Archive for 'Design' Category
Principles of Design
28 November 2007The principles of design are rules that help designers use the elements of design in a visually pleasing way. Put simply this is how you arrange all those pretty ribbons, papers and embellishments onto your blank card and come up with something stunning at the end of it!
Proportion - Your use of this principle will begin when you choose your first card blank. Standard card blanks are designed to pleasing proportions whilst giving you lots of choice. Your blank card must be in proportion to the embellishments you use. Imagine taking the largest A5 card blank and one small flower, with just these two items, the proportion will be wrong and the flower will look lost amongst all that blank space. However several flowers together would sit well on a large card. If you have chosen embellishments you want to use, try them on several sized card blanks to compare proportion before finalising your design.
Balance – Balance appears in two main forms. Formal balance, where everything is centred on the card creating a traditional, formal invitation, and informal balance, where elements are placed off centre but still balance each other visually. Examples of the two types of balance are ‘Pressed Rosebuds’ a traditional symmetrical design and ‘With this Ring’ design which is more dynamic, but still balanced.
Rhythm –This describes how the eye moves between different elements, design trying to make sense of them and looking for a pattern. If your design involves a series of several items placed evenly be sure to place them accurately, if they are slightly out of place in the pattern the design will jar the eye. Another option would be to place the items more randomly using a flowing rhythm. Natural or organic shapes or patterns tend to follow this less formal flowing rhythm.
Emphasis – This is the focal point of a card. Emphasis on a particular embellishment can be increased by mounting it on layers of coloured card, creating a frame effect. Dark shades will have more emphasis, appearing to advance whereas lighter tones will recede.
Contrast – It is important to note that the contrast between elements does not have to be dramatic to work well. The same colour can be contrasting by using different textures, for instance burgundy ribbon, text and paper. Other contrasts worth considering in your design are, Light and Dark, Textured and Smooth, and Pattern versus Plain.
Unity – This is how the different elements of a design come together to produce a whole and finished professional looking item. Unity in your design can be achieved by carefully considering the elements you are using, how the colours function and questioning if you are following the principles of design.
If you have an invitation design that you are struggling with, read through these articles while looking at your invitation. Consider the elements, colours and principles to see if there is something you can change to improve it. As always, design preferences are an intensely personal thing and some of the most respected designers do sometimes ignore these guidelines. If your design looks good and you like it, but breaks a design rule then don’t worry about it!
Design Basics - Colour in Design
22 October 2007We all have our personal colour preferences, and make colour choices regularly in deciding what to wear and how to furnish our homes. Sometimes these choices are subconscious and other times we borrow schemes we have seen in magazines or shops. Knowledge of colour theory will allow you to understand what it is about colour combinations that you like, and translate your preferences into your designs effectively.
Colours are arranged in a wheel in order to visually understand their relationship to one another. The three primary colours, red, yellow and blue, are equally spaced and the colours that are made by mixing them in are between. Colours sitting opposite each other are known as complimentary, the direct opposite of each other, whilst colours next to each other are analogous, meaning similar. Artists and designers use colour to specifically evoke feelings using a complex language of colour meanings. For our purposes it is sufficient to know that red, orange, yellow and gold are warm and stimulating whilst blue, green, purple and silver are cooling, restful colours.
Neither black nor white have their own slice of the colour wheel as they are not true colours but shades and tints. There are infinite versions of each main colour and these are made by adding either black to darken, or white to lighten. Colour Schemes are tried and tested ways of using combinations of colours successfully.
Monochromatic
Monochromatic means shades of the same colour, however it doesn’t just have to be the classy and timeless combination of black and white. The deepest dark purple combined with mauve and a lilac toned pink will look elegant and sophisticated like all monochromatic colour schemes. Be wary of making everything in your design the same shade as well as the same colour or your finished card will lack interest and any focal points will be lost.
Harmonious
Colours next to each other in the colour wheel are similar and will therefore harmonise well. Blue, turquoise and green will create a relaxing cool colour scheme. Orange and red, with dark brown accents will create a rich fiery autumnal palette. Whether you choose warm or cool colours for a harmonious colour scheme, the result will be restful and calming.
Complimentary
These colours sit directly opposite each other on the colour wheel and when placed next to each other they appear much more dramatic than alone. We often see complimentary colours used in nature to attract attention, such as the yellow centre of a purple iris or red berries on a green bush. Using complimentary colours is a great design tool for catching attention and making a bold statement. If you like the idea of using complimentary colours but want to tone it down a bit, try a paler shade of one colour and a darker shade of its complimentary. For instance, try burgundy with pale green or pale pink with olive green. Using complimentary colours in this way will be vibrant and energetic but not overpowering.
Whatever colour scheme you choose for your wedding, whether you go for traditional combinations or a more daring contemporary look, it must be something you both like. You will be seeing a lot more of it as you make your wedding stationery and plan your big day!
Design Basics - The Elements of Design
25 September 2007The Elements of Design are simply the bits you put together to make your finished card. They are like the choices you make in carpet, paint, wallpaper, curtains and furnishings that make a room a pleasant place to be. Similarly in your wedding stationery most of these elements will directly relate to the materials you choose to use. The Elements we will be focusing on are Point, Line, Texture, Pattern, Form and Space.
Point – This is a focal point, usually the area of a design the eye is drawn to first. It could be a flower (as shown below) used as a main embellishment, a photo of the bride and groom or boldly printed text. Of course you may have two points on your card, in which case the viewer’s brain automatically draws a line between them. If you have three points, the brain will see a triangle and so on.
Line – The line is what the eye sees when there is a change in colour or texture. The initial lines to consider are the edge of your base card which frames your invitation design. Other lines could also be a ribbon laid across the card, the edges of a coloured card layer or lines your brain draws to make sense of focal points on the card.
Texture – This can be physical touchy feely texture or visual texture. Whichever you use varying textures will create different finished designs. Delicate translucent materials such as Angel Hair paper and organza ribbon will create a light airy feeling. Satin ribbon and metallic crinkle papers (like the marble paper shown here) will give a luxurious rich effect whereas the rustic texture of handmade papers will give you a shabby chic finish.
Pattern – In invitation design this will most likely come from decorative papers or stamps. Be wary of using too many or contrasting patterns in a design as they can clash with one another and jar the eye.
Form – The first consideration to form you will need to think about is the shape of card you want to use, and which way round you want to use it. It is also the three dimensional space your design occupies. For example if you have a gatefold card when your card is open, the inside text will be seen at the same time as the outside design. This means the relationship between the two must be harmonious. Other ways your card may have a three dimensional form are by using embellishments with depth or raising areas of your design on 3d foam pads.
Space – The areas left blank in the design, showing the background card, can be just as important as the bits you fill. They allow the other elements of the design to take centre stage and shine.
Try looking at the Wedding Crafter Gallery, interiors, magazines and adverts and identifying the elements of design you like and want to use in your stationery. This will allow you to make an informed choice of what materials to use to get the effect you want from your wedding invitations.
Design Basics - An introduction
24 September 2007Design Basics
In designing your wedding stationery you may think learning about design is unnecessary, after all, you want beautiful personalised stationery, not an Art History lecture! However, a little knowledge of design basics and an awareness of some simple creative rules will help you understand why some designs you will come up with work and others just seem wrong. Architects, artists and designers have been using design rules in one form or another for thousands of years to create buildings, furniture, artwork and jewellery that is not only fit for its purpose but is beautiful and harmonious too.
In this three part series on Design, coming shortly, we will look at the Elements of Design, Colour in Design and the Principles of Design.