Expressive elements
The basic tools of design are:
- Shape: square, circle, triangle, each has a feel (stable, friendly, sharp).
- Colour: hue, brightness and contrast.
- Size: larger things look more important.
- Text: font, weight and spacing.
- Space: empty room that lets things breathe.
- Position and order: where things sit and in what sequence we read them.
Expressive methods and their effect on feelings
Design choices change how people feel and act.
- Warm colours (red, orange) feel urgent and energetic. Cool colours (blue, green) feel calm and trustworthy. Meanings can differ between cultures, so check your audience.
- High contrast makes things easy to see. Low contrast feels soft but is hard to read.
- Rounded shapes feel friendly; sharp shapes feel alert.
- Closeness says "these belong together". Alignment says "these are related and tidy".
- Hierarchy: big, bold items are read first; small ones later.
Observing and depicting subjects
To draw a subject for information, observe it carefully, find its key features, and simplify. A pictogram of a person for a toilet sign keeps only head, body and legs. Steps: look closely, list what makes it recognisable, remove everything else, and test if others still recognise it. This is called abstraction.
Staging communication of information
Staging means planning the order in which a person meets the facts, like scenes in a story.
- Hook: catch the eye with the main point.
- Explain: give the supporting facts in a clear order (top to bottom, left to right, or step 1, 2, 3).
- Act: end with what to do next.
Use arrows, numbers and headings so the path is obvious. Remove anything that interrupts the path.
Key formulas and definitions
- Dials: Colour, Size, Position, Order
- Warm = urgent; cool = calm
- Close together = one group
- Reading flow: hook, explain, act
Worked examples
1. You want people to notice the "Exit" button among six buttons. What do you do?
Make it bigger, give it a warm contrasting colour and place it where the eye ends. Keep the other buttons calm and equal.
2. A poster has two groups of facts but they look like one list. How do you fix it?
Add more space between the two groups and less space inside each group, and give each a heading. Closeness makes groups.
3. You must draw a "bus stop" pictogram. What would you keep?
Observe and keep the key features: a simple bus side view with wheels and windows, or a pole with a sign. Drop colours and tiny details.
Common mistakes
- Colouring everything bright so nothing stands out.
- Using many fonts and sizes with no order.
- Putting equal space everywhere so groups are not visible.
- Assuming a colour means the same in every culture.