Articles related to graphic design provided by Artisan Design Studio http://www.artisan-ds.com/design_articles.php Balance - An arrangement of parts achieving a state of equilibrium between opposing forces or influences. In design, balance is best understood when compared to the physical world. Think of a physical object, such as a glass of water. When the glass is tipped or off balance, it falls over and spills. To keep a scale in balance it must have equal weight on both sides. Note that the weight does not have to be made up of identical objects. Similarly, if an object placed on a page fails to fulfill our “visual equilibrium” the design will appear off balance. When a design has balance, all of the elements appear grounded. This can be achieved through symmetry or asymmetry. Symmetrical or Formal Balance is accomplished by distributing elements equally around a central vertical or horizontal axis. Although this assumes identical mirrored elements, balance can also be created using different element of an equal weight and placement. This is called approximate symmetry. Using symmetry in a design produces a sense of stability and a lack of tension that requires little work on the part of the viewer. Asymmetrical or Informal Balance occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around a central axis. One method in obtaining balance in an asymmetrical design is to offset a dominant element with a group of smaller elements. A large neutral colored object can be balanced with the use of a deeper hue elsewhere in the layout. Asymmetry in a design creates visual tension while preventing the design from appearing static and superficial. Rhythm - The regular or ordered repetition of dominant and subordinate elements or units within a design. Rhythm in visual art is achieved through the creating a sense of movement. The repeated placement of elements, lines, or color can move the viewers focus from one point to another. If one thinks of rhythm in conjunction with nature, it becomes apparent that humans rely on a universal sense of timing, from the change of seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, changes in temperature and the internal rhythms that let us know when it is time to eat, sleep, or become active. Applying this principle to art can achieve a sense of unity and progression that subconsciously feels right. Proportion - The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio; as, the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body. The proportion of elements provides weight or emphasis which draws the eye to a focal point of the design. Proportion works along with balance and rhythm to create a smooth flow beginning with the largest object or element and moving in a hierarchal pattern throughout the design. The use of grid systems can help an overall design retain proportion and balance. by Patrice Roarke, Creative Director Artisan Design Studio http://www.graphic-design-info.com/article_principles_of_design.php Balance - An arrangement of parts achieving a state of equilibrium between opposing forces or influences. In design, balance is best understood when compared to the physical world. Think of a physical object, such as a glass of water. When the glass is tipped or off balance, it falls over and spills. To keep a scale in balance it must have equal weight on both sides. Note that the weight does not have to be made up of identical objects. Similarly, if an object placed on a page fails to fulfill our “visual equilibrium” the design will appear off balance. When a design has balance, all of the elements appear grounded. This can be achieved through symmetry or asymmetry. Symmetrical or Formal Balance is accomplished by distributing elements equally around a central vertical or horizontal axis. Although this assumes identical mirrored elements, balance can also be created using different element of an equal weight and placement. This is called approximate symmetry. Using symmetry in a design produces a sense of stability and a lack of tension that requires little work on the part of the viewer. Asymmetrical or Informal Balance occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around a central axis. One method in obtaining balance in an asymmetrical design is to offset a dominant element with a group of smaller elements. A large neutral colored object can be balanced with the use of a deeper hue elsewhere in the layout. Asymmetry in a design creates visual tension while preventing the design from appearing static and superficial. Rhythm - The regular or ordered repetition of dominant and subordinate elements or units within a design. Rhythm in visual art is achieved through the creating a sense of movement. The repeated placement of elements, lines, or color can move the viewers focus from one point to another. If one thinks of rhythm in conjunction with nature, it becomes apparent that humans rely on a universal sense of timing, from the change of seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, changes in temperature and the internal rhythms that let us know when it is time to eat, sleep, or become active. Applying this principle to art can achieve a sense of unity and progression that subconsciously feels right. Proportion - The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio; as, the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body. The proportion of elements provides weight or emphasis which draws the eye to a focal point of the design. Proportion works along with balance and rhythm to create a smooth flow beginning with the largest object or element and moving in a hierarchal pattern throughout the design. The use of grid systems can help an overall design retain proportion and balance. by Patrice Roarke, Creative Director Artisan Design Studio http://www.graphic-design-info.com/article_principles_of_design.php Hyphens The shortest dash; should only be used between words or to break syllables at the end of a line of type. Discretionary Hyphens Becomes invisible unless needed. A discretionary hyphen is manually inserted where you want a word to break if and when that word appears at the end of a line. If the text reflows and the need for hyphenation is eliminated, the hyphen disappears. InDesign: Command (Mac) or Control (PC) + shift + hyphen. QuarkXPress: Command (Mac) or Control (PC) + hyphen. En dash The width of an en dash is one half the point size of the type i.e. 10 point type would use a 5 point en dash. Used to indicated a range in numeric values. On a PC hold down the ALT key and type 0150. On a Mac hold down the OPTION key while typing