Post #13

How can you as the designer use principles of design to help compose a page?
Moderately use several of the principles to create the desired effect of the design.

What are the principles of design?
Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm, Unity, Movement, Harmony, Motion
Or C.R.A.P.
Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity

For each of the 4 principles of C.R.A.P., find an example that utilizes the principle within the design. You should have 4 DIFFERENT sample designs. For each, discuss how the particular principle is used.

CONTRAST

The image here is showing the utility of contrast. using dark colors for the text on a lighter background on the "good" side, which is very easy to read, where similar colors of barely different shades are shown on the "bad" side, being very hard to read.

REPETITION

The design in using only hands which repeat itself in a circular form, giving the design a sense of unity.

ALIGNMENT

The design employs a simplistic, symmetrical alignment on the center of the image, effectively making use of all the space on the medium and properly making use of the opaque design underneath the text.

PROXIMITY

This image groups squares together, forming the shape of a rectangle, implying a sense of symmetry, however some of the squares are tilted and shrunken to smaller sizes, indicating a sense of falling out from the rest of the shapes.





Also answer the following questions in your own words.
How do you add a later mask to a particular layer?
Click on the masking button under the layers tab and use the brush tool to create your mask

What two colors are used to create the mask?
Black and white

Describe the process of using a layer mask?
Use the black to "mask" parts of your image, and use white to "reveal" other parts of your image

Post # 12 Video #3 Principles of Design

Define principles of design?
Guidelines for using elements of design
Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm, Unity, Movement, Harmony, Proportion

What do the principles of design affect?
How effectively the elements of design are used in a design

What is the difference between the principles of design and C.R.A.P.? How can contrast help a design?
The difference between the principles of design and C.R.A.P. is that of the principles, C.R.A.P. uses Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity.
Contrast helps create a focal point for viewers.

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?
If there is too much or too little contrast, the viewer will have no sense of direction and not know where to look at/focus on.

What is key to working with contrast?
Making sure your pieces are easily visible

What are some common ways of creating contrast?
Using negative space

What is the principle of repetition?
Repeating things over and over again

Describe the ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition?
Ties the design together and makes it a cohesive piece

What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs?
Repeat shapes and colors, though leave one in a different color to create a focal point

What should you avoid when working with repetition?
Excessive repetition

What is the principle of alignment?
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily

What is the principle of proximity?
Grouping similar items

What is the principle of proportion?
Relative size and scale of the elements of design

Define symmetrical balance?
Having equal "weight" on both sides of a design

What is another name for asymmetrical balance?
Informal Balance

Define asymmetrical balance?
The placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying weight to balance out in the design

What is a focal point and how is it created?
The center of interest or activity
Contrast, Isolation, or Convergence

How many components of a composition can be a focal point?
Up to 3

What ways can emphasis be created in a design?
Using contrast or proportion

What is the principle of harmony and how is it different from unity?
Harmony brings together similar units, where unity is created by a harmonious whole

What is the principle of unity? What three ways can unity be obtained?
The coherence of the whole
Pattern, Consistency, Variety

What is the principle of variety?
To create a difference in the design

What three ways can a designer add variety to a design?
Change colors, alignment, or shapes

Post #11

Who is Andy Warhol?
Andy Warhol is and American artist who led the visual art movement of Pop Art.

Within what art genre did Warhol work?
Pop Art

Define the genre
Art based on popular culture and mass media

During what years was he alive?
1928 - 1987

Post 2 samples of his art. Answer the following questions for each piece.
Title of the piece?
Describe the color that he utilizes. Does he use any particular color scheme?
What do you notice about the artwork itself?

"Race Riot"

He uses the colors of the American fag to bring attention to the issues regarding race in a nation which is self proclaimed to be built on freedom.

The image itself is simply a photo repeated 4 times under 3 different color filters, yet it still easily reveals its meaning.

 "Red Liz"

Similar to the previous image, he uses somewhat a red/white/blue color scheme, however the color used seems to emphasize features of the portrait.

While the medium and the style is very simple, the image looks photo-realistic.

