Business Structures and Design Thinking

• A sole proprietorship is when a single individual owns the business and is personally liable for its debts.
• A partnership is a business owned by two or more individuals, who share in the profits and responsibilities.
• A corporation is a separate legal entity from its owners, offering liability protection.
• A cooperative is a business owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit.
• A franchise involves a franchisee paying for the right to operate under an established brand.

Design Thinking Process

• Involves 5 stages.
• Empathize: Understand user needs, challenges, and feelings.
• Define: Clearly define the problem to solve.
• Ideate: Brainstorm and generate creative ideas.
• Prototype: Build simple models to test ideas.
• Test: Evaluate prototypes and make changes based on feedback.
• Ideation involves thinking of innovative solutions and exploring many possibilities.

Design Brief

• A document outlining the objectives, target audience, and deliverables of a design project.
• To evaluate, assess if it clearly defines the project scope, outlines client expectations, and states the target audience, timeline, and budget.
• Budgets are crucial for resource allocation and ensuring enough money for all aspects of a project.
• Budgets assist in time management by planning task durations within available resources.
• Budgets provide financial control by keeping spending within limits and avoiding overspending.

Formal Visual Analysis

• Critiquing artwork or design involves a 4 step process.
• Description: Note details such as color, shape, and texture.
• Analysis: Determine how the elements/principles are used, like line flow, sharpness, balance, or contrast.
• Interpretation: Determine what the artist is trying to express through the design.
• Judgment: Assess the design's effectiveness and how it meets its intended purpose.
• When trying to interpret an artist's intention, consider the historical, cultural, and social background.
• Also take into account symbols used and the emotion the work evokes.

Graphic Design

• The art of visual communication using text, images, and layout.
• Promotes brand identity through logos, colors, and fonts.
• Used for communicating information clearly and effectively, often through infographics.
• Used in advertising to attract attention and persuade people to take action.

Perspective

• How depth and space are represented on a flat surface.
• One-point perspective has all lines converge to a single point and is used for straight-ahead views.
• Two-point perspective features lines converging to two points, mainly for views at an angle.
• Three-point perspective adds a third point, often for tall buildings or dramatic views.

Elements of Design

• Line creates shapes, divides space, or adds structure.
• Shape can be geometric (circle, square) or organic (natural shapes).
• Color evokes emotions, creates contrast, and defines objects.
• Texture is the look or feel of a surface.
• Space is the area around, between, and within objects.
• Form is a 3D object or shape.
• Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.

Principles of Design

• Balance is the distribution of visual weight (symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial).
• Contrast is the differences in elements (light vs. dark, rough vs. smooth).
• Emphasis creates a focal point in the design.
• Movement is the path the viewer's eye takes through the design.
• Pattern is repeating elements to create a sense of unity.
• Rhythm creates a sense of movement through repetition or variation.
• Unity describes how well elements work together to create a cohesive whole.

Color Theory

• Primary colors are Red, Blue, Yellow.
• Secondary colors are Green, Orange, and Purple, made by mixing primary colors.
• Tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color.
• Warm colors (Red, Orange, Yellow) give an energizing, warm, or stimulating sensation.
• Cool colors (Blue, Green, Purple) offer a calming or soothing effect.
• Complementary colors are opposite on the color wheel (e.g., red and green).
• Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue, blue-green, and green).
• Color harmonies are aesthetically pleasing color combinations.