Unleash the Graphic Designer in You –
Exploring
the Seven Essentials of Graphic Design
NCSLMA 2005 Presentation
Dedicated to all the educators who have made
their mark on the hearts of children.
Donna Sawyer, Kaleidoscope - Content Development
Judy Monroe, Graphic
Artist
DESCRIPTION
How many amazing instructional products, activities, or book ideas have you created or dreamed up over the years? Perhaps you imagine a cover for that book you can't seem to get started. Maybe you need a dynamic logo for an upcoming project. Get prepared to doodle and sketch your ideas into reality as you learn the Seven Essentials of Graphic Design. A sketchbook is available for download, so grab your favorite drawing tool and get started. Art and technology, Kaleidoscope content, and more will be featured in this module.
The only pre-requisite is to have a sense of play and an open mind to try new things.
PREPARATION
Do you know how it feels when a great idea strikes and you experience that jolt of excitement? Who hasn’t savored a few minutes filled with promise when you think you’ve hit on a winning concept or a new product idea!
Get ready to turn those dreams, instructional products, and ideas into reality!
Take a minute to review a few tips from the experts on “daring to dream:”
- When inspiration strikes, jot down as much as you can as fast as you can. Keep a small notebook or digital recorder with you at all times. You’ll be surprised by how much useful information you’ll gather. Every time you encounter a resource that could help you turn the idea into reality, record it.
- Picture yourself living out your dream.
- List the steps you need to take and let it serve as a road map to keep you focused. It’s okay if you only take care of the first two steps because you are making progress.
- Avoid naysayers. It’s very easy to allow dream-squashers to rob us of our potential.
- Believe in yourself.
Please download and print the "Educator's Sketchbook" in preparation for the next stage of the module. The sketchbook is dedicated to all the educators who have made their marks on the hearts of children.
- The Sketchbook for "Unleash the Graphic Designer in You" PDF
(Written by Donna Sawyer and illustrated by Judy Monroe)
The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, is all about creative expression and
human potential. Take a peek at it now.
http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/
ENGAGEMENT
It has now been documented that drawing is largely a right-hemisphere function. You will know when you have made the shift from left-brain to right when you experience one or more of the following:
- feeling a close connection with your work,
- experiencing a sense of timelessness and a lessening of anxiety,
- noting an increase in confidence, or
- having difficulty using words or understanding spoken words.
If you set up the conditions for this mental shift and experience the slightly different feeling it produces, you will be able to recognize and foster this state of mind.
Let’s see if we can make it happen now.
Use your sketchbook to complete the upside-down exercise recommended by the author of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," Betty Edwards.
You can find additional upside-down exercises and the directions online:
- Upside Down Drawing Exercise http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Drawing/upside.htm
- Learn More About Drawing and Creativity, by Betty Edwards http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Drawing/
REFLECTION
ESSENTIAL #1: 
Think about an idea, a project, a book, or an instructional product that you have dreamed of creating. Visualize the cover of a book; picture the logo; envision a promotional flyer.
As you "see" the art and the text in your mind, what story does it tell?
- What is the mood and the message?
- Who is the audience?
- What are the goals for this project?
- Where can you find existing examples?
Use the “research” page in your sketchbook to brainstorm. Jot down ideas, phrases, words or word pictures that surface. Don't edit yourself. Don't delete anything.
EXPLORATION
ESSENTIAL #2: 
Example of contrast used in workshop: The Curriculum Corkboards
Now it is time to explore the various elements of this design you are imagining.
Artists use CONTRAST to communicate how the viewer should navigate through a design. This helps the viewer to understand and see the most important thing first, the next tier of information second, and so on.
Learn more about creating CONTRAST with Christine Castigliano.
http://www.metatoggle.com/design_crs/contrast.htmlTurn in your Sketchbook to the page on CONTRAST. Take a few minutes to think about your book cover, flyer, or project idea. Decide what you want the viewer to see first, then second, and then third. Play around with your thoughts and doodle ideas in your sketchbook.
ESSENTIAL #3: 
Example of quiet colors: Kaleidoscope’s Content Coliseum
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/TeacherHut/ContentColsm/index.html
Example of symbolic colors: The Hovercraft
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/Hovercraft/index7.htm
Example of colors that show excitement: The Express Reactor
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/Hovercraft/XpressReactor/index.htm
Example of temperature in colors: Wise Surprises and Serendipitous Searches
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/WiseSurprise/Week12.html
Learn how to draw the eye with color at Christine Castigliano’s Web site on basic design principles.
http://www.metatoggle.com/design_crs/color.htmlThink about the colors that you need to use. Do you need quiet colors, like light blue, light pink or soft gray? These colors sink into the background of your design.