Post #10

Compare and Contrast vector graphics and pixel images
Vector graphics have larger files than pixel images, and they can be scaled without disturbing the resolution, whereas pixel images show their enlarged pixels when they are scaled to a bigger size. Pixel images are created with blocks called pixels, whereas vector graphics are created with lines called vectors.

What resolution is necessary to print raster images?
300 dpi

What resolution is necessary to display raster images on the internet?
72 dpi

Post #9

Who is Steve Jobs?
Steve Jobs is an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, as well as the co-founder and CEO of Apple

What company was he the CEO of for many years?
Apple

What did he do for the computer industry?
He introduced a multitouch  system to computers and introduced multiple capabilities as well as introducing the computer as an object of pleasure rather than convenience.

How did this man impact the graphic design industry?
The Macintosh computer had a GUI (graphical user interface) which allowed real time painting with the use of the mouse on a computer.

Post #8

Why must designers pay close attention to how color is utilized within a composition?
Colors define the atmosphere of the design, so in order to properly convey the message of the design, designers must note the psychology of the colors they use

Why is the color wheel an important tool for graphic designers?
A color wheel helps designers see the relationships between colors and see which colors would be compatible with one another on a design

Find an example of neutral colors utilized within a design. near the sample, discuss why you feel the designer included neutral colors within the composition.

The design uses very earthy tones, which can be considered as a neutral color scheme, but the designer used these colors because it is very easy to look at and it gives off a homey aura as coffee is typically advertised.

 

Briefly describe how we "see the" color of an object?
The pigment of an object absorbs white light and reflects colors that it does not absorb, back to our eyes, and that is the color which we "see"

Post #7 Video#2 Color Theory (Part 1 and 2)

Part 1

Describe White Light?
Light which is composed of all colors

How do we see color if objects "have no color of their own"?
The colors which are not being absorbed by the object are being reflected by the light hitting the object

What seven colors result when white light is refracted through a prism?
Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet

Describe hue?
Hue is the aspect dependent by its dominant wavelength, but independent of its intensity/lightness


What happens with white?
White reflects all light and cannot be created

What happens with black?
Black absorbs all light, and can be created by mixing primary colors

How color perceived depends on what?
Color perceived depends on the pigments the object absorbs and reflects

What is a color wheel?
A circle with different colored sectors used to show the relationship between colors

What are primary colors? Name them?
Primary colors are the basic colors used that other colors are mixed from
yellow blue red

What are the secondary colors? Name them?
Secondary colors are colors which are derived from mixing the primary colors
Orange, green, purple

What are the tertiary colors? Name them?
Colors which lie between secondary and primary colors
Blue-violet, yellow orange, yellow green, red orange, red violet, blue green

Part 2

What are neutral colors? How can they be created?
Neutral colors are colors that do not necessarily appear on the color wheel, and they can be created by blending two complementary colors together, or by blending all three primary colors together.

How can Neutral color help a design?
Neutral colors sere as a backdrop of a design, and can convey cleanliness and simplicity

What is color value?
Color value is the lightness or darkness of a color

What is a shade?
Shade is when black is added to a color to give it a darker value

What is a tint?
 Tint is mixing white to a color to give the color a lighter value

What is saturation/intensity?
Saturation and intensity describe how vivid the design appears

What happens when you mix complementary colors together?
Mixing complementary colors together will create a neutral color

What is a color scheme?
 an arrangement or combination of colors

Describe a monochromatic color scheme?
A color scheme which uses various values of a single color

Describe a triadic color scheme?
A color scheme which uses colors separated by three other colors on a color wheel

What colors are considered to be warm colors?
Red, orange, yellow

Describe the psychology of a warm color scheme?
Warm colors invoke a sense of stimulation to the brain, causing active emotions to arise such as hunger, excitement, and rage

What colors are considered to be cool colors?
Blue, green, purple

Describe the psychology of a cool color scheme?
 Cool colors are less straining to the eye and invoke a sense of calmness

Why is it important to consider which colors are being used within a design?
Colors influence what type of mood the design is attempting to convey to consumers, so it is important to consider how they would feel when they look at the design