DESIGN IT RIGHT

THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

A SHORT BUT JAM-PACKED GUIDE TO THE DESIGN PROCESS, TYPOGRAPHY,

LAYOUT AND THE ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

BY MIKAELA DANVERS FOR THE MAKERS’ COLLECTIVE

LEGAL NOTICE

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hello
Thank you so much for investing your time
into learning Graphic Design with The Makers’
Collective.

I hope this introductory course will help you better

understand the fundamentals of design and inspire
you to pursue further training and education in the
art of Graphic Design.

You can contact me directy at

[email protected]

or via the website

www.TheMakersCollective.com.au
jump to...
✚ WHAT IS GRAPHIC DESIGN?

✚ THE DESIGN PROCESS

✚ THE ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

✚ LAYOUT

✚ TYPOGRAPHY
WHAT IS GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Graphic Design is Communication. In more general terms, Graphic Designers create work for
print and digital media such as magazines, newspapers,
To be more precise, it is the process of communicating
books and websites, for corporate identity, exhibitions and
a message visually, using text and images to present
advertising. Some products created by graphic designers
information. Every image, every photograph, every line,
include business cards and branding, posters, clothing
shape, colour and piece of type used in a design, has a
design, fashion catalogues, promotional items like postcards,
subtle (or not-so-subtle) story to tell.
graphics for calendars, publications, packaging for products
Learning more about what these subtle meanings and (food, clothing, household items, shoes, almost anything you
representations are will allow you as a business owner (or can think of), typography and so much more.
budding designer) to ensure your messaging is thoroughly
Graphic Design encompasses many different areas of
optimised for each and every touch-point with your
interest, and if you enjoy any of the following, you could
customers. From emails, advertisements and social media
consider incorporating these in your designs to form your
posts to newsletters, your website, printed collateral, or
own personal style:
any other way you visually present your brand and
communicate with your customers - it’s really • Photography • Technical Drawing
important to get your branding right, and
• Painting, Illustration • Building & Construction
know that your customers are receiving
• Social Media • Hand Lettering
the correct messages.
• Craft & Handmade • Music
• Industrial/Product Design • Print making
THE DESIGN PROCESS

To create a successful design, it is very then develop a few solutions further to

important to follow the design process. come up with the best possible design to
move forward with.
When creating a design, it is very tempting
to come up with one idea, and just go with The design process can be broken down to
it - but you will be selling yourself short. You incorporate the following steps, and should
need to first gather information and ideas, be followed for every design you complete.
come up with several different concepts,

>
Problem / Need

Brief

Research

Concepts

Development

Solution

Evaluation

Presentation
 THE DESIGN PROCESS

PROBLEM / NEED DEVELOPMENT

Identifies a need or opportunity for a design. EG The local laundromat has Choose one to three concepts to develop further, explore the features of
no existing logo, signage or branding. the chosen idea, the function and aesthetics, components, sizes etc and
develop the specifics of the design.
BRIEF
SOLUTION
Identifies all specifications of the project and the desired target audience.
EG Design a logo and window front signage for the local laundromat. The The final solution is generally only reached after several rounds of
colours needs to be bright and bold and appeal to a young target market, development and revision of the initial concept. These refinements should
predominantly aged between 18-28. not be major, as long as the brief was specific enough to begin with and
the research stage was thorough.
RESEARCH
EVALUATION
Investigation of information related to the need or opportunity
including historical products, existing products, materials, societal and Evaluate the design and think about how you met the design
environmental considerations, demographics etc. Collect inspiration and specifications, discuss good features and bad features and explain how
as much information as possible during this stage. the project could be improved further. If necessary, circle back to the
concepts and development stage to revise the design until it satisfies all
CONCEPTS requirements of the brief.
Initial ideas, freehand sketches and evaluations to explain the idea as
PRESENTATION
quickly as you can, to get all possible ideas from brain to paper. Refer
back to the design specifications when coming up with ideas. Present your design to your client. Depending on their response, you may
be going back to the concept stage once again!
THE ELEMENTS AND
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

THE ELEMENTS ARE THE TOOLS YOU USE THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE WAYS IN
TO CREATE A DESIGN WHICH YOU USE YOUR TOOLS
They include: They include:

• Line • Rhythm / Repetition / Pattern

• Shape • Proportion / Scale
• Colour • Emphasis / Dominance / Focal Point
• Value / Tone • Balance
• Texture • Unity / Harmony
• Space
LINE SHAPE

