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Graphic Design Courses Gerrards Cross Chalfont St Peter
Imagine the last time you saw the graphic design work that caught your attention. Is it a billboard or an ad in a magazine? Point of being, graphic design resides in the physical and digital world. Some graphic designers, for example, are specialised in the execution of marketing materials that are used on both print and online platforms, such as:
• Branding
• Business Cards
• Brochures
• Graphics in Social Media
• Digital and Print Ads
The graphic designer has to work within small dimensions. There is a common size to be filled, which depends on the job at hand, such as an Instagram post, a quarter-page print ad, or a billboard. The medium for which this graphic is seen is the deciding factor in how large or how small their artwork should be.
Web Design
Web design, on the other hand, is a fully interactive experience. Some forms of graphic design can be integrated into a website, by icons, photos, etc., but it is the web designer who works out how to make it work within the constraints of the screen.
A web designer must operate within infinite dimensions – a job that can be just as, if not more, cumbersome. While the graphic designer is set to predetermined requirements, web designers are thinking about how their elements can look no matter the size of the screen.
Blue Sky Graphics is an online school in the UK that teaches graphic design and web design online. The graphic design course is taught online in a one-to-one classroom where you can learn the subject in detail and create your portfolio at the end as well. After completing the graphic design course, students can take the web design course as well!
Elements of Design
A design consists of a few basic building blocks, including:
Space – Create the illusion of 3-D space by using perspective, shading, and shadows. Consider also the white space/negative space in your design, and how this space influences the elements around it.
Shape – Shapes may express the essence of graphic design. For example, the shape of a starburst may remind the viewer of a sale sticker, a crescent may invoke the moon, and a triangle may reflect an arrow.
Line – Think of the lines in your design and how they naturally lead the viewer’s eye to the focal point. Use lines to your advantage by varying them in distance, colour, or consistency (i.e., a dotted line instead of a solid one).
Texture – Involved texture may evoke a feeling or mood, from gritty to dreamy, and everything in between.
Typography – Words are significant, so is lettering. Use the font that complements the other visual components of the piece as well as the overall message.
Colour – Colour is one of the most critical aspects of design because it causes an emotional response. Choose the key colour that will help your overall message.
Areas of Specialisation in Graphic Design
Graphic design used to be a relatively specialised discipline in itself, with artists in the 20th century often concentrating on conventional elements of print design or branching out into poster design or advertisement. Since the advent of the digital era, designers have discovered a whole new dimension of graphic and visual design, which originally included the adaptation of print design to online media, but has since evolved into other advanced fields of design such as UI design and e-publishing.
Print Specialities
Printing used to be a printer domain, but now, rather than simply handing over their work to the printing lab, some designers are becoming more specifically interested in printing techniques. An increasing number of specialised printing studios combine digital design techniques with more conventional printing methods, such as letterpress and screen printing.
Typography
A typographer specialises in the design, selection, and arrangement of the type. This may include type designers, as mentioned above, who specialise in book settings but may also include type design specialists who design posters, magazines, websites, or work as typography consultants for design agencies and foundries.
It is also possible to specialise in typeface design, particularly in the creative field of typography, which requires a high degree of technical skill and precision. If you are a perfect stickler, being a typographer could be a perfect career option for you.
Illustration
Becoming an illustrator fills the gap between print and digital design, as much as entirely or partially as digital images are created (either in vector software, such as Illustrator, or raster software, such as Photoshop). The illustrator can then sell the illustrations as prints, work as an artist, or create them via a client commission (e.g., by illustrating a magazine or website).
