Basic Elements Every Graphic Designer Should Know

Have you ever come across a graphic design and felt that I can easily design this, but the time comes your design doesn’t measure up to the original work.

Most of the amateur designers have experienced this. And the Professional designers are well trained in the basics and have tricks up their sleeves to give their work a professional touch. In this technology-visual realm of digital media, it’s far convenient to create designs but they don’t have to look unprofessional & homemade. You may be wondering how about the tools? Well, the amazing graphic design tools available these days don’t help to build the foundational know-how required for a designer to create well framed professional designs.

I am completely aware of the fact that graphics designing is not as easy as drinking the glass of water. 

You just cannot begin designing without learning the basics and you cannot succeed until the time you practice with professionals. No matter what you are designing a logo, or some event announcement, a social channel banner or email newsletter, you should start by learning the basics of graphic designing.

Just as a painter needs to master the skills of drawing, color, and material handling before actually coming with an original artwork, a graphic designer needs to master the fundamental and basic concepts of design.

here are the basic elements every graphic designer should know.

1. Line:

a line is about connecting two points for the design purpose of drawing attention to a specific space or a particular location on the interface. For instance, the lines are drawn to separate two series of contents in a magazine or a line is used to separate headlines from the text.

On a different level of explanation, every line has its specific character.

2. colour:

There are two important things in this respect, such as color to denote a mood and color to create a harmony. Both have a subtle interrelation as well.

The first one is more about the so-called color theory which gives specific meaning and significance to each color. The second principle is more about creating the right contrast and balance with two or more number of colors.

Know about the color psychology

As per color theory, red is the most energetic, vibrant and violently exuberant color. Blue refers to peace, tranquility, and balance. Green is the color of earthen, humble spirit and invigorates freshness. Yellow is the color of joy, happiness, and intellect. Orange is the color of enthusiasm, fascination, and spiritedness. Purple combines both the stability of blue and vigor and energy of red. White is the color of light, purity, virginity, and cleanliness. Black is equally a color of power, dominance, elegance, and evil.

3. Shape:

Shapes, whether they are geometric or organic in character, helps to incorporate versatility in the interface. With a boundary denoted with either lines or colors, shapes help to emphasize on a particular area or to grab attention on a particular on-page location.

4. space:

Space is another vital element in any design interface. These days use of negative space between on-page elements prove vital to grab attention or to help audience stick to a content. The use of space creates breathing space for the eyes of the onlooker.

5. texture & pattern:

You cannot touch a graphic interface physically, right? But still, if the page offers a sense of three-dimensional feel at least for the eyes, it can be a creative design element.

6. Proximity :

New designers usually arrange the elements randomly around the page trying to decorate the empty space. The picture now looks clumsy and incompetent conveying no information. What’s the solution?

The answer is proximity. Proximity is a technique of grouping different elements together in the relevant section to guide the viewer to the particular part of the message. The proximity brings unity and continuity flow in the concept.

7. size

By using different sizes in different design elements designers incorporate creativity and also a sense of hierarchy. From the size of fonts to size of different shapes like text boxes, size can be utilized creatively in more ways than one.

8. Dominance

Dominance or highlighting of various graphic elements can be utilized to incorporate hierarchy, meaningfulness and creative elements. Dominance can be incorporated into different sizes, color contrasts, depths of shades and depths of lines

9. Balance:

There are basically two ways to create balance in graphic design, respectively as symmetry and asymmetry. While symmetry helps the balance to be calmer and less distracting, asymmetry is ideal for grabbing attention.