GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS OF DESIGN
A few reminders on the essentials before we get started with the actual challenges. Informative posts like this (#dsgnlesson) will be coming in fortnightly to help you go about your designs. Feel free to demand more information here
Now that you know about form and content, it’s time to talk execution!
Talking about content is tricky. It requires learnedness, practiced hands, a sharp mind, and an arsenal of life experience — all these to develop the ability to make connections that people understand. The only real way to go about content is to know.
Learn how to connect to people, learn what makes them tick. And apart from knowing people, know what you’re going to talk about. Know the essence of your message, what you want to say, and how to say it.
And most importantly, remember, always work towards creating a response. Good design is responsive design. Design does.
As for form, here are some essential things to know:
Work with grids to effectively arrange, manipulate, and organize all elements into a space to inform. The best way to start is always by drafting on a grid to make sure all vital the elements are in the right place.
Learn about words and type: how to deliver the literal message, and how to display it the best possible way. Type is dodgy in that it’s both a matter of taste and a product of learnedness.
Colors, contrast, space, value, and tension — learn how to unify opposing elements into a cohesive whole. The theory behind this imposition of structure is called Gestalt.
Good design is informed design.
Now that we’ve got basics out of the way, learning more about design theory will be entirely up to you. The next few months will feature basic information about design objects, and a small challenge for each one.
This week’s design object: THE POSTER
Stay tuned for the post on that
For now, some highly recommended readings and resources to get you started:
Understanding Visual Organization
The Collective Consciousness
Gestalt Principles in Design
Don’t let the articles intimidate you! They’re light reads, and highly informative. Find anything confusing or overwhelming? You are very welcome to ask away
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