Blog Post Two: Week One of College Graphic Design – The Basics

 

Kicking off a graphic design course is exciting, especially when you're diving into the fundamentals that every designer needs. In week one, we covered a lot of ground, focusing on the core building blocks of design: formal elements, perceptual organization, typography, and the design process. Here's a quick breakdown of what we learned.

 

**Formal Elements of Design** 

We started with the basics—**line, shape, color, and texture**. These are the tools that create everything in graphic design. Lines direct attention and create movement, while shapes add structure and emphasis. Color helps set the mood and evokes emotion, and texture makes designs feel more lifelike or dynamic. It’s all about how these elements come together to communicate a message visually.

 

**Laws of Perceptual Organization** 

Then, we learned how the brain interprets visual info, which is super important when designing. The **laws of perceptual organization** explain how people naturally group elements in a design. Things like **proximity** (elements close together seem related), **similarity** (we group similar-looking objects), and **closure** (we fill in gaps to see complete shapes) help us make sense of what we’re seeing. Knowing these rules helps designers create layouts that are easy to understand and navigate.

 

**Typeface & Fonts** 

Next up, typography! We broke down the difference between a **typeface** (a font family like Arial) and a **font** (a specific style within that family, like Arial Bold). We also covered font types—**serif, sans-serif, script, and decorative**—and when to use each. Serif fonts are great for formal vibes, while sans-serif gives a modern, clean look. It turns out that choosing the right font can make a big difference in how your message is received.

 

**The Five-Phase Model of the Design Process** 

Finally, we touched on the **five-phase model of the design process**, which guides you from the start of a project to the final product. 

1. **Discovery**: Gather info about the client and their goals. 

2. **Research**: Look into trends and competitors for inspiration. 

3. **Ideation**: Brainstorm tons of ideas—sketch, doodle, experiment. 

4. **Creation**: Bring your best ideas to life, tweaking as you go. 

5. **Implementation**: Deliver the final product, making sure it’s polished.

 

Wrapping Up

 

Week one has been all about laying the groundwork. We’ve covered how to use the basic elements of design and how to guide the viewer’s perception. Plus, we’ve started to learn how to tackle any design project from start to finish with the design process. It’s been a lot to take in, but it’s setting us up for some exciting projects ahead!

Until next time,

Phil