Line is the path of a point, and can show direction, lead the eye, outline Shape is an area enclosed by lines or curves. Shape can be used to convey
an object, divide a space, and communicate a feeling or emotion. a universal meaning (eg, typical male and female shapes for restrooms)
and also to guide the eye and organise information.
A line can convey emotion depending on how it is represented in a
design. Light, circular or wavy lines can suggest relaxation or joy, whereas There are two basic types of shapes: geometric & organic.
dark, hard and dramatic zig-zags with sharp angles could suggest anger or
frustration. Horizontal lines are calm and quiet, vertical lines suggest more GEOMETRIC SHAPE
potential for movement, while diagonal lines strongly suggest movement
Geometric shapes are structured, often symmetrical shapes. These
and give more of a feeling of vitality to a picture.
include squares, circles, and triangles. All other geometric shapes are
For this reason it is very important to think about what type of line will made from these basic shapes.
suit your design. If you are designing a logo for a toy company selling
delicate fairy dolls, you do not want to put heavy, thick, black lines in the ORGANIC SHAPE
design. Organic shapes are often irregular and fluid, they are less structured than
geometric shapes and don’t really follow any rules!

SQUARES – A Square / rectangle can be used to organise information,

set blocks of text, page sizes, set graphic elements within squares etc.

Represent: Honesty, Stability, Equality, Comfort, Safety, Familiarity

CIRCLES – Circles are often used in logo design. Circles are very
useful for grabbing attention EG use a circular block of text to break up
traditional square/rectangle blocks of text.

Represent: Infinity, Movement, Journey, Completeness, Security

TRIANGLES – Triangles create dynamic design, and can be used to

organise information. Perhaps more importantly, they can be used to
direct the viewer’s eye.

Represent: Action, Conflict, Direction, Strength

COLOUR

Colour is described with the words hue, value, and intensity. USING COLOUR
HUE It can be difficult to use colour effectively. The ability to use
colour can be a long process to learn and comes with lots of
Refers to the name of the colour—red or blue, for example. experience and a good eye.

VALUE Colour has very strong psychological, and even physiological,

effects on humans, and first learning the representations that
Tells the lightness or darkness of a hue.
colour can convey will go a long way in making your design
successful.
INTENSITY
Always keep in mind the message you are trying to
Refers to the brightness or dullness of a hue.
communicate in your design when using colour, and ask
To accurately describe a colour you really need to take into yourself if what you have chosen suits the message, tone,
account all three. Think about the purple used for Cadbury and feeling of the design.
products. If someone didn’t know what Cadbury was, how
Look carefully at great existing design. Learn first by
would you describe that specific purple? A rich, deep, vibrant
observation and then by using colour in your own designs.
purple, perhaps. “Purple” just doesn’t cut it!
COLOUR MEANINGS

energy passion
danger desire
power love

RED rage
anger
stimulation
sexuality
determination
joy determination
sunshine attraction

ORANGE
enthusiasm success
fascination encouragement
happiness stimulation
creativity
sunshine cheerfulness
joy hunger

YELLOW
happiness attention
intellect lighthearted
energy childish
warmth
nature healing
growth money

GREEN
harmony stability
fresh endurance
fertility peace
safety environment
 depth intelligence
stability faith
trust tranquility

BLUE loyalty
wisdom
calm
high-tech
confidence serious
royalty independence
power creativity

PURPLE
luxury mystery
ambition magic
wealth feminine
extravagance romance

light clean wisdom nostalgia

good positivity

WHITE
innocence simplicity
perfection high-tech
safety cool
purity medical
power strength
elegance authority

BLACK
formal prestiege
evil grief
mystery aggression
fear

These colour meanings are general in nature, as each colour can indeed have several different interpretations based on it’s
hue, value and intensity, as well as the relationship it has to adjacent colours and it’s context within the design.
VALUE / TONE TEXTURE
Value (or Tone) is the how the light and dark in a design relate to each Texture is the surface quality of an object. It’s how something feels when
other. it’s touched, or looks like it would feel if touched.

Value can be used with colour as well as black and white, and is often When you brush your finger over sandpaper, it feels rough. Leather feels
referred to as contrast. smooth. Melted icecream feels sticky. These surfacess can be represented
or implied visually to convey the feeling associated with the texture. For
Value is an important technique used to show depth and shape in an
example, a drawing of a tree stump could show rough outer bark and a
object within a design (or photograph, or illustration), or to give the design
smooth cut surface.
a certain feeling or mood.
Texture adds variety and interest to a design, but can also make a
The overall lightness and lack of contrast in the left image conveys a
composition very busy when paired with too many elements that compete
sense of harmony. The dramatic mood of the element on the right is
visually, so you should always use texture wisely.
created by the high contrast of light and dark.

