Summarizes the importance of colour theory, design drawing, elements of form, space and structure and geometry in the field of designing

1. COLOUR CAN ALTER YOUR MIND…
Have you ever consciously thought about the existence of color? Most of us haven’t,
because existing of it isn’t something rare. We are constantly surrounded by it.
Whenever you are asked to describe an object, the first thing you talk, is about the
color of that object. Studies have revealed that ninety percent of consumers make a
conscious judgment about buying a product only through assessment of its color,
that too in the first sixty seconds. Moreover, the ads read in color are double in
number than the ads read in black and white. As Bonnard has rightly said, ‘Color
does not add pleasant quality to design—it reinforces it.’ Now think how bland it
would be to not see colors…
But we are able to see colors; through light which is made up of spectrum of
frequencies that help us perceive color. A very easy way to understand colors is
through the study of color wheel. Constructed in an orderly progression, the color
wheel enables us to visualize the formation of primary, secondary and tertiary hues
as well as the creation of their tints, tones and shades which are created by adding
white, grey and black to the pure hue respectively. (Figure 1)
Furthermore in printing, dyeing
and pigmenting we use (CMYK)
cyan, magenta, black and yellow
which are known as subtractive
colors. On the opposite end of the
spectrum, there is additive color.
If you are working on a computer
or any screen for instance the
colors you see on the screen are
created with light which consists
of Red, Green, and Blue (RGB).
Knowing how each of these work,
having visual identity that list your company’s CMYK and RGB values will better
ensure your brand stays consistent across all media – from your iPhone to that
billboard on the highway.
The next step after understanding the color is to understand its application and
effects. Believe it or not but color governs your thoughts. Physical, psychological,
metabolic, behavioral and cultural attributes can be assigned to all the colors.
(Carter, 2005:195) Even different tints and shades of the same hue can covey
different meaning. For example, where a tint of green can depict freshness and
growth, the tone may depict jealousy; and the shade would convey something very
elegant or royal. There is nothing such as a good color or a bad color. It’s just about
how well you choose a color to achieve a particular impact. Taking example of the
same green, physically it depicts natural greenery; while culturally it conveys
something environmental or rich; and the same green would help improve your
eyesight due to its metabolic effect.
Once that we have understood the effect that a single color can create, its beyond
our thought to imagine what impact a harmony of colors could create. The human
notion seeks a visually balanced experience through a balanced structure. And this
Figure 1: Color wheel showing pure hue and its tints,
tones and shades respectively [online]

2. structure is provided by color harmony. Color harmony is all about simply arranging
different colors in a pleasing way, which all together conveys a united meaning.
There are a range of color harmonies (schemes) such as monochromatic,
complementary, analogous, triads etc. These harmonies help us in achieving a
desired composition using various principles of design.
After having learned about all these aspects of color, I sure have started to think
about its presence consciously. I have learnt to make desired tints and shades and
their significant use as well and also that how important it is to know the RGB and
CMYK values to maintain specific color constancy. It’s known to me now that how
our psychological perception changes and
how our senses respond according to a
specific color.
WHAT ARE DESIGNERS DRAWING
FOR?
There are loads of definitions that we come
across when we talk about what is design. But
one thing which remains for sure is that
design process is practiced and further
preceded majorly through drawings. Despite
the growth and evolution of technology and computer systems, the ordinary pencil or
ballpoint pen still has a place in a designer’s toolkit.
In this process of drawing, choosing correct tool for yourself is very important in
order to get desired results. One needs to equip himself with a tool upon which he or
she has an effective grip. For this, one has to simply experiment using different tools
in order to know what works best for them.(Figure 1) Any medium is valid for
drawing; depends upon what you are trying to achieve.
Furthermore to talk about drawing, there is no substitute to observation. As rightly
said by Barber, Even when you think you know what you are looking at, keep
looking. Nothing stays the same for more than few seconds. (2009:53). On ce
you do this, you start acquiring an artist’s vision and you are able to see shape, form,
texture, outline and movement, and not just an object. And once you are able to see
these elements separately you are the master
of your vision, because it is at this time that
Figure 1: Graphite drawing pencils
grades chart [online]

3. you can only see and draw the details
that you want to see.
Moving on, while live sketching whatever
your choice of subject, whether you are
drawing a nature sketch, a human
drawing or a landscape; first step is to
observe its basic shape and what
movement is running through it.
Capturing a sense of dynamism in a live
sketch is the most challenging aspects of
drawing.(Figure 2) Movement in
drawing is about translating your
observations of the effects of time and
motion into terms that viewer
interprets as energy, both within and
around your chosen subject. (Barber,
2009:527) Then the materials, the tools and techniques you use to detail it makes
you drawing unique and lively.
Learning perspective drawings is just getting to know more about your view-point.
Including perspectives in your drawing gives it a depth and a good deal of deception.
It helps you understand what’s happening with your view point and how perception
changes as you change your view.
After this course I have understood. What is a designer’s drawing for and its
importance? ‘Apparently, all designers
draw whether with pencil on paper or
with pixels on computer’. (Pipes, 2007:
8). A designer’s drawing is a vision put
onto paper that persuades and sells ideas to clients and also reassures that the brief
is being satisfied. It also guides a manufacturer to make the product as desired.
Further it can also instruct the end users about the use of products. A designer must
be able to explain in a few economically placed lines, perhaps in at a briefing
meeting with the client, exactly how the as yet non-existent product will look, feel,
and fit together. Today’s designers may not even ever meet the workers responsible
for manufacturing their designs, therefore they must be very confident about their
illustrations being perceived the same way they want it to be. And lastly it is very
important to keep practicing because as said by Pablo Picasso, ‘inspiration exists
but it has to find you working’. (Pipes, 2007:208)
RECOGNIZING OUR OWN VISUAL SOPHISTICATION
Figure 2: Human sketches; one female and
one male respectively [online]

