A Guide to Graphic Design Principles and Techniques

 

People tend to know what graphic design is but how do you describe it? At its core, graphic design is using visuals to tell a story. It’s about ways to convey a message and share information in a way that is understandable.

Graphic designers study and practice for years to be able to do what they do. This post is not intended to teach you how to become a graphic designer. It is intended to help you to understand what they do so you can better work with them.

The 4 Tenets of Graphic Design

Typography involves arranging text in a visually pleasing and readable manner. It plays a crucial role in conveying tone, personality, and the overall message of a design. Before finalizing your typography choices, consider creating a mock-up design to preview how different fonts and layouts will look in context. Many graphic designers see their work as the intersection of 4 key areas.

1. The Art of Text

When a graphic designer wants to include a word or phrase in their design they will spend hours looking for the perfect font. That’s because a font can directly convey a message while also conveying a mood. Dark heavy fonts are angry, abrasive, direct, and bold. Light and airy fonts are whimsical and fanciful.

But it’s not just about selecting the right font. It’s also about the placement of that font. And how it is incorporated into the overall design.

Some other font-related things to consider:

The size of your font can create importance. Putting things in large text grabs a person’s attention in an immediate way.

When selecting a font, don’t forget to see how it reads at all sizes. Some fonts can be difficult to read when the logo is expanded or shrunk.

2. Trust the Power of Colors 

Colors can bring out your emotions. They can affect your feelings. They can even make you hungry. Designers know this and will select the colors that help amplify the feelings of the brand.

Some other color-related things to consider:

Get familiar with a color wheel. It helps designers to see the relationships between different colors.

Look at colors through history. Across time, red has become a color to symbolize danger. If a designer wants to present a different message then they will most likely want to not use red in their design.

Many designers will create a mood board in the early stages of their design process. This lets them experiment with color combinations and other design elements.

3. Finding the Right Balance 

There is a lot of thought and experience that goes into the composition of a design. The goal is to create a balance between all of the assets in the design. That helps to guide the viewer’s eye through the design so that they can understand the message being delivered as it was intended. 

Some other composition-related things to consider:

Get familiar with the Rule of Thirds. This says to divide the area you are designing into a 3×3 grid. Use this grid to create balance in your design.

Overdesign can be detrimental to your message. Incorporate whitespace to give the design room to present the message.

4. Give Your Design Contrast 

Contrast can add a dynamic element to your logo. This means things like using both a dark and light color. Or thick and thin lines. Or large and small objects.

Some other things to consider:

In addition to adding contrast, repetition is a great design tool. It can often be used to direct a viewer’s attention.

Whatever design elements you include, keeping them aligned helps to keep the finished piece clean and professional.

A Fast Tour Through Graphic Design History

Graphic design has been around as long as humans. Look at cave paintings or Egyptian hieroglyphics. As civilization advanced, so did our graphic design powers. These are four big periods of that evolution.

• A Revolution in Print. In the 15th century the printing press was invented. Graphic design was on its way to becoming more accessible. And commercial.

• Art Nouveau is All the Rage. Intricate design match with organic form was all the rage in the late 19th century.

• The Bauhaus School. Design became more functional. More direct. More of a marriage of art and technology. 

• Design Goes Digital. Digital tools didn’t make graphic design easier, it just demystified it while at the same time grew appreciation for the skills it takes to do well.

3 Famous Graphic Design Examples

Good graphic design examples can be found everywhere. 

1. Apple: Apple designers are big fans of the “less can be more” concept. 

2. Nike: The “Swoosh” logo is one of the most well-knwoen corporate symbols

3. Coca-Cola: The logo and bottle design are known all around the world. Just seeing that shape takes you back to a hot summer day of your youth.

Design Tactics to Follow

• Avoid clutter. Focus on only essential elements that convey your message clearly.

• Start your design by focusing on one essential element. Then build out from there.

• Always design to your brand values.

• Test your design to see how it works in different mediums.

• Use high-quality imagery. This will give you the best outcomes. 

• Ask for feedback on your design. 

• Regularly track your trademarks to make sure that your designs are protected. ontrast strategically to guide the viewer’s attention to the most important parts of your design.

Tools of the Design Trade

Just like any other craftsperson, a designer can do their best work with the right tools. Some of the most popular are:

Adobe Illustrator – This is a perfect tool for vector-based designs. This includes things like logos and illustrations.

Adobe Photoshop – For years this has been the go-to tool for:

• Photo editing
• Manipulating images
• Digital printing

Adobe InDesign – Designers creating pieces to be used in print trust InDesign for the best outcomes. 

Canva: This easy-to-use tool has many pre-set templates.

A quality project tracking software can help you keep projects on track.

Start a Career in Graphic Design

Are you interested in a graphic design career in graphic design? 

• Learn the basics like color theory. Study design principles.
• Develop a portfolio. Use it to showcase your work.
• Attend design events and meet others working as designers.
• Practice your skills by taking as many freelance jobs as you can.
• Study Design history. Follow trends. Keep up with the latest tools.

Now get out there and get started. Someday your work may be used in a blog post as an example of great design! And you can start to work on your designs with our easy-to-use logo generator. This AI-powered tool can help you create logos and other design elements that are unique, interesting, and powerful.