Graphic Design

“What do we mean when we say that a particular work of art is beautiful?”

Some people’s opinions are different than others and everyone see’s things differently, one might think that a painting or some piece of art is very unique and very nice to look at and others may think that the piece is unattractive. (9. Elements of the Arts, n.d.)

In stating the prier question “what do we mean when we say that a particular work of art is beautiful?” some people automatically go with their 5 senses to describe it. But there are many things that most all humans would find attractive. I could go on and list them but I prefer not to. (9. Elements of the Arts, n.d.)

In art there can be different ways to make your piece. You can paint, draw, sculpt, or take a picture for a few examples. There are also different kinds of art. There is physical art that you can see and touch and there is art that you can only see and not touch. (9. Elements of the Arts, n.d.)

Art can be used as a medium or you can use something for the medium of your art. Though these are 2 different ways they are very similar. Using your art as a medium would mean that you are using it for an example for the next piece of art that you are planning on making. The medium of your art would be the objects that you have chosen to make you piece from or out of. (9. Elements of the Arts, n.d.)

For the perspective of your art there are a million different ways you can take it or look at it. Two other names for the perspective would be “view point” or “vantage point”. (9. Elements of the Arts, n.d.) One of the main types of art these days would be graphic design. You might ask yourself “what is graphic design?” Well graphic design is a “message you want to communicate” (What is Graphic Design, n.d.)

Graphic design is everywhere. No matter where you go, whether it’s on a sign or the side of a building. Graphic design is very popular. (What is Graphic Design, n.d.)

Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas” (What is Graphic Design, n.d.) When you think of graphic design it doesn’t have to be just a picture, it can be a number of different things. It can be numbers and charts, or photography and illustration. It doesn’t always have to be drawings from a computer. (The Graphics Grapevine, n.d.)

Now that you know some of the types of design we can now go into the types of materials. You can use any type of drawing utensils to create your piece. For example you can use crayons, pencils, charcoal, paint, sharpies, and many more. Also, if you don’t like to draw/create on paper there is canvas, concrete, old buildings, anything you can possibly think of. (The Graphics Grapevine, n.d.)

There are at least 6 graphic design principles. To list them off there are; balance, proximity, alignment, repetition/consistency, contrast, and white space. To give a little description of each one we will start by saying what each one is. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.)

For balance we will start out by saying it is the way the elements of the piece are arranged. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.) Proximity is the next element. The way it is described is “keeping like items together and creating unity by how close or far apart elements are from each other.” (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.)

Now on to alignment. Even though most people think of alignment as lining things up that’s basically what it is. In graphic design many people use the computer so in that there will be some typing. The alignment of the text would be that if it was centered, off to the left or right, or justified which means that all text is evenly distributed amongst the page. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.)

The next element can be called one of two things; repetition or consistency. Which everyone should know what it is; the repeating of a word, phrase, or picture to help the viewer understand or remember. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.) The fifth element would be contrast. The two main contrasts that are listed on this article are “big vs. little” and “black vs. white”. This basically explains it all. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.)

And the final element is white space. Most people, when creating an art piece, don’t know what white space is, but as noted in this article “white space is nothing”. (Graphic Design Principle, n.d.)



Graphic Design Principle.(n.d.).Principles of Graphic Design.Retrieved on October 10, 2012,from http://www.design-lib.com/graphic-design-principles-gd.php

Kaua’i Design.(n.d.).The Graphics Grapevine.Retrieved on October 10, 2012,from http://www.kauaidesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/what-is-graphic-design1.pdf

What is Graphic Design.(n.d.).What is Graphic Design.Retrieved on October 10, 2012,from http://www.aiga.org/guide-whatisgraphicdesign/

Experiencing the Humanities.(n.d.).9. Elements of the Arts.Retrieved on October 10, 2012, from http://www.tc.umm.edu/~jewel1001/humanities/book/9/elements.htm