Principles of Graphic Design

Starting Our Graphic Design Unit

Watch intro:
Graphic Design Intro Let's take a little detour today and peruse some eye-catching designs.
First, visit  http://www.sitepoint.com/principles-beautiful-web-design/

Read carefully up to the heading "Bread and Butter Layouts."

Above: the golden ratio. Source: tutsplus.com

Then visit http://www.freecsstemplates.org/

Choose a template and analyze the template from the perspective of a web designer, in the context of what you just read by Jason Beaird.

Tell us about the site in terms...be prepared to discuss 3 of the following elements when called upon!

• GOLDEN RATIO
• BALANCE
• UNITY
• PROXIMITY
• REPETITION
• PLACEMENT
• CONTINUANCE
• ISOLATION
• CONTRAST
• PROPORTION

Example review:
Passageways (http://www.freecsstemplates.org/preview/passageway/) is a design template that uses an exotic color scheme and dramatic floral photography to draw the viewer in. The light blues, oranges, pastel greens and pink create a sense of tropical calm as the user's eyes are drawn immediately to the stamen of a large flower in the center of the page. Repetition of proportionately smaller flora and fauna below the main photo contribute to the unity of the page. Subdued link colors, gently placed on the right-hand site, reinforce the visitor's tendency to linger on the photography. Perhaps used as a professional photographer's website, the dramatic photo placement informs our subconscious that the imagery is more important than the text on this website. The lowercase heading 1 on the main logo emphasizes the designer's decision to let the imagery speak for itself.

The site does indeed utilize the golden ratio and exhibits a clear asymmetrical balance. After the initial effect of the dramatic imagery, the eyes drift to the links on the right; this use of continuance is effective in the sense that the user's eyes move slowly, in tropical beach time, to the content of the site.