specific design problems. It also, in itself, demonstrates your ve knowledge in the field. Donn be afraid to add case studies to your blog, even for t personal projects, as itn a great way to build this analytical skill set. Through self-study, s use your blog to write articles as you learn about design. This serves as a good substitute for assignments you would receive in a design class, and will compliment the design projects you do.

Participate in Online and Professional Graphic Design Communities

Becoming involved in the graphic design community and professional associations will increase your connections in the industry and knowledge of the field. Also, attend conferences and network whenever possible.

Join Professional Organizations A great way to learn about the workings of the graphic design profession is to join professional organizations. They run conferences, produce articles, books, and other resources. Some of these organizations work to improve the profession as a whole by lobbying and other activities. Becoming Part of the Graphic Design Community Online Aside from professional communities, there are loads of communities on the web that you can participate in. Below are some graphic design forums you may want to participate in. Getting Critical Feedback Online and Promote Your Work Interaction and critique is really important to your growth as a graphic designer. If youn not in design school, then you need to find other places that people will tear re apart your work, and that you can develop your own critical eye. The best thing for a young design is to have someone tell them why something they made isnn well designed, t and what they might do differently. This prepares you for clients doing this (gives you a thicker skin),and it helps you grow with your visual and creative problem solving abilities. I donn know of the perfect place on the net to find this, but try different online t communities or forums. And if you can find a mentor, even someone with just one or two more years of experience than you, who is willing to critique your work, this can be invaluable. Try some of the places mentioned below and search further. Aside from your main portfolio, it also helps to have satellite portfolios, which are submitted to portfolio communities, and where you can get feedback on your work. They are also great places to promote your work and gain new clients. Below are some communities to explore.

Keep in Mind that Graphic Design, as a Discipline, Doesnt Exist in Isolation

Any study of graphic design will include some connection to related disciplines. Studying art and illustration will help develop your ability to create graphics. Studying Marketing will help you place your conceptual solutions within the context of business and consumer needs. Also, graphic design is often a part of the foundational study for related disciplines. Youn be a much stronger web designer, if you have a solid graphic ll design education for example.