Lesson 1 Proximity and Alignment

Graphic Design ProcessJMA 505 : 

Graphic Design ProcessJMA 505 Jeff Taylor

By the end of the lecture, you should be able to: : 

Define graphic design Understand the importance of graphic design principles Describe and apply the graphic design principles of: Proximity Alignment By the end of the lecture, you should be able to:

What is Graphic Design? : 

Associated with images Speaking volumes without using the written word. Graphic design is not just about creating powerful pictures…. It's about communication “visual communication” is the most accurate way to describe the purpose of graphic design. What is Graphic Design?

What is Graphic Design? : 

Communicating to a wide audience Bring order and clarity to information Translates boring words into inviting, visual messages What is Graphic Design?

What are design principles? : 

Guiding principles for creating effective visual communication Apply to any piece you may create Determines the effectiveness in conveying the desired message and how attractive it appears Seldom only one correct way to apply each principle. What are design principles?

Six Overarching Design Principles : 

Proximity/Unity Alignment Repetition/Consistency Contrast Balance White space Six Overarching Design Principles

Proximity : 

Proximity Graphic Design Principle #1

Proximity : 

Proximity

Proximity-points to remember : 

Items relating to each other should be grouped close together Proximity-points to remember When several items are in close proximity to each other, they become one visual unit rather than several separate units Proximity helps to organize information and reduce clutter The proximity, or closeness, implies a relationship

Proximity-points to remember : 

Be conscious of where your eye is going Where do you start looking? What path do you follow? Where do you end up? After you read it, where does your eye go next? You should be able to follow a logical progression through the piece, from a definite beginning to a definite end Proximity-points to remember Where do you start looking? Where does your eye go next? What path does your eye follow? Where does your end up up?

Purposes of Proximity : 

To organize Grouping related elements together into closer proximity automatically creates organization If it is organized, the information is more likely to be read and remembered By product of proximity is more appealing and more organized white-space Purposes of Proximity

Proximity-How to get it? : 

Count the number of visual elements on the page If there are more than three to five items on the page…. see if any of them are related and could be grouped together to form one visual element Proximity-How to get it?

Slide 13: 

The MTV logo and the European Music Awards logo are forming a group in the upper left corner. The sponsor’s logos form a group in the bottom right corner The white space separating the two groups of logos is used to indicate “grouping” The proximity of each group of logos makes this design effective

Proximity-What to Avoid : 

Avoid too many separate elements on a page Do not stick things in the corners and the middle Avoid leaving equal amounts of white space between elements unless each group is part of a subset Avoid even a split second of confusion over whether a headline, a subhead, a caption, a graphic, etc., belongs with it’s related material. Create a relationship among elements with close proximity Do not create relationships with elements that don’t belong together. If they are not related, move them apart from each other Proximity-What to Avoid

Proximity : 

Proximity Although the graphic anchors the bottom of the page, the four text elements all float on the page with no apparent connection to each other (lack of proximity/unity)

Proximity : 

Proximity The change in the headline (font change, reversed out of blue box) along with the subheading pulled in closer provides balance with the graphic on the bottom. The spacing between the two paragraphs of text is reduced slightly as well.

Alignment : 

Alignment Graphic Design Principle #2

Alignment : 

Can you imagine how difficult it would be to find your car in a crowded parking lot if everyone ignored the parking lot stripes and parked in every which direction and angle? Imagine trying to get out of there! Alignment

Alignment : 

Alignment brings order to chaos, in a parking lot and on the screen. How you align type and graphics on a page and in relation to each other can make your layout easier or more difficult to read, foster familiarity, or bring excitement to a stale design. Alignment

Purpose of Alignment : 

The basic purpose of alignment is to unify and organize the page. A strong alignment can create a: sophisticated look formal look fun look serious look. Purpose of Alignment

Alignment : 

Align type and graphics in relation to each other on a page Alignment can make your layout: easier or more difficult to read foster familiarity bring excitement to a stale design. Alignment

Alignment : 

The alignment principle states…. “Nothing should be placed on a screen arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection with something else on the page.” Alignment

Alignment : 

Aligned items create a strong cohesive unit Even if items are physically separated from each other, if they are aligned there is an invisible line that connects them, both in your eye and your mind. Alignment

Simple Alignment : 

Simple Alignment

Complex Alignment : 

Complex Alignment

Alignment-How to get it : 

Be conscious of where you place elements Always find something else on the page to align with, even if the two objects are physically far away from each other. Alignment-How to get it

Alignment-What to avoid : 

Avoid using more than one type of alignment on a page Do not overuse the centered alignment Alignment-What to avoid

Alignment : 

Alignment There is nothing inherently wrong with centered headlines, text, and graphics. They lend a formal tone to a layout. But, for this series of layouts something a bit more informal is called for. Also, large blocks of centered text are usually harder to read.

Alignment : 

Alignment In this "Alignment" example, text alignment is left-aligned, ragged right, wrapped around the bottom graphic which is aligned more to the right, opposite an added graphic that is aligned to the right to help balance the overall design.

And….. the award for the best example of how bad graphic design can impact the world goes to…. : 

And….. the award for the best example of how bad graphic design can impact the world goes to…. Palm Beach County Presidential Election Ballot

In Conclusion : 

Graphic design is about visual communication Principles of graphic design, such as proximity and alignment, are guides for effective visual communication Bad graphic design can change the world In Conclusion