How light or dark a tone or value appears also depends on what other
tones are near it. The outer squares in the example below are the exact
same tone of grey, yet eaxh appears to be darker or lighter depending on
how light or dark the centre square is. This concept also applies regardless
of the actual colour or hue.
SPACE

Space refers to the area that a shape or form (such as this When space is at a premium, such as some types of
text block) occupies. It also refers to the background against magazines, newspapers, and advertising, white space is often
which we see the shape or form. limited in order to get as much vital information on to the
page as possible.
In page layout, space is often referred to as white space or
negative space. It is the areas of the page or composition A page crammed full of text or graphics with very little white
around the dominant elements: the space around and space runs the risk of appearing busy, cluttered, and is
between the “positive” elements: text, shapes, headings, typically difficult to read.
images etc.
Use of white space can give a page a classic, elegant, or
The term “White Space” arises from graphic design practice, rich appearance. For example, upscale brands often use ad
where printing processes generally use white paper. layouts with little text and a lot of white space, whilst “closing
down rug sale” type ads just seem to yell at you from every
The most important thing to remember with space is that
inch of the page.
the negative space in a design is just as important as the
positive area. When creating your next design, pay close attention to
the negative space in the design to ensure the whole
White space should not be considered merely ‘blank’ space —
composition has a good balance of negative and positive
it is an important element of design and the balance between
space.
positive and negative spaces is key to aesthetic composition.

THIS PAGE HAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF WHITE SPACE!

RHYTHM / REPETITION / PATTERN PROPORTION / SCALE

Rhythm is the most subtle and abstract of the principles of design. It helps Proportion or scale refers to the relationship between one element of a
to associate elements by repeating a common stylistic feature, either in a design and another element, or one element to the whole design.
single design or across a series, and is commonly used in graphic design.
Elements with differing scale within a composition can help establish
It is the recurrence of elements within a piece: colours, lines, shapes, visual weight and depth.
values, etc. Familiar examples include bulleted lists, or headings that are
In the below example, notice how the smaller elements seem to recede
styled the same way across multiple pages. Rhythm can also establish
into the background while the larger element appears to come to the
pattern and texture.
front.
There are three main kinds of rhythm, often defined by the feeling it
Careful attention should be paid to scale to ensure the correct elements
evokes when looking at it.
are being given the correct visual weight in your design, as often those
REGULAR: A regular rhythm occurs when the intervals between the with a larger presence will be seen first.
elements, and often the elements themselves, are similar in size or length,
such as the headings at the top of most pages in this guide.

FLOWING: A flowing rhythm gives a sense of movement, and is often

more organic in nature, such as the repeated circles of differing sizes on
the right of this page.

PROGRESSIVE: A progressive rhythm shows a sequence of forms

through a progression of steps, such as the colour bar progression on the
Design Process page in this guide.
EMPHASIS
/ DOMINANCE
/ FOCAL POINT

Every design needs an accent - a point of interest. There are several ways
to create emphasis:

• Use a contrasting colour or tone

• Use a different or unusual line
• Make a shape very large or very small
• Use a different shape
• Use negative space

Dominance describes a situation where one element dominates (is more

important or more noticeable than its surroundings) other elements in the
design. DOMINANT: The object given the most visual weight, the element of
Design is used to communicate, and in communicating a message, there primary emphasis that advances to the foreground in the composition.
is a hierarchy of the most important information to the least. You as
SUB-DOMINANT: The element of secondary emphasis, the
the designer are in control, and you need to ensure the most important
elements in the middle ground of the composition.
information is seen first (given emphasis) and where the viewer’s attention
will go from there. SUBORDINATE: The object given the least visual weight, the
There are three stages of dominance, each relating to the visual weight of element of tertiary emphasis that recedes to the background of the
a particular object within a design. composition.
BALANCE

Balance gives a feeling of stability and structure to a design, an

unbalanced design can make veiwers feel uneasy.

There are three types of balance.

SYMMETRICAL, or formal balance, is the simplest kind. An item that

is symmetrically balanced is the same on both sides. Our bodies are an
example of formal balance. If you draw an imaginary line from your head
to your toes dividing your body in half, you will be pretty much the same
on both sides.

