What is graphic design?
Graphic design (also called visual communication or communication design) uses images, words and shapes to send a message. Good design is clear (people understand it), useful (it does its job) and attractive.
Where you see it: posters, logos, book covers, packaging, signs and maps, websites and apps, magazines, T-shirts, stamps and bus tickets.
Areas: brand identity (logos, colours), editorial (books, magazines), packaging, environmental (signs, wayfinding), digital/UI (screens), motion (animated titles).
Elements and principles of layout
Elements: line, shape, colour, texture, type (letters), image, and space.
Principles:
- Grid and alignment: invisible columns that line things up.
- Hierarchy: most important item biggest or boldest, so the eye reads in order.
- Contrast: big vs small, dark vs light, to make key parts stand out.
- Proximity: things that belong together sit close together.
- Repetition: repeat colours, fonts and shapes for unity.
- Balance: symmetrical (both sides equal) or asymmetrical (different but even in weight).
- White space: empty space that gives room to breathe.
Typography and colour
Typography is the art of choosing and arranging letters. Serif fonts have small feet (good for long print text); sans-serif fonts are plain (good for screens and signs). Use at most two or three fonts. Keep line length short and leave space between lines (leading).
Colour: the colour wheel shows primary, secondary and tertiary colours. Complementary colours sit opposite and give strong contrast. Analogous colours sit side by side and feel calm. Colours carry feelings: red = energy or danger, blue = calm or trust, green = nature. Screens use RGB light; printing uses CMYK inks.
Check contrast so people with weak eyesight or colour blindness can read it.
Book covers, logos and posters
Books began as hand-written scrolls and manuscripts. Printing with movable type (in East Asia and later in Europe) made books cheaper. Covers became a way to sell and explain a book.
A good book cover shows the title clearly even as a small thumbnail, hints at the mood or topic with one strong image, and uses the spine and back for the author, blurb and barcode.
A good logo is simple, memorable, works in one colour and at tiny sizes. A good poster is read in three seconds from a distance.
The design process
- Brief: who is it for, what must it say, where and what size?
- Research: audience, competitors, mood boards.
- Ideas: many quick thumbnail sketches.
- Develop: choose the best, make a digital draft with a grid.
- Feedback and test: show users, check readability and contrast.
- Final artwork: correct files, sizes and colour mode (RGB/CMYK).
Design for society: clear public signs, health posters, and accessible design that works for everyone. Designers must use their own images or ones they have permission for (copyright).
Key formulas and definitions
- Key terms: grid, alignment, hierarchy, contrast, proximity, repetition, balance, white space
- Serif vs sans-serif; leading = space between lines; kerning = space between two letters
- Colour: complementary (opposite), analogous (neighbours); RGB for screens, CMYK for print
- Process: brief → research → ideas → develop → test → final
Worked examples
1. A school fete poster has the date in tiny text and the school name in huge letters. Fix it.
The main message (the event and date) must be top of the hierarchy. Make "Annual Fete, 12 Dec" the largest text, the school name smaller, and details smallest.
2. A poster uses light grey text on a white background. What is wrong?
Too little contrast. Use dark text on a light background (or the reverse) so it can be read from a distance and by people with weak eyesight.
3. Plan a book cover for a mystery story for 12-year-olds.
Brief: mystery, age 12. Dark blue background, one strong image (a lit window at night), large clear title in a bold sans-serif, author name smaller at the bottom. Check the title is readable as a phone thumbnail.
4. Why does a logo need to work in one colour?
It is used on stamps, faxes, embroidery, newspapers and tiny app icons. A simple shape that works in black only stays recognisable everywhere.
Common mistakes
- Using too many fonts and colours. Two fonts and a small palette give unity.
- Filling every gap. White space is a design tool, not wasted space.
- Making everything the same size, so there is no hierarchy.
- Copying images from the internet without permission.