Good graphic design needs to have several elements in perfect balance. Professional designers stress on the fact that a great design does not aim to overwhelm, but is understated and harmonious.
All the elements are in smooth accord and there is nothing that mars you visual experience.
Good graphic design aims to be functional and efficient, aesthetic, user-focused and absorbing. But to achieve this, the designer will have to ensure the important elements work together to realize the best result.
Let’s try to learn more about the elements.
- Line
Line is one of the most significant elements of graphic web design.
Lines help demarcate boundaries and separate content on a web page. They also help draw the visitors’ attention to significant parts.
In graphic design a line is a connection between two points, but its functions are not as simple and linear as that.
In most cases lines help enclose and highlight selections of text.
And when you think of lines do not limit yourself to the plain ones you used to draw in your class notes while in school. Lines can be beautiful and be formed by stars, triangles, hearts, dots, dashes and you name it.
Interesting and quirky lines give a novel look to web pages.
Youthful and interesting web pages can be created by incorporating diagonal and vertical lines.
But the main aim should be that they contribute and add value to the overall design, and help tell the story better.
- Color
The world is more beautiful when there are colors in it, and this applies to web pages as well.
A web designer needs to have an eye for beauty. She needs to know what color combinations work best for the vision, mission and objective of a business.
A loud purple color will not work well on a website dedicated to war relief efforts.
In the same way cosmetic companies prefer rich, luscious and vibrant color tones. The aim is to bring out the attractiveness of colors.
A graphic design needs to blend the various color schemes, font colors and imagery to give off the best visual experience possible.
Color can be used to show linked text on a page, make images pop and to evoke an emotion. The capabilities are vast and a professional graphic designer will be able to work them to the best advantage of a business.
- Shapes
Shapes play a very important role in determining the overall effect of a web page.
Shapes are of different kinds –
Geometric– circle, triangle, square etc.
Natural– leaf, people, stars etc.
Abstract– icons, graphic shapes and other designed styles
They need to be used cleverly in appropriate places in order to provide the best user experience. Their role is functional as well as aesthetic and it takes time and effort to ensure the shapes increase the appeal and attractiveness of the site.
- Size/Scale
Size or scale of the objects, images, shapes, type and other elements of the graphic design have paramount influence on the overall visual effect of a website.
Imagine how boring a website with fully symmetrical, equal sized and similar looking ingredients would be. Would we not love to have some variety, unpredictability, novelty and surprise in store for us when we browse online?
The amount of fun you can have with the scale of elements depend a lot on the type of customers and businesses you cater to, and the content your website has.
Subtle variations do justice to professional sites and scholarly content, while an advertising agency website can afford a lot more variety.
- Texture
Texture is not limited to things that can be physically touched alone. Website and graphic designing is increasingly striving to naturalize the virtual experience.
Google ensures that maximum websites embrace material design. It is bold, vibrant and graphic and tries to make the visual experience as close to real as possible with texture, dimensions and movement. Material design aims to provide an immersive experience to the user.
- Space
Negative space in whatever color it is determines the overall visual effect of a web page. Many websites now play with white space as the dominant factor.
Once you have learned to play with the negative or empty space around elements, you will be able to use it to create effects as with the other elements.
Conclusion
The quality of a graphic designer depends on how much grasp and control he or she has over these six elements. Once you have mastered them creating an outstanding design should not be a problem.
April 7, 2015
