Design 101

One of the most important aspects of the industry we are in is Graphic Design. Why is it so important? Perception is reality for most people. If your presentation is flawed or is viewed as amateur, all the sales, networking and customer service in the world won't fix the way a person looks at you and or your services.

In this blog I wanted to explain what the basics are for good graphic design. Hopefully by learning what goes into a well designed, balanced website or brochure, you will learn how to identify bad design practices and more importantly how to avoid them.

Good Graphic Design is clean, legible, appealing and attractive; it conveys a message that will encourage a response. A businesses designed collateral (their image) is what connects them with their customer. I am not going to get into all the different aspects of what makes a good website, the focus here is simply what are the basic components that go into a good design. The key elements of good design are as follows:

1. Typography
This is more or less the type of font(s) that you use. Typography is one of the most fundamental elements of design. This is often where bad designs begin. The wrong font can kill an entire theme and make the businesses using them look like hacks.

2. Color Theory
Remember the monochromatic color wheel in art class? Some colors work together, some don't. This is also another key part of design that gets overlooked. Having good color theory can be crucial when attempting to convey a concept or theme.

3. Concepts/ Themes
A good website, brochure, banner or even business card always starts with a relevant theme or concept. For example, you don't put butterflies on a bikers business card any more than you put skulls on a florists business card. You would be surprised how many designers in our industry don't understand this.

4. Composition
This is more or less how things are arranged within a given canvas or space. Bad composition is also where most bad designs start.

Summary
If one or all of these elements are not right, then you have effectively identified bad design practices. One of the best things about working with Magic Logix is that you can rest assured we keep a watchful eye on the quality and consistency of each and every graphic design project that comes through our desk.