Today, graphic design is something that captivates and influences people in powerful ways. Graphic design is a combination of visual communication and communication design that uses the elements of typography, illustration and photography to better convey a message. A well-designed piece is something easy to process and appealing to the eyes of the viewer, all the while making a lasting impression. How you go about designing logos and graphics speaks volumes on you and your overall brand image.
LOGO
The best logos are the ones that ingrain themselves in a person’s mind due to their simplicity and concise design. Think about Target, or Nike, if prompted, you would most likely be able to draw their logos on a piece of paper without looking at them. Simplicity is a vital component of any graphic design, keeping things simple, yet effective can go further than you might think. A logo is usually a symbol or something small that represents you or your company, products, services or image. Logos are long-lasting and universal because they convey meanings to people using pictures instead of words or phrases. Doing this is crucial since people understand things better when words accompany a strong visual.
COLOR
Each component of graphic design is equally important in their own way, but color is one that is highly influential to viewers and their ability to remember your design. When choosing colors to include in your logo or graphic, there are many things to take into consideration. How do you want your viewers to feel after looking at your graphic? What do you want them to take away from it? What message are you sending?
All these questions are trivial because you want to choose colors that will complement each other well and that will register with people. Keep it simple. When picking colors, know which ones make people feel the best and be sure that the contrast between your background and text is enough of a difference. Each color makes a person feel a specific emotion and using that to your advantage will be highly beneficial to your design. Choose colors and hues that illustrate your brand while guiding your viewer to understand your overall identity better.
TEXT
Typography is the art of arranging and creating interesting letterforms to make language readable when displayed. Type can be structured or organic in feel depending on the message that’s communicated. Each font choice has its own “voice.” Understanding how a type “sounds” when displayed is critical in executing a practical design. Something to keep in mind when making font decisions is never to have more than three different typefaces within a design. The last thing you want is to lose your viewer in your graphic. If you include more than one type style, make sure that you choose a strong serif font, and accompany it with a sans serif. Doing this will clean up your artwork and make it cohesive and remember to keep it simple!
SPACE
Where you decide to place things in your graphic can help convey meaning, organization, and your idea. Leaving enough white space or “blank space” in your design is necessary, you shouldn’t include too many elements because it can confuse your viewer. If you think about it, many of the most successful brands have a simple logo with equal white space. Depending on your design, brand, and what you want to convey, depends on whether you follow that rule, or break it.
Logo, color, text, and space make up the beautiful art created by graphic designers. Knowing just a little bit about how each can influence the other can be the difference between the right viewer either remembering your design long term or tossing it out of their memory.