Graphic design taught me that you can communicate without words. In fact, that’s what my professor told me in my first year. “How?” I asked, and he smiled, saying I had to be patient. For a long time, I couldn’t understand. It took me a while to learn until I discovered these 5 secrets of graphic design that helped me solve some of the mysteries. Graphic design is endless visual communication! When you read this blog, you’ll realize that graphic design, with its 5 basic principles (I call them tricks), is the most powerful thing ever.
To visually communicate and to be called graphic design, it must incorporate these 5 basic principles that are aligned within every composition. And trust me, once you master them, you won’t have to struggle, look at other people’s work, or use various programs with tricks that are designed for you. Forget everything and master this now. So let’s go.
- Harmony
- Contrast
- Balance
- Dominance
- Unity
1. Harmony
Harmony signifies balance and can be achieved in several ways. One method is the system of intentional and rhythmic repetition of forms that are the same, similar, or different in size, shape, and color. By combining repetitions, you get the impression of even and continuous pulsation of all the elements that make up the composition. To achieve harmony in graphic design, it is important to establish spacing between individual elements. This achieves balance and rhythm. The spaces between elements can create pauses in the composition.
Harmony manifests in several ways, such as:
- Harmony of similarity,
- Harmony of function, and
- Harmony of symbols.
Harmony of similarity aligns similar elements by shape. The pulsation of these similar shapes is ensured by rhythmic alternation of their sizes and colors. For example: sequences of similarly shaped letters — “n” — “m” — “u” can harmoniously and neatly appear on a surface if their repetition is ensured with intentional and rhythmic alternation of their positions, colors, sizes, and thicknesses. A surface covered with such sequences will have a pleasant and appealing appearance and harmony by similarity will be achieved.
Harmony of function aligns various shapes that differ in form but serve the same function. For example, text discussing the anniversary of the Hopovo or Studenica monastery should align with the form of letters from old Cyrillic scripts.
Harmony of symbols aligns various shapes that differ in form, function, and purpose, but in spiritual and abstract meaning, they form an intentional and agreed whole. For example, some symbols can have entirely different forms but represent the same whole in one context.
2. Contrast
Contrast is the difference of opposites. Opposites attract. At least, that’s what they say. It’s similar in graphic design. To establish opposites, there must be contrast. For example, black opposes white, and only then can the value of each be understood. The same applies to many other concepts: warm—cold, bitter—sweet, beautiful—ugly, etc. To significantly highlight what you want to emphasize, the contrast system is used in graphic design. Contrast can animate a surface, but only if that dynamic is necessary — that is, justified. Contrasts can be expressed with a greater or lesser scale of differences in size, color, and value. Contrasts can also be achieved by adjusting intervals in a graphic sequence (e.g., with fonts). In most well-designed pieces, you will notice a maximum of two types of fonts. This is because the effect of contrast can be easily achieved this way.
3. Balance
Balance as a visual factor is the visual equalization of weight on either side of a surface or line. One way to achieve balance is to use shapes of different sizes. If both shapes have similar value intensity, the larger shape is optically heavier than the smaller one. Another way to achieve balance is the coloristic method. A larger shape is lighter than a smaller one if given in a secondary color and the smaller in a primary color. Generally, dark surfaces are optically heavier than lighter ones. A third way to regulate balance is by the direction of form movement.
A horizontal form (e.g., a rectangle) is heavier than a vertical one. A vertical form is optically heavier than a diagonal one. A fourth way to regulate balance is by distance. Of two identical shapes with the same color value, the one further from the center is optically heavier. Shapes closer to the base are heavier than those at the top of the treated surface. Balance is most easily achieved with symmetry. All basic geometric shapes are symmetrical. Most of nature is based on this law of balance. Symmetry gives a sense of calm, elegance, and dignity. This way of achieving balance is formal, hence formal balance. In this balanced size principle, everything is balanced on the principle of equal values. Dynamism in composition is also achieved by asymmetry. In this way of establishing balance, different shapes in size, color, and form appear, but everything is still balanced in relation to an imaginary vertical axis that divides the surface into two equal parts. This asymmetrical balance is called informal or informal balance. Some call it optical balance.
