1. 5.1 | Design Basics

2. STEP 1 - LEARN
Take notes on the following slides as you learn about the principles of design and typography.
You will need to know this information for a scavenger hunt later during this class.
Good design requires the interaction of each of these strategies.

3. They are important to remember.
The Principles
Contrast
Harmony
Alignment
Proximity
They are important to remember.
Always.
Show students this slide but do not stay on it too long. They should be scrambling to write down the information.
Tell students that good design makes information easily understandable. This slide is poorly designed, so it makes even this simple and relatively small number of words information look complicated and confusing. We will use the principles of design to make it clear and understandable.
Simplicity

4. The Principles Contrast Harmony Proximity
Alignment
Proximity
They are important to remember.
Always.
Adding the tan to the first letter of each word created contrast. The colored letters now receive more attention than the black letters because they are different.
The headline is now noticeably a headline because it is larger than the other words. This is dominance. Dominant elements should be at least twice as big as other elements on the page.
Simplicity

5. The Principles Contrast Harmony Proximity
Alignment
Proximity
They are important to remember.
Always.
We’ve repeated the font and color tan for each of the words, unifying the look of the slide. Now it has more of a sense of harmony, that it belongs as a unit.
Remember, just because you are given options doesn’t mean you should use them all. An design with 67 colors is not necessarily more creative than one with one or two colors. It just means that the designer knew where to locate the color palette.
Simplicity

6. The Principles Contrast Harmony Proximity
Alignment
Proximity
They are important to remember.
Always.
Aligning the information and photos on a spread will make it more readable to viewers. Studies show that readers are more likely to spend time looking at well-organized design. Too much time is spent creating yearbook spreads for that work to go to waste. Create designs that people will spend time looking at!
Simplicity

7. They are important to remember. Always.
The Principles
Contrast
Harmony
Alignment
Proximity
Simplicity
Proximity means that related information is spaced closely. Unrelated information is given more space.
Here you see the power of proximity illustrated by the arrangement of words, but the same goes for photos and grapics.
They are important to remember. Always.

8. They are important to remember. Always.
The Principles
Contrast
Harmony
Alignment
Proximity
Simplicity
Good design is simple. That does not mean boring. It means that unimportant or unrelated visuals are removed so that the important elements can be emphasized.
Now that we’ve utilized all of the design rules, this slide is much easier to look at and understand than the first one you saw. Your yearbook spreads should also be easy to understand.
Ask students: what is the pneumonic that can be used to remember the principles of design?
In the next slides we are going to look at professional designs to see how they utilize these principles.
They are important to remember. Always.

9. The Principles Contrast Harmony Alignment Proximity Simplicity
One photo or area must be at least two times larger than the next largest shape. Headlines should be obviously larger than other text.
Harmony
Alignment
Proximity
Simplicity .

10. contrast Pantone Project, Paul Octaviours [IL]
Paul Octaviours is a photographer and storyteller from Chicago. He created a Pantone photoseries that he posts on Instagram.
Notice that the Pantone swatch is the dominant element. Its size contrasts with the size of the elements around it, making it the Center of Visual Interest (CVI).
Pantone Project, Paul Octaviours [IL]

11. contrast
Pantone

12. The Principles Contrast Harmony Alignment Proximity Simplicity
Every shape, color and font should be repeated at least once, usually more, on a design.
Alignment
Proximity
Simplicity

13. HARMONY Les Miserables Movie
Ask students to identify the various ways the designer of this ad used harmony.
Color of background coordinates with eyes.
Repetition of color in font, which is in harmony with hair color.
Repetition of font.
Repetition of one-word descriptors of movie.
Les Miserables Movie

14. harmony Lake & Sumpter Magazine Design by Jaime Ezra Mark
Adviser: ask students to identify the ways in which harmony has been used in this magazine cover. What elements are repeated?
Primary font
Angle of arms reflects the angle of the water slide
Color block behind “Lake & Sumpter” echoes the color in the water slide
Color in bathing suit reflects color in background.
Lake & Sumpter Magazine
Design by Jaime Ezra Mark

15. The Principles Contrast Harmony Alignment Proximity Simplicty
Think grids. Think even spacing. Photos and text boxes should align even when on separate facing pages, otherwise known as a Double Page Spread.
Proximity
Simplicty
Proximity: Captions should be next to the photo they describe. Photos about the same topic should be touching or should have narrower spacing than other photos.

