TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

ONE: Colour

TWO: Uses of lines

THREE: Shapes

FOUR: Typography (fonts)

FIVE: Size of design

SIX: Space Usage

SEVEN: Design Texture

EIGHT: Valve in Design

 BASIC ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
Creating beautiful design is about more than inspiration or a great idea, it’s about
understanding the fundamentals of the subject. Although it’s possible to spend
years studying the differences in designs and how you can effectively implement
what you've taken time to study, there are few basic elements that everybody
who wants to be a professional designer should know before beginning any
project. Even amateurs in the graphics industry can use the following tips to
create professional designs and anyone who intends to earn money from designs
must know them.

Graphic design is important for communication. As you develop and move along
each of these design stages - amateur to professional, it is always important to
take cognizance of each of these design elements which will contribute towards
the delivery of the message concerning the design work.

The final result of the design will be on how effectively you are able to implement
or put together the design elements in delivering a professional work. Because of
this, it is important that you relate the message of your design to the type of
audience you are presenting to. All the design elements highlighted in this book
will apply to every aspect of design right from the template to colour,
typography(fonts) and photos which will be used for the design.

There are two ways to become a graphics designer

1. You can enroll in a design school: Enrolling in a school means dedicating time to
take a design course at any graphics institute.

2. Start designing on your own: Starting on your own means with having passion
to design, giving enough attention to learn the basic elements of design to
achieve your set goals/objectives.
It all depends on what you want. The most important thing is to be good enough
to handle any assignment given to you.

So, here is a simple approach to putting all these things together.

The fundamental basics of design include colour, line, shape, typography (fonts),
Size of the design, space usage, design texture and valve . These are the most
primary aspects that define graphic work.

These are the very first aspects you will ever study when you enroll in a design
course and even when you are planning to start on your own, you have to
understand the elements of design if you ever want to be successful in the world
of design.
 BASIC ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
The elements of design are the fundamental aspects of any visual design which
include Colour, Line, Shapes, Typography, Size, Texture and Valve. Graphic
designers use the elements of design to create an image that can convey a certain
mood, draw the eye in a certain direction, or evoke a number of feelings. While
the elements of design form the basics of any image, designers also lean on the
principles of design, which are a set of practices of working with the elements of
design that make a composition look pleasing to the eye.

Now that you have chosen to learn the basic principles, it will be explained in
details in this part of the book and once you master them well, you can use them
to come up with any designs now and in the future.
 COLOUR
Color is one of the most self-explanatory elements of design, for both the
designer and users. Colour can be used alone, it can be used as a background, it
can be applied to other elements, such as lines, shapes, textures or typography.

Lines Shapes Texture Typography

Colour gives an important expression of what the design communicate and the
combination of many colour tells more about what the design represents.

For example: When I see a texture on a design where multiple hands are lifted in
worship, the texture along with the colour communicate words to me even
without reading the lettering on the design.

No matter what you want to design, using the right colour is a top priority. The
colour you use for each design is as important as the image or font used on the
design. Colour grabs attention as colours have different expression to different
people.

Colour is something that designers need to learn on everyday because the more
you give time to practice, you eventually create what you have imagined in your
heart to reality. Whether you are a web designer, graphics designer or working to
design an app, using the perfect colours communicate the essential message of
the design, it is important to a good and creative design. Let me talk about few
importance of colour.

 Colour is used to express mood.

 Colour is used to for identification.
 Colour is used for beautification.
 Colour makes a work of art real.
  Colour is used to show form.

The importance of colour to people cannot be overlooked as i have discussed the

meaning of colour and the importance of colour to design.

Colours majorly can be divided into two main categories:

1. Warm colours.

2. Cool colours.

Warm colours are bright colours, they tend to make an object large, they portray
heat, excitement and noise. Warm colours are red, pink and yellow with orange
being the most neutral of these.

Red Pink Yellow Orange

They are associated with passion, energy, enthusiasm and excitement.

Cool colours are dull colours and express calmness. Cool colours are blue, green
and purple. They are more overpowered than warm colours. Blue is the only
primary colour in this class while other colours such as purple and green take on
the attributes of warm colours (i.e they are missed with warm colors before they
are formed) which makes them secondary colours.