Designs that have a RADIAL balance have a centre point. A tire, pizza,
and a daisy flower are all examples of design with radial balance. When
you look through a kaleidoscope, everything you see has a radial balance.

ASYMMETRICAL balance creates a feeling of equal weight on

both sides, even though the sides do not look the same. Asymmetrical
designs also are called informal designs because they suggest movement
and spontaneity. Asymmetrical balance is the hardest type of balance to
UNITY / HARMONY
achieve and often takes experimenting or moving elements around until
balance is achieved.
Unity describes the relationship between individual elements to the
whole design. It investigates the concept of elements being in harmony
with each other, to tie the composition together and give it a sense of
wholeness, or to break it apart and give it a sense of variety.

Lines and shapes that echo each other show unity (curved lines with
curved shapes). Colours that have a common hue are harmonious.
Textures that have a similar feel add to a unified design.

It is important to think about unity when creating a design, but too much
uniformity sometimes can be boring. On the flip-side, too much variety
can be chaotic and too busy. It’s a fine balance!
LAYOUT

Layout is the arrangement of all elements This in turn maximises the effectiveness of
within a design, including images, text, and conveying the intended message.
postive and negative space.
If every aspect of the design is succesful but
It establishes the overall visual hierachy and the layout is lacking, the entire message of
relationships between the graphic elements the piece can be compromised or invariably
to achieve a smooth flow of information. look amateur or unfinished.

>
GRIDS

A grid is the layout structure behind the design of a page. must be incorporated into the design. Always developed
with the content in mind, grids are usually reinvented with
Grids are organisational tools that define the positive
every project.
and negative space of the page and help the designer
make thoughtful decisions about composition and order. Grids enable the designer to maintain control and unify
They are a series of intersecting invisible lines that create the design, but they do not dictate the design or its
horizontal and vertical divisions of space on the page. outcome. They work as guides for the elements to be
They allow visual elements such as text and images to placed into, but the designer uses, adapts, breaks and
be placed in the design in alignment, avoiding a chaotic abandons the grid for the benefit of the design.
layout.

Grids vary in size and shape, from simple to complex,

depending on the range and amount of information that
DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF GRIDS
A solid, well-planned foundation is an imperative starting point in the
development of a design. Grids allow the designer to intelligently control
and organise the compositional space and apply the visual elements
dynamically, rhythmically and harmoniously in relationship to each other.
A successful grid will direct the eye toward positive space and effectively
lead the viewer through the composition.

FUNCTIONS OF A GRID:
• Control • Dynamism • Contrast
• Organisation • Readability • Interaction
• Rhythm • Movement • Order
• Harmony • Balance
• Unity • Direction

BREAKING THE GRID

No grids or rules are absolute. Although grids provide the foundation
to build the design, as a designer you must also learn that grids can be
broken and abandoned with a controlled, experienced hand. Relying
too heavily on the grid sometimes leads to poor compositional
choices. Use the grid as a guide only, and break the grid in
subtle or obvious ways for the benefit of the design.

Grids must be used in conjunction with definitive

information hierarchy, considered typography and
thecareful placement of visual elements.
MARGINS
Margins define the positive space of a design and direct the
viewer toward the visual elements. Margins can vary in size
depending on the format of the page, as well as the textual and
visual content of the design. Make sure you give your text and
other elements sufficient margins to “breathe” in the design.

SPACE
Design elements are always viewed in relation to their
surroundings.

As we talked about in the principles of design, space encompasses

both the positive and negative areas of a design. It’s important to
remember that negative space is more than just the background
of a design. When used well, the white space can actually become
the foreground: the emptiness becomes a positive shape and the
positive and negative areas become intricately linked.

Space is needed in all layouts – it is imperative for viewers to

access, navigate and consume the content. It provides pathways
that lead the eye through the design, while directing the visual
focus toward the positive areas of the compositional space.

Emptiness in a design is often mistakenly dismissed, and many

new designers try to fill all empty space with graphic elements or
text. Be aware of this error before making it! Continually evaluate
your design to ensure there is sufficient space in the layout.