16. alignment
Ask students to identify the various ways the designer of this ad used alignment.
Right-justified headline
Vertical text that aligns with both headline and yogi
Bent leg aligns with end of vertical text
Lululemon

17. alignment Lake & Sumpter Magazine Design by Jaime Ezra Mark
Ask students to identify the various ways the designer of this ad used alignment.
Centered text
Implied line leading from eyes to headline
Lake & Sumpter Magazine
Design by Jaime Ezra Mark

18. The Principles Contrast Harmony Alignment Proximity Simplicity
Similar ideas, concepts or topics should be closer to one another than unrelated ones.
Simplicity

19. proximity Projectforawesome.com Design by Karen Kavett
Ask students to identify the various ways the designer of this ad used proximity.
Rail of white space between body of website and sidebar or videos clearly makes them separate units.
Proximity of videos on right side makes them a visual unit.
The proximity of “Submit a video” and “$71, raised” helps to quickly define the idea for viewers.
Arched rail of white space separates headline from the content below it.
Projectforawesome.com
Design by Karen Kavett

20. proximity Design by Liz Rankin, Graphic Designer
Ask students to identify the various ways the designer of this ad used proximity.
Sub-headline is near headline to create a unit
“Monday” is near paragraphs of text, linking the topic to the text to follow.
Graphics from left page overlap onto right page, linking them as a unit.
Design by Liz Rankin, Graphic Designer

21. The Principles Contrast Harmony Alignment Proximity Simplicity
Unnecessary visuals and text are eliminated, no matter how much you love them.

22. simplicity Starbucks Corp.
Adviser: ask students to identify the ways in which Starbucks has made sure the ad is simple yet interesting. Discuss:
Color
Font
Simple background
Imagery
Graphics
Starbucks Corp.

23. simplicity Heinz Ketchup
Adviser: ask students to identify the ways in which Heinz has made sure the ad is simple yet interesting. Discuss:
Color
Font
Simple background
Imagery
Graphics
Heinz Ketchup

24. WHERE DO YOU SEE CONTRAST?
Now we will look at how all the principals work together to create an attractive image.
Ask students where they see instances of dominance or contrast in this ad. What does the dominance/contrast add to the ad?
Dominant element: shopping basket. Making the basket the dominant element emphasizes the shopping experience. If it were the same size as the other objects, our mind would first assume that it is another product to buy.
Contrast: “Design for all” in size and color. The size and color emphasize the idea of accessible design in just three easy words.
Target Corp.

25. WHERE DO YOU SEE HARMONY?
Ask students where they see instances of repetition in this ad. What does the repetition add to the ad?
Harmony: There is repetition in both the size of the products and the way they feature the products (They are all basic photos of the object. No people are shown interacting with the products.)
There is also repetition in the dominant color of red. Notice that the color used on “Design for all” matches the color in the dominant element. This is a strategy commonly used not only in professional design but also in yearbooks.
Target Corp.

26. WHERE DO YOU SEE ALIGNMENT?
Ask students where they see instances of alignment in this ad. What does the alignment add to the ad?
Alignment: There is alignment both horizontally and vertically, making a page with many visuals look organized.
Target Corp.

27. WHERE DO YOU SEE ALIGNMENT?
Target Corp.

28. WHERE DO YOU SEE ALIGNMENT?
Target Corp.

29. WHERE DO YOU SEE PROXIMITY?
Ask students how they see the principle of proximity used in this ad.
Proximity: Because all of the objects are spaced evenly, the viewer associates them as a unit. This diverse group of products can be found in the same retailer. We get the feeling that whether we want a bike or prescriptions, they will be easy to find in one convenient place.
Target Corp.

30. WHERE DO YOU SEE SIMPLICITY?
Ask students how they see the principle of simplicity used in this ad.
Simplicity: Though this ad contains many products, the message is simple both visually and verbally. The plain white background allows the products to speak for themselves, the text is spare but descriptive.
Target Corp.

31. Name those principles Target Corp.
Have students point out the various areas they see Dominance/Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity used in this ad.
Target Corp.

