DGRAPHIC

ESIGN

THINGS

YOU NEED

TO KNOW

ABOUT

GRAPHIC

DESIGN

GRAPHIC DESIGN

as a discipline“Graphic design is a broad discipline that encompasses many different aspects and elements. It takes ideas, concepts, text and images

and presents them in a visually engaging form through print, electronic or other media. A designer achieves this goal through the conscious

manipulation of elements;

a design may be philosophical, aesthetic, sensory, emotional or political in nature.”Gavin Ambrose/Paul Harris

D

The theories that we apply to graphic

design are taken from a study of the

general science of signs known as

“Except for the immediate satisfaction of biological needs,

man lives in a world not of things but of symbols.”

Von Bertalanffy L.

vwww

There are three main areas that form what we understand as

semiotics: the signs themselves; the way they are organised

into systems and the content in which they appear.

Symbolises an apple

A sign for Apple Mac Computers

Signifies quality, creativity, lifestyle,

independence….

Each individual letter is called a

character. A standard set of terms is

used to describe the constituent parts

of a character, often referred to as

Capital Height

Crossbar

Ascender

Terminal

Tittle

Loop

Link

Serif

Stem

Bowl

Ear

X-Height

Baseline

Descender

Counter

There are four fundamental fonts that designers should know

Block fonts are designed to be used on a large scale

Roman fonts are standard serif fonts

Script fonts attempt to reproduce calligraphic forms Gothic fonts are sans-serif and simple in form

The letters, numbers, and symbols that make up a

design of type. A typeface is often part of a type family

of co-ordinated designs. The individual typefaces are

named after the family and are also specified with a

designation, such as italic, bold or condensed.

One weight, width, and style of a typeface.

Before scalable type, there was little distinction

between the terms font, face, and family. Font

and face still tend to be used interchangeably,

although the term face is usually more correct.

A good rule when working with type is to use a

fonts

aaz

Available colour systems are dependent on the medium with

which a designer is working. (C)yan(M)agenta(Y)ellow(K)ey/

black is used when printing and (R)ed(G)reen(B)lue is used

to generate digital media.

aaz

When we mix colours using paint, or through the printing process, we are using the subtractive colour method. Subtractive colour

mixing means that one begins with white and ends with black; as one adds colour, the result gets darker and tends to black.

If we are working on a computer, the colours we see on the screen are created with light using the additive colour method.

Additive colour mixing begins with black and ends with white; as more colour is added, the result is lighter and tends to white.

Red, yellow and blueIn traditional colour theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colours are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues.

Green, orange and violetThese are the colours formed by mixing the primary colours.

Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green & yellow-greenThese are the colours formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour. That’s why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

The split-complementary colour

scheme is a variation of the

complementary colour scheme. In

addition to the base colour, it uses

the two colours adjacent to its

complement.

V

These are some basic techniques for

creating pleasing colour harmonies

Analogous colour schemes use

colours that are next to each other

on the colour wheel.

A triadic colour scheme uses col-

ours that are evenly spaced around

the colour wheel.

The rectangle or tetradic colour

scheme uses four colours arranged

into two complementary pairs.

The square colour scheme is similar

to the rectangle, but with all four

colours spaced evenly around the

colour wheel.

ww

Complimentary colours are any two hues positioned exactly opposite each other on the colour wheel.

ww

These pairs on the Basic Color

Wheel have a special relationship.

When they are placed next to each

other, they make the other appear

more intense and brighter. This is a

phenomenon in Color Theory called

Simultaneous Contrast.

With this in mind, complementary colours are

best to avoid using together, particularly when

using type as it strains the eye and affects

legibility

The Pantone Colour Matching System is largely a standardized colour reproduction system. By standardizing the colours, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colours match without direct contact with one another.

Solid Colour FORMULA GUIDES:

One flat colour

FORMULA GUIDE Solid Coated

FORMULA GUIDE Solid Uncoated

COLOUR BRIDGE Guides:

To determine how a PANTONE Colour

will appear when reproduced in CMYK

or to create optimal display of PANTONE

Colours on monitors and Web pages

COLOUR BRIDGE Coated

COLOUR BRIDGE Uncoated

COLOUR BRIDGE® Supplement Coated

COLOUR BRIDGE® Supplement Uncoated

CMYK Guides:

Four colour process

(cyan, magenta, yellow, black)

CMYK Coated

CMYK Uncoated

PANTONE METALLICS Guide

METALLICS Coated

PREMIUM METALLICS Coated

PASTELS & NEONS guide

PASTELS & NEONS Coated & Uncoated

Pantone contains everything you need to select, specify and match solid

and process colours for accurate solid colour specifying and matching