Visual communication is one of the very effective means of communication, especially in a business setting. This comes in the form of presentations, billboard advertisements, fliers, and magazines. Technology has made the creation of this content very easy with a lot of tools for graphic design.
Graphic design is not a new profession, I will say it is an electronic aided fine art. Computer technology has made this type of profession very easy, advanced and with little effort to produce content. Creativity plays a huge role in producing good design work. However, the extent to which creativity is relevant has drastically reduced due to reliance too much dependency on graphic design tools, such as Corel draw, photoshop, and PowerPoint. Etc.
Unlike fine art which requires painstaking effort and skill in producing graphic images, current graphic design requires good knowledge of the fundamentals of creating good visual representations. Unfortunately, most acclaimed graphic designers are professionals in the use of design tools but have no knowledge of the building blocks of quality visual content.
Fine art produces a piece that may have different messages and interpretations. Most time the meaning behind an artwork can only be interpreted by the designer or a different meaning may be inferred by different individuals.
When the fundamentals of good graphic design work are adopted in a design piece, the message is clear to the audience. The designer need not explain the message behind the design work. In a business setting, this fundamental is applicable in the design of logo fliers, brochures and in presentations.
Elements Of a Good Graphic Design.
- Balance: this is simply, how images and texts are evenly arranged within the canvas. The arrangement is made in such a way that it shows proper distribution within the design space,
In the design above, the black box is on the left side of the canvas. This is an example of an unbalanced design. To make It balanced, if the black box is the only image on the canvas, it has to be centralized. It can also be balanced by putting some text or images on the other side of the canvas. An example is shown below.
A balanced design can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. An asymmetrical design is a type of design that when divided into two, all the content is not evenly distributed on the canvas or space. An example Is fig 3 above. The box will be on the left while the text will be on the right when divided into two.
Symmetrical balance on the other hand has all the images evenly distributed when divided in two. An example is a diagram below.
- Proximity: this is how the content of a design is placed together in the design space to complement each other. The contents when placed far apart from each other can create a disconnect in the message. Having the content together creates less work for the audience in interpreting the message.
- Alignment: The content of the design must properly align with each other. This shows orderliness and it makes the design appealing to the audience
- Repetition: Repetition is important to create coherence across different pages, slides or event topics in design. For instance, a PowerPoint presentation can have an image, a slogan or color across all pages of the presentation. It shows continuation and coherence in the design
- Contrast: This can be achieved with colour, tone, shapes and direction. Contrast helps to lay emphasis on a particular message or bring the audience’s attention to a particular information
Creating a quality visual presentation goes beyond mastery of design tools. It is important to keep the visual design simple, have all the messes on a page if possible and add contrast to make It readable and get the important message. Knowledge of the highlighted elements of a good design is important in creating professional visual communication
ELEMENTARY OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGNS