Graphic design is the art of fusing words, pictures, and concepts to produce pieces that draw the spectator in and convey a certain message. Graphic designers have developed a range of ideas and approaches to keep their work organized and efficient because they are always trying to figure out how to accomplish just that.
The best way to think of design elements is as the foundation of any endeavor. Even the most intricate graphic design portfolio can explain its basic components, such as lines, shapes, and typefaces. The principles of design, often known as “the principles of art,” are a set of guidelines that define and control how those elements relate to one another, to their surroundings, and to their intended audience.
This article focuses on the components of design, which are considered the most fundamental aspects of any graphic design project, even though both the principles of design and the elements of design are significant ideas to understand.
5 Graphic Design Elements You Should Know About
Line, form, color, type, and space are some of the foundational components of custom logo design. Each has advantages and disadvantages of its own. You may advance your graphic design portfolio if you master these fundamental components.
Line
Lines are never merely a collection of connected points. Lines can assist organize information, defining forms, indicating movement, and expressing emotions depending on their shape, weight, length, and context.
Designers have many possibilities when choosing the right lines for projects. Lines may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. They might make zigzag, straight, curved, freeform, or other designs.
The grids used in print designs contain invisible lines that serve as guides, giving projects more structure and direction. In contrast, visible lines with weight and shape work to convey a range of emotions and moods.
Designers should constantly carefully examine how and when to employ even basic lines since they may convey so much information.
Shape
Shapes are regions, forms, or figures enclosed by a border or closed outline for graphic design purposes. Every graphic designer must know the differences between geometric and organic (or “free-flowing”) forms.
Two-dimensional or three-dimensional are often simple and abstract. They are a collection of dots connected by either straight or curved lines. Triangles, pyramids, squares, cubes, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, decagons, circles, ellipses, and spheres are examples of geometric forms.
Organic shapes are far less consistent, symmetrical, and well-defined. Both symmetry and asymmetries are possible. They might be abstract shapes like blobs and squiggles or natural shapes like blobs, crystals, and vines.
Round edges and rings are frequently associated with goodness, community, love, friendship, and harmony. Rectangles and squares can convey strength, stability, and equilibrium.
You may imply structure, reliability, and stability by selecting a certain collection of forms. When you choose others, you convey turmoil, creation, and enjoyment.
Colors
When expressing a mood or evoking an emotional reaction in your audience, color may be an effective technique. For graphic designers who wish to use a single hue or blend many colors in a harmonious—or purposefully discordant—way, color theory and the color wheel offer useful guidance.
- Primary Colors: Red, yellow, and blue is primary colors because they are the raw materials that help in creating all the other colors. Red, yellow, or blue are not the combination of any other shade. But when you combine them, you get a wide range of colors.
- Secondary Colors: Violet, green, and orange are secondary colors which are the combination two basic colors: Yellow and blue form green, whereas red and blue make orange. Yellow and yellow also make purple.
- Tertiary Colors: The combinations of the six colors are tertiary colors. For example, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.
You may wish to choose a suitable tint and hue for your project as you think about your color choices. Bright hues may indicate joy and happiness—or, in the wrong setting, appear cheap—while pastel hues may look relaxing or unconfident. Darker colors suggest seriousness and professionalism. But, if you’re not cautious, they may also come across as dismal or uninteresting if you’re not cautious.
Font Type
Make sure the type you employ is readable and appropriate for your subject, whether selecting a font or designing your own typography for a graphic design project. You can print your letters or scripts and see whether their angles should be harsh or round, as type may alter a design’s overall tone.
Another crucial aspect of your design is the weight of your typography. Large or thick letters typically indicate that the words they contain are significant. But if you’re not cautious, they could also come out as overbearing or throw off the balance of a design.
Thin letters might suggest modernism or elegance, but they can also suggest fragility. There may be flexibility for you to use more than one typeface or size in the final design of your logo if you can’t decide on just one. However, as a general rule, never use more than three in a single project.
Space
A major element of every designer’s toolset is spacing. Giving a design breathing room, enhancing its visual impact, balancing out stronger visual components, and emphasizing pictures or words that viewers should remember are all possible effects. A design runs the danger of being too visually busy for your audience to grasp if not given adequate room.
Objects can be connected or separated by space. Visual components that are closely connected to one another are spaced closely, while those that are not as closely related are spaced widely. A visual element’s importance is emphasized when space is used to frame it, yet space may also convey loneliness and solitude. Negative space may transform a project from amateur to professional if you pay attention to how it influences your design.
Final Word
When looking for a custom logo design service, you need to ensure the designer’s portfolio has all these important logo design elements incorporated within the logos. Professional logo designers must consider these elements when making certain logo design samples.
In case you are designing something yourself, any shape or layout that calls for text and images, you can use it to design components or communicate something special through design — from posters and billboards to brochures and packaging. You’ll be well on your way to producing graphic designs that are innovative, communicative, and aesthetically attractive if you learn to pick and employ each notion carefully.
