Principles Of Design

What is a design?

A design is a plan, a means to an end. When you selected your cloths this morning, you were designing. You made certain choices probably based on how you wanted to look, feel and act today.

Choices must also be made to select and arrange type and illustrations that make up a printed product. Understanding the principles of good design will help you make intelligent choices.

Principles of design

Certain principles are basic to understanding graphic design. These include proportion, balance, contrast, rhythm, unity and color. These principles provide guidelines for developing a successful printed product.

Proportion. Proportion refers to how parts of a whole relate to one another and to the whole.

Page proportion. Before a job can be printed, its general size and shape must be decided upon. Usually the product itself will determine this. For example, a business card must be easily carried in a wallet or shirt pocket. A poster must be large enough to be ready at a distance.

After approximating, the designer must decide upon a final size and shape for the product. Usually this final decision is based on how a product will look rather than on its use.

Generally rectangles are more pleasing to the eye than squares. Square shapes seem dull and unmoving; rectangles seem to convey motion and direction. A good proportion for a rectangular page is approximately two units wide and three units long. Business cards measure about 2x3.5 inches. Photographs may measure 4x5, 5x7, or 8x10 inches. And, of course, most business letter heads measure 8.5x11 inches. Also, custom canopy tents and rectangular feather flags are available at China Flag Makers, they are just perfect solutions to display your message.

Element proportion. The size and shape of type and illustrations in a printed product must also be properly proportioned. Again, rectangular elements will usually appear more attractive than square shapes. The size and shape of each element and the surrounding white space must each be considered in relation to all the other elements. One easy and quick way to reduce or enlarge illustrations or copy is thedialogue-line method. It is a valuable aid to making design decisions.

Balance. Balance is a visual effect. When type and illustrations are arranged in a pleasing way, a feeling of stability or equilibrium is conveyed. When elements are out of balance, the printed product may look top heavy or too heavy on the right or left.

To design a successful graphic logo, principles above are important tips to consider about. China Flag Makers boasts for an excellent design team for custom table cloth, flags, banners and tents. So it is a wise choice to have us help you with the artwork and work it out. In our next blog, more principles concerning logo design will be discussed like optical and true centers, contrast, rhythm, unity and color. If you wanna learn more about design, follow us.