Blue Green Purple

Cool colours are often associated with calm, abundance and peace.
How light or dark a colour is describe its valve. Light colour has higher valve.
When talking about black, it has low valve because it absorb other colours (e.g.
black makes people feel more hotter when they are in sunshine than other
colours because it always absorb heat). White is the only colour with highest valve
because of its lightness and it gives other colour expression.

Colour palettes is important to designers. Designers need to put together colours

which goes with one another in order to use the combination of the colours for
their designs.
 USES OF LINES
Another element of design is LINE. Line is a series of connected spots or a moving
point, a mark or stroke. Line is also a continuous extent of length, straight or
curved. Lines are useful for dividing space, create forms, enhance comprehension
and to add style.

Points create lines and lines create shapes. A line can have other elements like
color, texture, and movement applied to it. Though basic in appearance, lines can
control the viewer’s thoughts and emotions, and lead a viewer’s eye through
space.

Categories of line

1. Structural line: They are straight lines which could be vertical, horizontal or
diagonal

Vertical Horizontal Diagonal

2. Rhythmic line: They are series of curved line.

Line has many attributes, they could be bold, slim, fragile, delicate and even
broken. The quality of the lines speaks about the design.

Lines can be used alone or with other elements of design to set moods, create
textures, define shapes, and build patterns.
Lines can be used as borders around elements, to separate shapes or elements,
for patterns.

Functions of lines.

 Lines are used to suggest directions.

 Lines are used to express distance.
 Lines could be used to express mood.
 Lines are used to create patterns or textures.

The manner in which lines interact with each other is important to the basics of
design.
 SHAPES
Shapes is an area or plane which is differentiated by boundaries on a two
dimensional art. It is a good tool in achieving a good design. Everything is virtually
in a shape. All objects are composed of shapes and all visual elements are shapes
in some way. In design shapes have two dimensions and are measured by their
height and width. Shapes are defined by boundaries such as with lines or colour
and are used to emphasize a portion of the page. Shapes can be used for
decoration, they can be symbolic and can be used to create patterns and textures.
Everything is virtually in a shape, as a designer, you must always think of how
other elements of your design are creating shapes, and how those shapes are
interacting.

When shapes are used effectively, they can create an outstanding and effective
graphic design. The communication (mood and message) of the design may be
enhanced by using the right shape in terms of form, colour and size. Shapes may
be curved, rounded, angled or sharp, and each carries different type of mood.
Shapes can be used in a variety of ways, such as to organise, connect or separate
elements and content.

When using shapes in your designs, a lot that can be achieved when the shapes
are effectively and efficiently used.
 TYPOGRAPHY(FONTS)
Typography refers to which fonts, their size, alignment, color, and spacing.

Typography is an art that consists in arranging text in a legible, striking, and

engaging way. A piece of graphic design is as good as its typography.

When it comes to design, whether flyers, logos, app, brochures, web pages, or
any design work, it needs to be captivating and well arranged. Otherwise, people
won’t bother to look at it, let alone try to learn more about the message of the
design.

The fonts add value to the text. It helps readers to perceive information from the
text. The correct choice of color, font and text size can prove to be important for
attracting and communicating the message to the targeted audience.

A good typography catches the eyes, makes reading more easier and add feelings
and personality to the design.
 SIZE OF THE DESIGN
Generally, we use size to make a particular element stand out or to give it
importance.

Size refers to the actual dimensions of each of the elements presented in the
design. When you are designing a piece, size plays an important role in making a
layout functional, attractive and organized.

The first factor you need to consider is function - what the printed size of the
piece will be. Think about how the piece will ultimately be used. Generally we
have some paper standards - A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and many others and the layout
size can also be created depending on the size of the graphic piece and its use. For
example, If am to design a book cover, I know I can't use A2 paper size because it
won't work. A2 is far bigger than the size of the book I want to design.

Another factor is using size to attract your audience. You can contrast large and
small elements or make a image larger and crop it in an interesting way.

