Basic graphic design rules

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Graphic design is a creative process with a few tools, a few rules, and lots of freedom

In essence, graphic design is a visual representation of organized thoughts and a form of communication through layout, color and organized elements such as images and words.

Basic graphic design consists simply of layout – putting existing text and images into an attractive setup within the page. Truthfully, that accounts for 90% of what most of the graphic designer do! More advanced work involves image editing – manipulating and blending pictures and type so that the images themselves communicate part of the design. Another major factor in good design is fonts. You’ll need a variety of font choices, and very few of the ones pre-installed on your computer will give your documents a professional touch.

Here are a few basic principals that will help you become a better graphic designer:

1. Comprehend Typography – We’ve all seen designers do amazing things with type. Pulling words apart and manipulating individual letters to reflect the context and meaning is one of fun things about designing. Before you get that far, however, one simple prerequisite: read the copy and understand it! For people whose job it is to work with type, many designers have an aversion to reading. Before you can go and play with the text, you must understand exactly what you’re being asked to present visually. Know which words – if any – need to be emphasized; understand the hierarchy and stick to it.
2. Rules of Grouping – Organize perceptual objects to be as good as the conditions allow. Learn about closure – consider forming gaps between elements to form a closed figure. Be simple; objects should be group in the simplest form.
3. Limit Your fonts – A big part of putting together a good design, as you’ll see, is making sure the over-all look is consistent. The best way to accomplish a consistent look to your design is limiting the number of artistic motifs (themes) that you use. The fonts you select are the first variable you want to limit. I typically like to pick just 2 fonts per design.
4. Color combination - You’ll either have a feel for colour or you won’t. Mostly true, however, a beginner can’t be expected to have the same balanced sense of colour as an industry veteran. So where to begin? Obviously, you’ll need to consider what kind of design you’re doing, and who it’s aimed at. But whether you’re working with vibrant primaries or a stylish earthy palette, there are ways to ensure you’re combining colours that don’t jar or vibrate against each other. Take a nice earthy purple: 50C/45M/15Y. Instead of grasping blindly for a complementary colour, try sliding the CMYK channels against one another, keeping at least one the same. If we slide only the Magenta down so we get 50C/10M/15Y, you’ll find a nice turquoise that works perfectly with the purple. Or perhaps you want a warm combination. Go back to the original purple and assign the same numeric values to alternate colour channels: 15C/50M/45Y. Now you’ve got an earthy pink – same values; different channels. Again, it works well with the purple (in fact, they all work together). Naturally, there’s nothing saying you need to stick rigidly to this rule, but it’s a good starting point for a novice designer struggling with the tricky concept of colour. And don’t forget to make sure your monitor and printer are calibrated to display accurately.

Graphic design is of course subjective, and there are a hundred different roads leading to the solution. You need to find the best. Once you’ve finished your work, ask yourself this: is this the best possible outcome? The measure of what kind of designer you’ll become will rest greatly on the extent to which you push yourself with this very question.

Don’t settle on something if you’re not 100% convinced it’s the best-possible design outcome. If there’s even a sliver of a doubt in your mind, change it or try something new. Your client wants to see the best you can do. That’s exactly what you should be delivering every time.