32. Name those principles Target Corp.
Have students point out the various areas they see Dominance/Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity used in this ad.
Target Corp.

33. Name those principles Target Corp.
Have students point out the various areas they see Dominance/Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity used in this ad.
Target Corp.

34. TYPOGRAPHY
Watch the video “An Intro to Typography” by Karen Kavett on YouTube.
Review the following slides, taking notes so you can complete the scavenger hunt later.

35. TERMS
As you can see, serifs are the little “feet” on letters. Sans Serif literally means “no serif” and applies to fonts like Ariel that don’t have serifs on them.

36. Type styles
SERIF fonts have little feet on them. In general, serif fonts are easier to read in long text blocks.
“SANS SERIF” literally means “without serifs.” Sans Serif type does not have feet on the letters.
Full of personality, DECORATIVE fonts should be reserved for headlines and should be used in moderation.
Traditional and classic, SCRIPT fonts are often difficult to read, so they should be reserved for headlines and used in moderation.

37. Add energy with contrast
Combining fonTs
Add energy with contrast
Proximity: Captions should be next to the photo they describe. Photos about the same topic should be touching or should have narrower spacing than other photos.

38. These are all 36 point type.
Type sizes
Type is measured in points.
It is measured from the bottom of a descender to the top of an ascender.
These are all 36 point type.
Because type is measured from the bottom of a decender to the top of an ascender, fonts can appear to be very different sizes even when they are the same point size.

39. Text alignment JUSTIFIED ALIGN LEFT ALIGN RIGHT CENTERED
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
ALIGN RIGHT
CENTERED
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
Justified: When type is justified, it has a structured or blocky look with even edges on both the left and the right. Uneven word and letter spacing is especially noticeable in narrower columns of text.
Align left: Type set flush left is considered the most readable and natural because spacing is consistent, and the reader’s eye can easily find the beginning of each line. The reader appreciates the openness created by the space at the ends of the lines, especially in longer stories.
Align right: The spacing of words and letters is consistent in flush right type also, but readability drops because the left side where the reader expects to see a line start is not even, but ragged. Type that is aligned right has a distinctive look and could be a design choice for a small amount of text.
Align center: Centering is symmetrical, balanced, formal and potentially boring. Letter and word spacing are consistent, but the reader has to keep finding the line beginnings. Like right-aligned type, center-aligned looks best for small amounts of text and without hyphenated words.

40. LEADING NORMAL LEADING EXPANDED LEADING
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
With his head in his hands and the sweat coming down his face, sophomore Brandon Gonzales knew it was all worth it when he placed third in the district race. He finished with a time of 20:06 to lead the junior varsity team.
Also called spacing, leading (pronounced ledding) is the space between the lines of type and is measured in points. As the difference in point size and the leading increases, so does the space between lines.

41. Name that type
What type of font style is used? San serif (no feet)
What alignment is used? Primarily align right
What type of leading is used? Normal leading
Reebok

42. Name that type Before & After Magazine
What type of font style is used? San serif on headline, serif on subhead and story.
What alignment is used? Align left
What type of leading is used? Normal leading
Before & After Magazine

43. Name that type Converse
What type of font style is used? Decorative font
What alignment is used? centered
What type of leading is used? Normal leading
Converse

44. Put it all together Pantone
Have students identify as many design principles and text elements as possible on this spread. They should be able to find each of the design elements and identify the type styles.
Pantone

45. Put it all together Pantone
Have students identify as many design principles and text elements as possible on this spread. They should be able to find each of the design elements and identify the type styles.
Pantone

46. STEP 2 - PRACTICE Complete Activity 5.1 - Design Scavenger Hunt.
Reference Jostens Adviser & Staff Pinterest page, Internet searches, posters, magazines or books.
Take photos, screen captures or pin your samples to the class Pinterest board, labeled with your name.
Complete Activity 5.1 – What’s Your Type?
Note: adviser or editor should have set up a class pinterest board, with boards for Dominance/Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity.

47. STEP 3 - USE
The file of ideas that you collect should be referenced throughout the year when you are looking for design or coverage inspiration.
Note: adviser or editor should have set up a class pinterest board, with boards for Dominance/Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity.