10e20 Blog

The arts are called ‘creative‘ fields because there are no predetermined correct answers to problems, infinite variations in interpretations and applications are possible. But there are some things that can help you out…

Design is concerned with seeking visual solutions to problems, and planning how to correctly arrange elements. An artist has the same search for the best way to express an idea. Depending on the field a designer or an artist will have various elements that need designing. They may be a set for a play, a clock, traffic signage, website graphics, dance choreography, or even painted symbols. But all of them need follow some design principles as well as basic fundamentals.

Although there may be ‘no rules‘ in art, there are a set of ‘guidelines‘ that exist that help in the creation of some visually successful work. The discussion of a design or work of art will be around the Content and the Form of the work. Content being the subject matter, information or story that is being displayed or communicated to the viewer. Form is the visual aspect, the way the various elements are manipulated.

Content is what you want to say, Form is how you say it.
______________________________________________________________

1. Looking
Get sources from nature, history and popular culture. Being visually sensitive means that you may find things in nature that others tend to overlook. Looking with special interest through the history of art and design to find connections and relationships that appeal to you and your work. Contemporary mass culture/media has been influencing us long before we even became designers/artists, these influences shape our self image and personal relationships.

2. Create a Library
When you find what your looking for compile a collection of your own images whether they are personal photos, magazine clippings, fine art, illustrations or even stamps. This can be a sure way to ignite creativity and also aid in the creation of the work in a more indirect way.

3. File Organization
If you are someone who has had many projects, you know how important it is to be organized. If you have everything scattered around in different locations, then you will be slowed down tremendously. If you are OK with having everything cluttered, that is fine. But you will have to think about how this will effect you in the future. What happens if somebody else has to work on your project?

4. Brainstorming
Anything goes here, and this can open the door to many interesting new ideas.

5. Rough Sketch
Get all the ideas and composition of a design out before hand quickly and easily. If you work on the computer, pick up a pencil and some paper before the mouse is touched.

6. Recycle Old Designs
This is not always easy to do, but taking some elements-provided you haven’t sold the rights to the client- from an old design and incorporating it into a new work can be a fresh way to add some life to a project as well as getting you to think creatively.

7. Simplicity
Simple is not boring. Novice designers often think they need to decorate, make it fancy. Generally the opposite it true. The best way to attract and hold the attention of busy people is through clean, functional design/art.

8. Chance
This is the opposite of design, it happens by accident not by planning. But you can plan for ‘accidents‘ to happen and if you do not like the result wipe the slate clean and try again. This is where you exert control over chance. Taking risks can yield some of the most fantastic of results, learning to ‘control‘ chance can be a powerful tool.
______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

SOME OF THE BASICS

9. Unity
If there was one ‘rule‘ this would be it. All the elements in a design should look as if they belong together, a visual connection must exist beyond chance. Similarities and repetition with shape, color or texture are needed to create a pattern. The viewer should be able to see the whole, before any one part of the design. (Penguin Book Cover / Penguin Book Cover / Bradbury Thompson’s 1945 book cover)
______________________________________________________________

10. Repetition
Humans love pattern. An element in the design repeats in various parts to form a relationship with the design as a whole. The element that repeats can be color, texture, angle or shape. Repetition can create strength and cohesiveness. (Penguin book cover / Knives, by Andy Warhol / desert photo by Gerolf Kalt)

______________________________________________________________

11. The Grid
By divisions of space, organizing elements into a pattern or grid creates complete unity, but sometimes it can be a bit boring. Variation or changes in the grid can be more interesting to the eye. Shapes may repeat, but in various sizes. Colors also, but varies values. (100 Cans, 1962 by Andy Warhol / Design with Type book cover / layout from a poetry magazine project by dailyinvention)

______________________________________________________________

12. Emphasis
We are constantly barraged with images from advertisements, TV, books, magazines, newspapers and the Internet. We take the abundance for granted and this makes the designer/artists job that much more difficult to get the attention of the viewer. Without the viewers attention the message is lost. Nothing will guarantee that you will attract the viewers eye but one device that can help is a focal point or emphasis. This initially attracts the eye and can encourage the viewer to look further. Multiply focal points can be used, but use caution. If too many points are emphasized it may become confusing. If everything is emphasized, then nothing is emphasized. (Semi-Permanent book cover / A sudden gust of wind (after Hokusai) by Jeff Wall / Cuban sports poster designed by Jesus Fornjåns 1970)

___________________________________________________________

13. Absence of Focal Point
Since the focal point is such a common artistic device, sometimes attention can be gotten by just not using one. Sometimes the whole surface may be emphasized and there is no one starting point or visual climax. (Mode and Module book cover / Lavender Mist by Jackson Pollock / Kurt Schwitters dada collage 1922)

______________________________________________________________

14. Scale
Scale and proportion are closely tied to emphasis and focal point. Large scale in proportion to other elements creates an obvious visual emphasis. Mediocre design often fails to exploit relative scale differences. If everything is the same size then nothing stands out. (Au Juice magazine cover / “The Results of the First Five-Year Plan” designed by Varvara Stepanova, Russian Constructivist 1932 / poster design by Lissitzky)

______________________________________________________________

15. Balance
Defined as a distribution of visual weight within a composition. We create an axis through a composition and a balance of weight is expected to be seen on either side. Symmetrical balance is the simplest to create and the most easiest to recognize. It is when one side becomes the mirror image of the other. Asymmetrical balance is achieved with dissimilar objects that have equal visual weight or eye attraction. Just visualize the riddle, “Which weighs more, a pound of feathers, or a pound of lead?” The both weigh a pound but the mass of each vary tremendously. This is the essence of asymmetrical balance. (Truce magazine cover / Human Groups Penguin book cover / Greek Pediment / Magazine cover 1938 / photo by Hugh Sitton)

______________________________________________________________

16. Rhythm
This refers to the movement of the viewers eye through repeating motifs. Rhythm implies a clear repetition of elements that are the same or only slightly modified. Rhythm is a basic characteristic of nature.(Atari Coleco ad / The Computer Tree graphic / Cuban ballet poster designed by Ñiko Pérez 1974)

______________________________________________________________

17. Line
A line is created by movement and since the eye tends to follows it, a line also has the potential to suggest motion. Line is capable of infinite variety and has a curious power of suggestion and expressiveness. Direction of line can be a very powerful characteristic. Horizontal lines imply repose and quiet, maybe because of our associations with rest or sleep. A vertical line suggests a standing body with the potential for movement. But the diagonal line, more than the others, strongly suggests movement. A leaning body (skiing, running, skating) is changing and exciting. (Jackson Pollock at Moma / Warsaw theatre poster designed by Jan Lenica 1964 / Paul Rand book cover design 1956)
_______________________________________________________

18. Shape
Defined as an are created by an enclosing line or color with a clearly defined edge. Pictures can exist without color, texture or without line but rarely do they exist without shape. (Signet Signal Symbol book cover / Impression:Sunrise by Claude Monet / Milton Glaser poster designed before 1970)
_____________________________________________________________

19. Abstraction
A distortion and simplification of natural shapes to their essential, basic character. Details are ignored. This can created a more interesting image for the viewer. (Portrait by Pablo Picasso / Sculpture by Henry Moore / Poster from the United States Federal WPA project)
___________________________________________________

20. Positive and Negative Space
The location of the dominant shape with a composition immediately organizes the negative, or empty space, into various shapes. Figure and Ground are other terms used to describe this. The subject in a painting would be the focal point, but the negative areas are equally important in the overall effect. (Roman Cieslewicz: Master of Graphic Design book cover / Soviet movie poster “Fragments of an Empire” designed by Georgi and Vladimar Stenberg / Swiss graphic design book cover)

______________________________________________________________

21. Texture
This refers to the surface quality of objects. Texture appeals to our sense of touch, even when we cannot feel and object our memory supplies a sensory reaction or sensation. Texture can be used to show contrast, smooth elements working off of rougher ones. (Shepard Fairey: Post No Bills book cover / Medicom Toy Manual book cover / poster designed by Waldemar Swierzy)

______________________________________________________________

22. Illusion of Space
The illusion of depth or space within a two dimensional image can be achieved when elements are overlapped, arranged by vertical location-elements higher up are considered to be receding-or shown in some kind of perspective. (Russian Constructivist film poster utilizing photomontage, designed by Georgi and Vladimar Stenberg / Swiss Graphic Design poster)

_____________________________________________________________

23. Transparency
When two forms overlap, and both are seen completely. Transparency does not give us a clear spatial pattern. This uncertainty within a design can be more interesting to view. (Pages from New Graphic design by Piet Zwartz / poster design designed by Peter Brattinga 1960 / poster design by Robert Bereny 1932)

______________________________________________________________

24. Illusion of Motion
Movement is an important consideration in art and design. Movies and film can show us motion, but the static image can only imply this. Much of the implication of movement in art/design is caused by our memory in a process called kinesthetic empathy. This can be seen in a line, a body, or even an object. Repetition can also show motion as well as blurring of forms and lines. (Aviation school poster designed by Kees van der Laan 1933 / poster designed by Machteld den Hetog 1934 / poster designed by Yusaku Kamerkura / Bring In ‘Da Noise Bring In ‘Da Funk series designed by Paula Scher / poster design by Max Schmid 1958)

______________________________________________________________

25. Value
This is the term for light and dark. An areas value is its relative light or darkness in any given context. The type on this screen are only visible because of the contrasts in value from the white background. Specific value combinations can evoke different emotions. (poster design by A.M. Cassandre 1927 / “Thoughts on Design” by Paul Rand 1946)

______________________________________________________________

26. Color
This can be a very complex subject and the word ‘color‘ has so many different aspect. Color is a property of light, and not an object itself. Color adds visual interest and can be used for emotional purposes or in a more intuitive way. We often refer to color as either ‘warm‘ or ‘cool‘ and these are learned associations of color. Warm colors advance and cooler colors recede, this relationship can be used to establish depth and volume. (Cuban movie poster designed by René Azcuy Cardenas 1970 / Travel poster designed by Machiel Wilmink 1929 / Paul Rand’s 1968 war and peace poster)

______________________________________________________________

27. Contrast
This is the most effective way to get noticed and set different elements apart. Dark areas advance, or stand out, while light areas recede, or hang back. Dark areas also have more weight in terms of balance. (Cuban poster designed by Alfrédo Rostgaard 1965 / Cuban poster designed by Fausino Pérez 1983 / Poster design by Craig Frazier 1987)

Don’t forget to subscribe to the 10e20 RSS Feed!