This presentation shows the four design principles that will make your presentation look great. Using Robin Williams (the graphic designer) book, The Non Designer's Design Book, monkeys and humor, ...
This presentation shows the four design principles that will make your presentation look great. Using Robin Williams (the graphic designer) book, The Non Designer's Design Book, monkeys and humor, each principle is described and illustrated. Fade ins and outs are not working on the slideshare site. Downloading the file may correct the problem. This presentation was designed by Diane Tchakirides. All rights reserved.
DanielleForstThis presentation is fantastic. I am a teacher. Can I use this as a teaching tool for my students and for professional development with other teachers?4 months ago
The four basic principles used for organizing visual information are alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast. These principles are the underlying factors in every printed piece you see anywhere, on screen or elsewhere. If you just remember these four principles, your web (or printed) pages will look clean, neat, and professional. They will communicate more clearly, people will enjoy them more, and you will be proud. The basic principles of design appear in every well-designed piece of work. Keep in mind they are really interconnected. Rarely will you apply only one principle.
Principles of Visual Design Presentation Transcript
The Principles of Visual Design
The Basics The 4 basic principles used for organizing visual information are: Alignment Contrast Proximity repetition
Alignment
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, sophisticated, fresh look. When elements are aligned they are connected to each other, even if they are separated on the page. Alignment Create order and visual connections with alignment.
Using an underlying grid when you design will make aligning things much easier.
Here are some examples of layouts which have been laid out on a grid.
Hang punctuation so your letters line up. Alignment
Here is some stationery that is center aligned . It’s okay, but center alignment can be a little boring . Sneaky Monkey Graphic Design Services 66 Banana St • Chicago • Illinois 00123
This layout is more visually interesting . Notice that everything is aligned on the left side and your eye follows the dotted line down the page to the address. Sneaky Monkey Graphic Design Services 66 Banana Street | Chicago, Illinois , 10328 | 714.555.2010
In this layout the alignment of type and graphics is on the right. The graphic has been blown up, screened back and it bleeds off the right side of the page. Don’t be afraid to be bold . Sneaky Monkey Graphic Design Services 66 Banana St • Chicago • Illinois 00123
Contrast
Contrast is one of the most effective ways to add visual interest to your project and to create an organizational hierarchy among different elements. The concept of contrast says that if two items aren't the same, make them very different . Don't be a wimp. Contrast is created when two elements are different. If the two elements are sort of different, but not really, then you don't have contrast, you have conflict. "If two items are not exactly the same, then make them different. Really different.“ — Robin Williams Contrast Note: Robin Williams is a writer and graphic designer (not the comedian) who wrote a book called The Non-Designer’s Design Book. Excerpts from that book are used in this presentation.
This is nice and neat, but there is nothing that attracts your eyes to it. If no one's eyes are attracted to a piece, no one will read it. It needs some contrast . Can you say Blah?
Weak Contrast Strong Contrast Contrast
The idea behind contrast is to avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. You can create contrast through your typeface choices, line thicknesses, colors, shapes, sizes, space , etc. It is easy to find ways to add contrast, and it's probably the most fun and satisfying way to add visual interest. . Besides the contrast in the typefaces in this postcard, there is also a contrast between the long, horizontal title and the tall, narrow, vertical columns. The narrow columns are a repetitive element, as well as an example of contrast. Be bold!
Repetition
The purpose of repetition is to unify and to add visual interest. Don’t underestimate the power of the visual interest of a page— if a piece looks interesting, it is more likely to be read.
Repeat some aspect of the design throughout the entire piece. You can repeat colors , shapes, textures, spatial relationships, l ine thicknesses , fonts , sizes, or even monkeys. Repetition increases visual unity.
Once you establish a couple of key repetitive items , you can vary those items and still create a consistent look .
Don’t overdo it with repetition, but do try repetition with variety. Target corporation does a good job of repetition in their branding.
Proximity
Take a look at this typical business card layout, below. How many separate elements do you see in that small space? That is, how many times does your eye stop to look at something? Proximity Does your eye stop five times? Where did you begin reading? In the middle, probably, because that phrase is boldest.
Now that there are two bold phrases, where do you begin? Do you start in the upper left? Or the center? After you read those two items, where do you go? Perhaps you bounce back and forth between the wards in bold, nervously trying to also catch the words in the corners. Proximity
Proximity If the related elements are grouped together, into closer proximity - see what happens: A problem with the previous card is that it is not clear where you should begin reading the card, and it is not clear when you are finished. In this version the hierarchy of information is clear.
In this poster the spaces between the headlines and paragraphs are exactly the same. There is a lot of white space here, but it is broken up. We call this trapped white space and it visually pushes the elements apart.
Group the items that have relationships together. Use the simple design feature of space to make the page not only more organized, but nicer to look at.
By moving the headlines closer to their related paragraphs of text, several things happen:
The organization is clearer.
The white space is not trapped within elements.
There appears to be more room on the page.
This graphic shows all of the design principles we’re discussed so far. Alignment Proximity Contrast Repetition
Kiran Vasudevan
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