Informal (optical) balance can be achieved in graphic space with intentional color arrangement. It should be known that warm colors (red, yellow, orange) are optically heavier than cool ones (blue, green, purple).
4. Dominance
Dominance represents the insistence on establishing an optical center in a given visual space.
Every space in a graphic sense must be organized to feel like an optical center. There are two ways to establish this center. The first is classic, placing the most interesting part of the visual or thematic event in the area of diagonal intersections (center of the surface), and the second is building that event in any other part of the visual, i.e., graphic surface. There is central dominance and decentral dominance. Both have the same goal, to highlight an event or action on a surface. Dominance and contrast sometimes have similar meanings, but it should be noted that contrast aims to bring out the most important and significant graphic detail.
The task of dominance is to deliberately depict the main visual idea by placing it in the center of the composition. Contrast, as an aesthetic category, will only help organize the visual space in a way that ensures the central event of the action dominates in the chosen center of the composition. This can be ensured by color contrast, tone contrast, form contrast, etc. For example, if several circular black forms with specific text in negative are placed on a graphic surface, and in their center is a letter “a” several times larger than the text in the circles and in one of the primary colors (e.g., red), it is certain that the space and such a composition will be dominated by the letter “a”:
First — by its unusual size,
Second — by its interesting shape, as lowercase letters are always more interesting than uppercase,
Third — by its color, as red is clearly noticeable in a mass of black, and
Fourth — by its form isolation, as it clearly differs from the circular forms.
Such dominance of the letter “a” can be accompanied by text below it highlighting something that needs to be emphasized. Since everything is calculated on the system of central dominance, the choice of text, or its meaning, will be tied to a theme that is calm, dignified, and proud in nature.
However, all these same elements can be formed in a system of decentralized dominance. If the enlarged letter “a” is not placed in the center of the black circles but at one of their positions, thus on the edge of the composition, and everything is balanced to give the composition satisfactory visual value, then it is clear that central dominance is lost and decentralized dominance is created. As decentralized dominance follows a more dynamic theme, the choice of text, or its meaning, will be tied to a more exciting, dynamic, and free theme.
5. Unity
Unity is the connection of all elements in a common action. Unity is not only an aesthetic norm but a category that signifies the connection of form and content, form and style, as well as the coordination and harmony of all visual elements and, ultimately, the unity of all elements that build the aesthetic principle. However, it is difficult to connect the principle of dominance with other elements into a firm and secure unity.
By itself, the aesthetic size of dominance resists unity and tends to stand out independently. Every unity, including visual, is always influenced by several forces, of which two are main — one that aims to break and disassemble it, and another that opposes it. Unity mainly relies on the idea of gathering elements with similar or different interests within a visual composition. In creating the unity of action, one should first decide on the visual expression around which the unity of all other visual participants in the composition will be organized. Every book, brochure, poster, every packaging design, every logo, and many other graphic forms must be realized as stylistically uniform forms, and then also visually uniform. In the first case, stylistic unity means consistency in design within a specific historical stylistic expression taken from a particular stylistic era (classical styles) or from the contemporary era (modern styles). Visual unity implies consistent adherence to all rules of design and the use of visual elements. Finally, if a graphic form is precisely defined in a thematic sense (and few are not), it is necessary to align both stylistic unity and visual unity with the appropriate theme idea — overall unity of content and form.
Conclusion:
The solution is to follow these principles to make your graphic design as good as possible. You can’t master all this in a month, but over time, it gets ingrained and starts coming out of you unconsciously. Graphic design is visual communication but also a feeling. A sense of aesthetics and beauty developed over many years through the talent you have.
If you need help, feel free to contact.