Do you need loud colors? Colors like bright reds or bright greens jump out at the viewer.
How much excitement value will the colors lend? Reds and oranges have a high excitement value, while blues, browns, dark greens or grays have no excitement value.
Colors can have a temperature. Reds, purples, oranges, and pinks are warm. Blues, greens, pale pinks and soft lavendars are cool.
Symbolic colors that are the most recognizable are:
blue = water
orange/yellow = sun
purple = pomp and ceremony
brown = harvest
green = money
neon green on black = technology
ESSENTIAL #4: 
Typography is the artful representation of words. Did you know that typefaces have their own personalities? How would you describe the personalities of the following logos?
Patchwork Quilt
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/ActivitySheet/Sheet25_30.html
Burial Site
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/Dream/BurialSite.html
Trouble Terminator
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/Trouble/index.htmlLearn more about the Hierarchy of Typography with Christine Castigliano.
http://www.metatoggle.com/design_crs/words.htmlUse the Typography page in your sketchbook to describe and/or sketch the personality of your design.
ESSENTIAL #5: 
Look at the layout for this page and notice how your eyes travel through the design: TechKnow Park, Week 7.
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/RaceTrk/index.html#A good layout provides a map for the viewer. Or think of your layout in terms of a pinball machine, and how it keeps the ball (the eye) on the playing surface, touching and bouncing off elements within the layout.
Also, consider the balance of your layout. Do you want it to be symmetrical or assymetrical? Imagine two children on a seesaw. If both are relatively the same size, they can position themselves in a symmetrically balanced arrangement. But if the children are different sizes, the heavier of the two will need to move to the center of the seesaw in order to balance. This theory works as a useful design tool as well. Assymmetrical layouts achieve balance through a less predictable, more dynamic layout.
Turn in your sketchbook and roughly sketch a layout that includes a title, a tagline, a short blurb or quote, and an image holder. Don't think of this as a finished product. You are simply exploring potential layouts. Before you begin,
- Read the Seven Sketching Rules under ESSENTIAL #5, and
- Study this example from Kaleidoscope's Sixth Grade English Language Arts Unit.
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/Hovercraft/Six/ELA/index.htmlESSENTIAL # 5: SEVEN SKETCHING RULES
- Use a very soft pencil with a thick lead.
- Don’t try to fit your ideas into pre-drawn squares. Let the ideas flow all over the page.
- Change up the order in which you sketch the “parts” of your design. Don’t always start in the same place.
- Change the position and size of the elements on the page.
- For a few sketches, remove an element and come up with ideas that are more innovative.
- Take several breaks from sketching.
- Never edit yourself. If you think it, draw it.
ESSENTIAL #6: 
Grid systems create visual consistency and provide structure for the design. They also give you a reusable system for multi-page or multi-issue publications. One tip for better understanding grids is to reverse engineer the grid of a magazine layout you admire.
Here are two examples of grids. The red lines denote the grid system.
The Kaleidoscope Home Page
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscopeThe Student Hut in Kaleidoscope
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/StudentHut/index.htmlLearn how to design grids for Web pages, by Web Style Guide. While you’re there, check out all the great topics listed along the right edge of the page: typography, graphics, accessibility, multimedia, and more.
http://www.webstyleguide.com/page/grids.html
ESSENTIAL #7:
Having knowledge of the basic design principles builds a strong foundation for successful designs. Another important step toward creating good designs is being able to identify quality graphic design in the work of others. This helps you develop critiquing skills and strengthen your own “design eye” through careful observation and analysis.
If you are serious about strengthening your “design eye,” take this free Interactive Course in Basic Design Principles, developed by Christine Castigliano, a designer, writer and illustrator. http://www.metatoggle.com/design_crs/contents.html
Now, take a look at the notes and drawings in your sketchbook. Ask yourself if a person who couldn’t read might still be able to understand the general point of the design. Ask others to react to your work. Sometimes the message we intend is not the one that is received by others. Look at all the elements in your design as a whole and determine if they work together in communicating the same message.
Congratulations, and remember, “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” (The Dot, by Peter J. Reynolds) http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/