FILLING IN EMPTINESS IS NOT WHAT

DESIGNERS DO: USING EMPTINESS IS.
TYPOGRAPHY

t
Typography is the study and process of designing or printing with
type; how to select, size, arrange, and use type in design.
Traditionally, typography was the use of metal or wooden types with
raised letterforms that were inked and then pressed onto paper.
 DEFINITIONS

TYPE FONT
Type is printed or typewritten letters or characters. In modern usage, the term “font” is often confused with
“typeface” and “family.” Traditionally, the term “font”
Also a rectangular piece or block, now usually of metal,
represents a complete set of characters (including all the
having on its upper surface a letter or character in relief -
letters of the alphabet, punctuation, and symbols), which
think of each letter on a typewriter. As early as AD 400, the
share the same typeface, style, and size, for example, 12
Chinese printed entire pages of characters through the use of
point Goudy Oldstyle.
wooden blocks. Johannes Gutenberg cast the first metal type
in the 15th century. Derived from the word “found” as in type foundry.

A collection of pieces or blocks can also be called type. FONT FAMILY

TYPEFACE A font family is a group of typefaces with similar
characteristics. For example, the sans serif typefaces Arial,
Typeface is a design of lettering encompassing letters,
Arial Bold, Arial Bold Italic, Arial Italic, Small Fonts, and MS
numbers, punctuation and symbols that share common
Sans Serif are all part of the Swiss font family.
characteristics such as stroke width and the presence or
absence of serifs.

The word “typeface” is often mistakenly used interchangeably

with the term “font,” they are not synonymous.

Typefaces are often named after their own designer.

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz
TYPE CLASSIFICATIONS
DECORATIVE
SERIF
In typography, serifs are non-structural details (or flicks) on the ends of
Decorative typefaces are popular for signage, headlines and similar
situations were a strong typographic statement is desired, but should be
avoided in paragraphs of text. Due to the often complex design of this
genre of type, the words become incredibly difficult to read at smaller
some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. A font that has
sizes, and over a series of words or phrases.
serifs is called a serif font (or serifed font).
The more decorative the type, the less it should be used in a design.
Serif typefaces are typically thought to be more traditional, and could

Script
be used to convey a sense of elegance, style, or formality.

Over the years design has taught that serifs are more easily read as the
flicks help the eye move from one letter to the next, but really legibility
has more to do with paragraph settings and typeface communication,
rather than the individual style of the letters.
Script typefaces are based upon the varied and often fluid strokes

SANS SERIF
created by handwriting. There are four basic sub-genres: formal, casual,
calligraphic and blackletter.

As with decorative typefaces, script typefaces should be used sparingly,

and very rarely in blocks of text, if ever. An exception may be if the
script face is a very open and easy to read typeface, but generally, most
Type without serifs is called sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning script typefaces will be too difficult to read over a large amount of text,
“without”. or at small sizes.

A San serif typeface is generally thought to be more modern, and

typically conveys a clean, fresh feeling when used in design.

It was suggested that though serif type was more legible on paper,
perhaps sans serif type was better for digital use. Advances in

(use wisely)
technology in regard to resolution and displays have basically made
this a moot point, as either serif or sans serif can now be easily read on
screens of any type when consideration is given to the type settings.
TYPEFACE COMMUNICATION

Typeface selection should never be a random process. Consider the examples below:

The psychology of visual association with certain styles of typefaces

should be a very important consideration in your design. Traditional
BodoniXT
Have a look at the following examples:

Retro
Upscale Hair Salon Park Lane NF
Whatka

Wrestling Match
Masculine
Impact
Zapfino

Feminine
F o r m a l Dinner BigTangle
Autumn Chant

Childlike
There is a major disconnect between the visual personality of the Sketch 3D
typeface selections and the connotation of the words written with them.

We have become accustomed to seeing different styles of type used for Take note of how each style emulates the given time period, gender
certain purposes, and this needs to be taken into consideration in every or age associated with the word, based on the width and slant of the
project to ensure you are sending the correct message in your design. strokes, and shapes of the lines and whole letters.

By a similar token, all typefaces that are considered the “default” on any Your typographic skill will improve greatly if you are able to take this
operating system or others that are in any way overused in society should knowledge out of the subconcious part or your mind and turn it into
be avoided, as this automatically makes your design look amateur. intentional action within a design.

Every typeface communicates certain attributes on both a conscious and Of course, rules were made to be broken, so once you understand
subconscious level. typeface communication inherently, you can choose to use contrasting
styles for given situations with success.
 PARAGRAPH TYPE CHOICE

>
When choosing a typeface for paragraph text, legibility should be your
number one concern, followed by style. Paragraphs are blocks of text
meant to communicate information, and if the words or hard to read or
worse, completely illegible, your design has failed.

Generally for paragraph text you should choose a simple serif or sans serif
typeface, no script and no decorative type. These are extremely difficult
to read and disrupts the flow of a design.

