Design Principles allowed
for the opportunity to learn about the fundamental basics of Graphic Design, improving
my understanding on the importance of grids and also how the choice of colour
can have a big influence to a design.
Colour seemed to be the
biggest focus in this module, highlighting the difference between the different
systems that can influence the approach taken as a designer. CMYK and RGB are
systems that need to be considered when setting up documents to work on. CMYK
(cyan, magenta, yellow and black) is used for print based work as it is
subtractive, meaning that the colours are layered to create areas of darkness
and build up the various colours. This system is used for print as it is what
the printers respond to, so all documents need to be set up to CMYK if the
printed colours are going to replicate those on screen, an obstacle I overcame
during this module. RGB is for digital displays as it is negative, meaning that
by adding more light to the screen, eventually the colour white is created.
I learnt that the Pantone
Matching System (PMS) standardises all colours so that manufactures from
everywhere are able to reference a Pantone colour by its unique number, something
that may be useful if I ever send work across seas to be printed and want to
ensure that the exact colour is produced.
The consideration of
format has driven me to learn how to use Adobe InDesign as it is the best way
to ensure that documents are set up accurately for print and that pagination
can be easily taken into consideration. Thinking about format has also highlighted
the importance of material consideration, something that enhanced the outcome
of my A1 poster. The choice to print onto Tyvek rather than just standard card
stock subtly mimicked the fabric used to make underwear; the main focus of the
exhibition.
Being able to re-do my
pantone booklet was worthwhile as it allowed me to re-visit the principles that
I had learnt and then apply it to the new design. The biggest improvement was
the use of Adobe Indesign, this made the printing process much easier and it
allowed the design work to a modular grid. By using a modular grid, an identity
and sense of consistency was established. One of the biggest changes other than
the grid was the presentation of the work. I changed the pages so that they
were squared, representing the way in which Pantone present the colour
swatches. I enjoyed the book binding workshop as it allowed me to be able to
hand produce some more interesting ways to hold together a book rather than just
stapling the pages together, so I decided to apply this to the final Pantone
booklet design. This method of book binding was most appropriate because all of
the pages were printed individually.
I did struggle with applying
grids to the designs as this was an area of the course that was self-directed. The
Penguin book designs that used the marber grid showed me how consistency and
identity can be established within design work, something useful if a series is
being created. If I were to improve, I would have dedicated more time to research
into examples and then also tried more experiments so that I could then apply
these skills to the other areas of the course. Research into this area of
Principles may also have given me the confidence to have tried to break the
grid in order to highlight certain aspects of my design.
Overall, I am happy with
the outcomes of this module and the knowledge that I have gained will help me
to improve the way in which I approach design next year. I do feel that the
organisation of the module has impacted the quality of my work as there was no
opportunity to get any feedback on any of the designs in this module. If there
was feedback on each of the designs, I think that I would have been able to
avoid the decision to not use a grid sooner and I could have had more time to
figure out how to apply the modular grid effectively.
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