4. 'Human brain is such designed that we refuse to see the outside world as a
chaotic jumble of meaningless sensations.' (Zelanski & Fisher, 1996: 2) We tend
to grasp everything in an arranged and orderly manner. Our eyes are constantly
looking at so many things altogether that we never consciously pay attention as to
why something looks appealing to us. The same happened to us, while exploring
different tools and materials during all the earlier courses, forms and shapes
happened randomly and spontaneously without us knowing as to why and how. All
we knew was that it looked visually appealing to us and that is why we put it on
paper.
To increase the visual excitement of the viewer who has a typical mindset as we had
and like every other person he has set up a visual vocabulary that assigns meaning
to every other thing, one must learn the general principles of design, for not
everyone has learnt to assign the same meaning to them or respond in the same
predictable way. Most people in our society have extremely good sense of visual
sophistication. Our part as designers is to learn to reason it and use it intuitively and
consciously.
The simplest way to develop our reasoning
abilities and control over the viewer's perception is
that one must understand the basic elements of
design. They are Line, Shape or Form, Space,
Texture, Value and Color.(Figure 1) Elements are
connected in a logical order. 'Lines connect to
make flat shapes; shapes put together in a space
suggest forms; indication of forms gives a stronger
feeling of space; texture bridges the gap between
sight and touch. While color adds a special
seasoning to our vision, value suggests the
degree of lightness and darkness of a color.'
(Zelanski & Fisher, 1996: 6)
After having learnt the elements of design, next thing is to combine all of them
together which further leads us to the fundamental principles of design. They are
Unity, Balance, Emphasis, Contrast, Movement, Rhythm, Proportion, Harmony,
Variety and Repetition. In addition to make the compositions look aesthetically
pleasing; these principles also convey an idea behind the work. They also have the
ability to take control over the viewer’s attention, the angle of view as well as
distance of view. A designer’s success lies in making the viewer’s eye look at only
those things that he want to emphasize on or to make their eye move around and
through his design in a chronological order that he wants.
Once I was done with the course, I learnt that to make a successful design we must
not only focus on the elements and principles of design which we are experimenting
with but also on the materials and mechanical skills involved; skills such as zooming,
panning, morphing, edge diffusion, mitering etc. Also I learnt the aspects of form
space interaction, the importance of negative and positive spaces, creating spatial
spaces and evolution of a motif from a basic form just by using these basic principles
of design.
Figure 1: A piece of art created
by an element of design i.e
line.[online]

5. “EVERY THING CONNECTS TO EVERYTHING ELSE”
As infants we humans are always attracted to patterns designs and shapes around
us, especially the ones which are geometric. The forms and patterns can be seen
everywhere and in everything. Geometric principles occur all around us, such as
symmetry, golden ratio, tessellation, and fractals. They apply to natural as well as
man-made examples and these aspects please us in an aesthetic way.
Fractals and tessellations can give animation and life like appearance to any object
or surface making it look very artistic. (Figure1, Figure2) Tessellation is very
harmonious to look at; arrangement of shapes closely fitted in each other without
gaps or overlaps, like the arrangement of tiles on pathways. On the other hand there
are fractals in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, which are
most often seen in crystal growths and galaxy formations. And when it comes to
symmetry it’s so natural that ‘it suggests presence of design where there is
none.’(Krauss, 2011)

6. In addition to all these aesthetic principles geometry is
needed to make a product logically and structurally
sane. It is needed in creation of tools and skill level
enhancements. The major purpose of learning
geometry in design is to reveal that it has foundations in essential qualities of
life such as proportions, growth patterns as well as mathematics. (Elam, 2001)
One of these main foundations of geometry is the golden ratio or the golden mean.
(Figure 3) Much like its name, this ratio possesses a very significant place in
geometric world. Mona Lisa, the perfect portrait, da Vinci’s masterpiece which took
the art community by the storm was the one to posses it. The golden ratio is
everywhere, from the smallest of the atom to a thing as big as universe, even in our
DNA’s and so in our thinking as well. As stated by Lawlor R. our different
perceptual faculties such as sight, hearing, touch, smell are a result of
proportioned vibratory frequencies. We can understand these proportional
relationships as a sort of geometry of
perception. This ratio is so deeply
embedded in us that we unknowingly
tend to give aesthetic value to things
possessing it.
After having done this course I was able to see and perceive the original existence of
geometry all around me and that how it has made the world safer and productive
place. I have also understood that excellent conceptual ideas suffer due to lack of
knowledge in geometry. And hence when I was asked to make an accessory based
on geometric principles I was very much successful in making it look geometrically
aesthetic. It was based on the principles of fractals, golden ratio and platonic
solids.(Figure 4) Therefore I learnt that it is important in many professions to have
foundational knowledge of geometry. I have now known that it is a lifelong skill and
the variety of innovations in this field is endless.
Figure 3: Golden ration
(golden spiral) in Galaxy.
[online]
Figure 1: Fractals in the leaf of a
tree [online]
Figure 2: Tessellation in the
arrangement of tiles [online]
Figure 4: The accessory (earrings) made by
me