It is essential to understand the fundamentals of designing along with creative ideas and inspiration. As a beginner in graphic design, you will first study the basic elements of graphic design. This article will help you get a head start by reviewing several essential design elements
1. Color
With colors, you can convey your
message, evoke emotions, or make a statement. It is always important to use
color cautiously when telling a story.
You can identify and use various
color combinations with the color wheel, including triadic, analogous, and
complementary schemes.
The colors red, blue, and green
each evoke a specific emotion. Consider the colors that reflect your intended
message.
2. Shape
Any space surrounded by lines is
a shape. Geometric and free-flowing shapes, when combined, can convey emotion
and tell stories. Such shapes are vital to the creation of professional and
appealing content.
Geometric shapes with rounded
edges can evoke a more natural and calm look. Using sharp-edged shapes can
catch viewers' attention, though.
A shape is anything that appears
on the canvas. As such, you must understand how the shapes will interact before
you use them.
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3. Line
Every design starts with a line.
Connecting two points forms a line.
As a contrast, implied lines
refer to the lines that appear when the shapes change hues, textures, or tones.
You can distinguish lines by varying their smoothness, thickness, and
continuity.
Additionally, lines with
different directions will appear, such as horizontal, vertical, curved,
diagonal, and zigzag. Using lines, you can highlight the focal point of a
design.
4. Space
A design canvas consists of
spaces that help you create harmony among lines, shapes, and colors. A blank
space can appear below or above your design's objects.
A shape placed near another one conveys a sense of connection. Independent shapes imply separation. The use of white space is crucial to maintaining consistency.
5. Texture
Textured backgrounds and shapes
can make your designs more appealing. Digital ads, social media posts, and
mobile apps restrict your viewers' ability to see your graphics.
However, natural or artificial
textures give your online content a sense of life and help it to be more
appealing to your audience.
You can also use textures to create contrast between objects, balance your design, and turn attention to the central message.
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6. Harmony
Your design can achieve visual
satisfaction if all of canvas elements are
in harmony. If you arrange analogous colors and place similar shapes close
together, you can create an attractive design. Maintaining consistency with
patterns and textures is also helpful.
7. Hierarchy
Your design canvas follows using
this design principle. Having too many objects, shapes, and texts will result
in a cluttered final product. It is better to prioritize which elements stand
out in your design.
You can also guide the audience
with hierarchy in mind. Shapes, images, and text play a vital role in
establishing relationships between the components.
Mobile apps and websites use hierarchy to draw the user's attention to call-to-action buttons.
8. Balance
Harmony and hierarchy go hand in
hand in designing. These principles also inspire the notions of asymmetry and
symmetry.
For a clear visual, your design
canvas must be symmetrical. Alternatively, you can use asymmetrical patterns if
you want to experiment with a more chaotic look.
A larger audience may take
notice of unbalanced designs. These designs feature asymmetrical shapes, the
use of opposing hues, and eye-catching effects.
9. Scale
You can learn to understand
objects, shapes, and text by understanding their scale. Make a meaningful
statement by sizing objects appropriately.
You can create a visual journey by scaling each element appropriately. In turn, this creates harmony in the overall design.
10. Contrast
Contrast helps you emphasize a
product, message, or idea. Having no contrasting elements or colors within the
design could lose your audience.
The use of opposite colors or
varying shapes can create contrast.
SUMMARY
Use
These Elements to Create Appealing Designs. In either case, you'll find a lot
of elements, principles, rules, and guidelines. Using these tips, though, you
can create attractive designs. Follow these 10 basic
principles of graphics and layout.