If you are interested in pursuing a career as a graphic designer, you’ll need to understand basic concepts and rules of design. It is of course a very rewarding and fun job, allowing you to indulge in your creativity. While it has its challenges, graphic design is a great field for anyone who already understands basic principles.
In this post we take a closer look at some of these basic design principles and how it is applied. If you already are a graphic designer, this will serve as a great reminder!
#1: Balanced Compositions
This refers to symmetrical or asymmetrical balance. Your design elements should be balanced to ensure the entire design flows.
#2: Element Proximity
Proximity refers to the relationship between similar design elements in your design. Elements should complement each other whether in shape, size or colour.
#3: Visual Hierarchy
This refers to the composition of design elements according to their weight or importance. Attention is drawn using other fonts, bold, colouring and other tricks to ensure the hierarchy is achieved.
#4: Duplication of Elements
To ensure your design flows and is recognisable by users, certain design elements should be repeated. This includes the colours you’ve used or the brand’s logo.
#5: Contrast in Elements
This refers to design elements used to contrast one another to create a balanced design. You could use dark and light elements, modern and contemporary styles to grab the user’s attention.
#6: Use Negative Space
Negative space refers to blank spaces in your design that does not feature any elements. When used correctly, negative space can complement your design by focusing on key features of it.
#7: Alignment
Alignment of your design elements ensures that the entire design comes together perfectly and well-balanced. Text and images should be aligned to ensure a tidy and logical design.
#8: Great Typography
When used correctly, typography can make a design whereas bad typography has the power to break it. The typography you choose to use in a design or brand’s corporate identity should represent it well.
Some people have the eye for detail and the magic touch without any training or practice. These principles we’ve discussed form the foundation of great design. If you can master these, you should be well on your way to becoming a fantastic graphic designer.
For those of you already working as professional graphic designers, we trust that this countdown was a good reminder of what makes a great design!