This paragraph is set in Movus Brush Pen. For short snippets of text,
quotes and headings it is perfectly suitable, and given the handwritten
nature of the type and open design, it could be seen as fairly legible and
MY BIG TIP:
easy to read, even in a paragraph. However, once the text reaches anything
AVOID
beyond a few lines, the words become very heavy for our eyes, our brain has
to work just a bit harder to comprehend the information whilst also too many
taking in the visual style of the type, and this in turn disrupts the flow
of the desgin and hinders the successful communication of the message. TYPEFACES
Or in this case, demonstrates the point quite well.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make, is to use too many
typefaces and styles in one design. Try to limit any piece to 2 or 3
different typefaces (for all type, including paragrpah text, headings, sub-
headings, by-lines and quotes) and use the variants available within that
typeface to create interest or emphasis.

Very Use more

(choose wisely) SIMIL AR CONTRAST
Using two very similar fonts can look like you made a mistake and
accidently chose the wrong font. Make sure your typeface styles have
enough contrast between them to be effective.
TYPESETTING

Typesetting involves arranging the type (or setting the type) in a design,
including the spacing between letters, words and lines of text, and alignment.

LEADING KERNING
Leading is the space between lines of type. Leading Kerning is the adjustment of space between characters in
(pronounced ledding) is important to give a block of text the typeset text. Kerning is especially important in headings and
ideal visual weight, and of course aid legibility in a design. display type at larger sizes, as the space around individual
letters can vary and cause visual gaps.
Longer line lengths require more leading to accommodate

AV AV
the long horizontal lines of text, allowing the viewers eyes
to easily find the beginning of the next line. If leading is too
tight, it is easy skip the next line or re-read the current line of
text.

Letter forms with tall x-heights, heavy and condensed

If the leading is
typefaces and sans serif type all need more leading than LINE LENGTH
shorter, lighter, wider and serif typefaces.
too loose, the text Like most typographic decisions, appropriate line length
depends on font size, leading, and column width, as well
no longer appears as the amount of text that needs to be included. If the line
length is too short, the number of words per line is limited.
Short line lengths are also problematic if the type size is too
continuous and could large. If the line length is too long, the viewers eyes have to
travel too far to read one line of text, which makes it very
be read as individual easy to lose position or have difficulty moving down to the
next line.

lines instead of a 45 to 75 characters per line is the ideal length,

but of course this should only be used as a guide.

cohesive paragraph.
PARAGRAPH SETTINGS
Paragraph settings include centred; flush left, ragged right; flush
right, ragged left; and justified.

All paragraph settings (except Justified) have fixed spacing, which

means that the space between each word is consistent. Justified
settings have variable spacing. Working with justified text can be
difficult because of this. Without careful attention to type size and
line length, visible holes called “rivers” often appear. Rivers are a
series of inconsistent word spaces that create distracting open lines
running vertically through the justified paragraph.

Centred text is seen to be formal Justification is the most traditional Flush left, ragged right is commonly
and elegant, and is often used for setting and features lines of equal used because it is easy to locate
wedding invitations and other stylish length, but has the possibility of rivers, the beginnings of each line, which
or luxurious designs. which are increased word spaces enhances readability.
running down the column of text. This
The lack of flush edges means that
often happens when columns are too
it can be difficult to align text blocks
narrow for the type size, and subtle Flush right, ragged left is a fresh
with other visual elements.
adjustments need to be made to type alternative, yet readability decreases
Centred type is not ideal for longer size, letter and word spacing to avoid because the position of the
texts because readability is hampered this common issue. beginning of each line varies.
by this lack of a flush edge.
BREAKING THE RULES

These graphic design fundamentals are the Of course, once you have a solid grasp of
core principles upon which good design is the fundamentals of design, you can start to
built. They make your design clear, focused break all the rules.
and aligned with the message you are
sending.

>
THANK YOU

We have now covered the fundamentals of Graphic

Design, covering the Elements and Principles of design,
Typography, and Layout.

There is so much more for you to learn in order to

create successful designs, but I hope these essentials
give you a good foundation for your work, and you
continue to strive toward good design with more
training and education in this wonderful art.

You can undertake further learning with me over at

The Makers’ Academy, with online classes
in Design, Photography, Blogging and
Business.

I hope to connect with you soon!

- Mikaela

© MIKAELA DANVERS
WWW.THEMAKERSCOLLECTIVE.COM.AU