Principles of Design

Mon 12:30 – 3:00

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:31:00 +0000

H79.2239: Principles of Design
Sharleen Smith (sharleen@smithandthompson.net)
http://itp.nyu.edu/~ses4/

The objective of this course is to introduce students to the basic concepts and principles of graphic design. It offers a series of demonstrations and assignments that promote creative thinking and an appreciation for the constructs of visual language. Most importantly, this course will strive to guide students through personal discovery of these principles…

Emphasis will be on concepts and not on tools. Projects will be assigned and course work will range from simple hands-on projects to a final web-based project (TBD). Projects will be assigned and presented in class as “critiques”.

Goals:
1. To review the basic principles of graphic design and develop a vocabulary of terms to assist in communicating visual ideas more fully
2. To consider specific design principles and practices as applicable to emerging Web practices
3. To promote creative thinking (can’t teach creativity but can stimulate?)

Projects will be assigned to visually realize the design principles covered.

Suggested Reading:
Itten, The Elements of Color
Josef Albers, Interaction of Color
Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think: A common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Josef Muller-Brockmann, Grid Systems in Graphic Design

Guest speakers and a field trip are planned for the class.
Guests TBA

Ground & Foreground

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:39:58 +0000

Graphic design is the applied art of arranging image and text to communicate a message, or facilitate understanding. It may be applied in any media, such as print, digital media, motion pictures, animation, product design, packaging, and information signs.

Some fundamental principles of design are alignment, balance, color, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, proportion, proximity, repetition, rhythm, texture, unity, and white space.

Color (Theory)

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:54:53 +0000

Color can be used throughout a design to establish hierarchies of information, and to organize the path through which the viewer looks at the page/screen.

Color is light: Visible Spectrum
The colors we see in nature are reflections of light on the surfaces around us.

(Courtesy of kaliszincolor.com)

Typography

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 19:16:51 +0000

Typography is a design discipline:
Typography encompasses the design and layout of the printed or virtual page, the selection of fonts, the specification of typesetting variables, and the actual composition of text. The goal of good typography is to allow the unencumbered communication of meaning to the reader. (Wikipedia)

Illustration & Collage

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:33:52 +0000

An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing written text by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text.

Collage (to stick), montage (to mount) & assemblage (to bring together): all describe an image that has been created from a combination of sources and materials.

Class Trip

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 19:23:46 +0000

AIGA National Design Center
Annual Design Exhibition
164 Fifth Avenue, NYC
(Between 21 & 22nd Streets)
212 807 1990

11am-12pm

Composition & Layout

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:46:09 +0000

Layout is the process of arranging elements on the ‘page’. Elements can be laid out in different ways. Different options are available, and should be chosen according to the context and aesthetic requirements of the problem, never because of formalistic considerations alone. Be decisive about the use of your elements; half-hearted decisions dilute the effect of the whole.

Formal layout systems

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:50:36 +0000

For the most part, people prefer organized visual information. Newspapers, magazines, books and websites often have many visual elements: columns of text, headlines, photos, illustrations, pull-quotes, etc. Grids allow the designer to build page-to-page consistency into these documents.

Templates & Content Management Systems

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 20:48:29 +0000

CMS or, Content Management System, is software for facilitating the maintenance of content (not necessarily design) on a web site. Content management systems were initially developed internally at organizations which were doing a lot of content publishing. In 1995, CNET spun out its internal development offerings into a separate company called Vignette. The company started offering the software as a web-based content management system, allowing sites to create templates of the presentation of their content on the web.

Standards & Accessibility

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 01:22:57 +0000

The basis of accessibility is that every Web user should have access to the information and experiences available online. The nature of the Web and the tools used to create and access the information it offers means that some users, for instance, those with visual, auditory, or other physical impairment, have difficulty accessing Web content. The tenets and practice of the accessible Web aim to ensure these users' impairments do not prevent them from finding the Web a valuable resource, and that they have access to the same content that other visitors enjoy... (thanks to sitepoint.com)

Designing for the WWW

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 01:33:53 +0000

If we define “good design” as successful design, or design that effectively communicates to it’s target audience, then we can perhaps agree that good design is based on sound decision-making coupled with a developed organizational style.

Wire Frames & Work Flow

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:15:47 +0000