Another factor is using size to organize the design piece. To attract more attention
on the piece, make the most important information larger and the least important
information smaller. For example: You can always check the newspaper, you will
some portion of the newspaper larger than the others. The larger part is called
the headlines which normally attract readers to read a particular portion of the
newspaper while the subheadlines is smaller in size compared to the headline and
it explains in-depth the headlines in the newspaper.

The size of your objects, shapes, fonts and other elements add interest and
emphasis. Sizing are used to create balance, contrast and proportion to a design.
As a graphics artist, one of the elements you must understand is the size of
design. Design sizes varies according to their usefulness; a wedding invitation size
can't be used to a brochure while the brochure size can't also be used for a
wedding invitation.

Every graphics artist must have a in-depth understanding of what they are to
design, then they choose the size according to their design which helps to give
shape to their design.

DESIGN TEXTURE

This is another elements of design that the present-day graphics artist must
understand and use in their designs work to make them more visually appealing.
A professional graphics artist must knows how to use texture with other design
elements to create the desired feel of their designs.

The term 'texture' means the actual physical surface of a design or to the visual
appearance of a design. Texture also refers to the sense of feeling, touching, and
actualization. The audience can actually feel the texture, making it unique from
the other elements of design.

Graphic design is tailored to deliver a message with an intention of grabbing the

viewer’s interest.

Graphic design involves a proper use and balance of elements of design such as
texture, colors, patterns, and shapes among others. All these elements
compliment each other and poor use in one could jeopardize the message of the
design.

Designers have been using texture to create contrasting features on graphical

pieces. They have also used texture to create a more visually appealing design in
such a way that the design appear more real.
It is not enough to apply textures, but every graphics artist must know how to use
texture in a design in relation to the message of the design; they must also
understand the message of the texture before it is applied to the design. Each
texture carries a silent message which the graphics artist must understood before
any texture can be applied to his graphics work.

The wrong use of texture can hid the message of any graphics piece which makes
it less realistic. As a graphics designer, one of the things I must critically study
before I begin any design is the right application of texture which compliment the
message of my graphic work but lack of understanding this fact will jeopardize my
work which render it useless.

Role of texture in a Design

 Catches attention
 Create Visual illusion: Once you choose a texture that portrays the message
of you work, you can feel its physical liveliness with a sense of stimulation
and sensation.
 Extract Emotional Response: A visually appealing graphic work attracts
viewers and provides them with a sense of realism.

The practical use of texture can add a visual component in your design and most
importantly, it gives the design a unique feel and touch.
 SPACE USAGE

The proper use of space help others view your design as you intended and it helps
them understand the message of the design. White space or negative space is the
space between or around the focal point of an image. Spacing in design is very
important because a design that’s too cumbersome doesn't really communicate
the artist perspective to the viewer's.

Negative space is one of the most commonly underutilized and misunderstood

aspects of designing for the page. The parts of the site that are left blank, whether
that’s white or some other color, help to create an overall image. Use negative
space to create shapes as you would any other element. Spaces invokes
imagination, when we see space in design, it allows us to imagine and roam free.

It creates visual hierarchy to the elements when gaps are created to ensure that
the viewer can find and digest information presented more easily. A designer
must learn how to use space in their work. This is commonly referred to as white
space. It gives the design room for breathing and rests for the eye. If you do not
use the space well, the design may seem cumbersome. Too much space, however,
can make the design look unfinished. It would appear as though something is
missing. To get it right, learn the rules of how to blend these elements and still
experiment by breaking them down to ensure a tremendous emotional response.
 VALVE IN DESIGN

In design, value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. The values of a color
are often visualized in a gradient, which displays a series of variations on one hue,
arranged from the lightest to the darkest. Artists can use the various values of
color to create the illusion of mass and volume in their work. The value in design
is vital in adding unity to your work. Although it is often neglected, the value is the
bond that brings every aspect of your design together.

Valve is an excellent way of creating a focal point and guide in the eye of the
viewer throughout the arrangement in your design. It is a way of balancing all
these elements included in your design.