Sandra Stewart - Graphic Design School: The Principles and Practice of Graphic Design

Table of Contents

Seventh edition

graphic design school

The principles and practice of graphic design

David Dabner Sandra Stewart Abbie Vickress

A QUARTO BOOK

Copyright 2020 Quarto Publishing plc

Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at +1 (317) 572-3993 or fax +1 (317) 572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com . For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com .

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN: 978-1-119-64711-9, 978-1-119-64728-7 (ebk.), 978-1-119-64726-3 (ebk.)

QUAR.GRS7 / 333342

Conceived, edited, and designed by
Quarto Publishing plc.
The Old Brewery
6 Blundell Street
London N7 9BH

Senior editor: Claire Waite Brown
Art editor and designer: Jacqueline Palmer
Art director: Gemma Wilson
Picture research: Sarah Bell
Editorial assistant: Charlene Fernandes
Publisher: Samantha Warrington

Introduction

This book is written with the intent of providing an introduction to the underlying principles of good graphic design, whether it is printbased, digital, or environmental. The content has been constructed to mirror, in part, how the subject is taught in college design programs, and the visuals, which are a mixture of student projects and professional design work, have been carefully chosen to illuminate specific teaching points. Many of the sections contain stepbystep exercises and assignments, offer practical advice, and point toward further resources.

The first part of the book, Principles, supports the idea that a thorough understanding of design principles should support the process of creating design works in response to specific briefs and problems, while allowing room for selfauthored experimentation and visual freedom. As you are introduced to the basics of research, typography, color, photography, and composition, you will learn to become visually aware and able to articulate these design principles in your future works. You will also come to understand that these principles cross disciplines and are the vocabulary of visual literacy.

In the second part of the book, Practice, you will be introduced to invaluable practical skills that are important support systems to the skill sets of research and creative process that you will have read about in Part One. They do not replace them, but serve as methods and practices for developing critical problemsolving skills, and learning to manage complex projects. Designers need the whole range of skills to be truly successful, and expertise will come with continued study and practice in both areas. Unless you learn the practical skills and technology of design production, including how to manage images, create digital files for specific media, and design, build, and structure a website, you will be unable to bring your brilliant concepts to life.

None of these visual skills can be viewed in isolation from the context in which design happens and its larger role in society and the world. Designers are visual communicators, often giving visual voice to new and provocative ideas. They create images that can inform, persuade, and entertain millions of people. This comes with great responsibility, and it is necessary to be aware of the role of design in shaping the world we live in, and changes in the discipline that transcend trends or the latest software. While any kind of comprehensive account of these topics stands outside the scope of this book, becoming visually literate and technically skilled should go hand in hand with an understanding of such issues as global audiences, communication theories, systems theory, sustainable issues in design, and the changing role of technology.

Finally, design education is a lifelong experience that can bring great personal satisfaction and reward. Technologies, styles, and demands change rapidly in this industry and, as a result, graphic design is a subject to be taken on with independence and an expectation of lifelong learning and commitment. With this book as a gateway, a new way of seeing the world may lead you to a career path that will be a constant source of surprise and delight.

PART 1
Principles

The first part of this book is concerned with design principles, the building blocks that connect the basics of all good design. Every discipline has its own set of rules, methods, technical requirements, and specialized technologies. Each one is rooted in the interactions of its history, theory, and practice, but unlike learning law or biology, the language of design is visual. It involves the need for a highly developed awareness of visual relationships, proportion, the perceptions of visual principles, and of the modern world and its complex events and practices. A good designer can filter this information and create relevant, engaging, visually eloquent design that responds to multiple problems, needs, and contexts. While a design student needs to develop the research, conceptdevelopment, compositional, and organizational skills associated with design, he or she also needs to be engaged with the world, and interested, aware, and sensitive to the changing contexts in which design plays a part.