a hyphen. Em dash The width of an em dash is the same point size of the type i.e. 10 point type would use a 10 point em dash. Used to set off phrases in place of parentheses. On a PC hold down the ALT key and type 0151. On a MAC hold down the SHIFT and OPTION keys while typing a hyphen. by Patrice Roarke, Creative Director Artisan Design Studio http://www.graphic-design-info.com/dashes.php The typeface that you choose for your print project is likely the most important piece of the overall design arrangement. With over 20,000 typefaces available and more being created every day, where do you begin? First narrow down you choices by selecting the tone you want to present. Typefaces can convey personality. For instance if you are in the banking industry you might choose a classic serif font such as Garamond to convey dependability. Serif fonts are generally used to achieve an elegant or classical look. For a more contemporary look a sans serif such as Bank Gothic would be appropriate. Sans serif fonts can impart an appearance of confidence. Be careful about choosing a script typeface. Although they can add elegance to an invitation or announcement, scripts are more difficult to read. Never use all caps when using a script typeface and never use it for lengthy copy. Readability is crucial. Be sure that the font you choose is legible. With all of the new and interesting typefaces available today it is tempting to pick one that you looks "cool". This can work if you are going for an edgy look that will appeal to a young audience, but your copy still needs to be easily understood. An important rule of thumb to remember: Never select more than three typefaces for a design piece. You can choose one font for the heading, one for the body text and one for accent if desired. More will look chaotic and cluttered. The combination of these fonts is also important. (The typographic wheel below is a helpful guide). (graphic can be found at : http://www.artisan-ds.com/design_article2.php) If you select a serif for your heading, choose a sans serif for the body text (or vise versa). Avoid selecting a similar serif for the body, as this may end up looking like a mistake. Using an opposite typeface will achieve a contrast that will add eye appeal to your piece. Also avoid close relatives of your main typeface. For example if your heading is script do not choose an italic serif for your body text. Word settings and spacing are another consideration to achieve a professional look for your design. The optimal setting for your body text is flush left, rag right. This setting allows comfortable readability. The flush left makes it easier for the reader to find the next line. Also pay attention to the ragged edge. Take time to create a pleasing silhouette by avoiding lines set to exactly the same length or one long line followed by a short one. The exception here is the end of a paragraph, however never leave a single work on the last line of a paragraph. Try to avoid justifying your text (Flush left, flush right) as this can create irregular word spacing unless carefully typeset. This uneven spacing can create "rivers" of open space that will distract the reader. Justified text works best for lengthy materials such as books or magazine articles. Centered text will create left and right ragged edges. This can create a dignified look if treated carefully. Vary the lines to give the ragged edges an interesting look and try increasing the space between lines to add readability. Since a ragged left edge makes it more difficult for a reader to find the next line, try to keep phrases or related content on one line. Centered text works best for small amounts of text. With all of this to consider in choosing your typeface(s), don't hesitate to contact a professional designer. There are books written on the subject and this article does not begin to address many aspects of typography. The correct use of type can make or break your design, so take some time and look at the different options available. by Patrice Roarke, Creative Director Artisan Design Studio http://www.artisan-ds.com/design_article2.php How long do you wait for a website to load before clicking away and trying another URL? Most people won't wait longer than an average of 8 seconds with a 56K modem. Although many things can effect the load time of a website, improper and overuse of graphics and images is one of the more frequent problems. Optimizing website graphics involves discovering the balance between image quality and image size. To optimize your website images follow these three steps. Resize the image Reduce the colors used in the image Save the image in a compressed file format Step 1 - Resize the Image Use an image-editing program to resize your photograph or graphic to the exact size that you will need for your website. For example, if you have a photograph that is 7" wide by 5" are willing to sacrifice to obtain a smaller file size. GIF files also allow you the option of setting transparent backgrounds. This is necessary if your image is being placed on a patterned or gradient background. Otherwise you will end up with a solid block of color surrounding your image. This does not look attractive or professional. Use the interlaced option for larger GIF images. This will cause a blurry image to appear first which will then load to the final image. Although the load time will not decrease this does give the impression of a faster loading page, as the image appears gradually. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) pronounced Jay-Peg JPEG images use a lossy compression technique. Every time you save an image as a JPEG it will loose some data. To avoid this, be sure to save your original image in a lossless format (such as PNG) for editing purposes. A JPEG image is saved in a 24-bit format, which allows for millions of colors. This is why JPEG files should always be used for photographs or complex graphics that use many colors or gradations. Most image editing programs offer three levels of JPG compression. You may need to experiment to find the correct balance of image quality and size. For larger images use the progressive option, again to allow the image to load gradually giving the viewer the impression of a quicker loading page. Remember to reuse the same image as much as possible to utilizing the Cache (pronounced cash) feature on the hard drive. This way once the image has loaded, it will store on the hard drive and be readily available for the next request. by Patrice Roarke, Creative Director Artisan Design Studio http://www.artisan-ds.com/design_article3.php