Visual Communication & Graphic Design Lesson 1 PDF

Introduction to VISUAL COMMUNICATION & GRAPHIC DESIGN We may not think it, but visual communication is all around. From our homes, to our high- ways, to the mall, or even on the internet, it is everywhere. When looking for which public...

Introduction to VISUAL COMMUNICATION & GRAPHIC DESIGN We may not think it, but visual communication is all around. From our homes, to our high- ways, to the mall, or even on the internet, it is everywhere. When looking for which public bathroom you’re meant to go to, you look at symbols that indicate whether it’s for men or for women. Or when you drive around and read road signs to be guided by traffic rules. Or react- ing to people’s comments on Facebook. Or navigating through a website’s design. Or as sim- ple as a thumbs up to approve someone of what they’ve said or done. These are all instances of visual communication happening. Whether you like it or not, information is becoming more visual in nature. As we communicate with people whose language and culture differ from ours, a well-designed visual communication helps us understand each other better. Visual Communication is EVERYWHERE Visual Communication is all around us. We may not acknowledge it, but we inter- act with signs and symbols everyday and everywhere. Visual Communication is communication through visual aid and is described as the convey- ance of ideas and information in forms that can be seen or looked upon. Visual communica- tion relies on vision, and is primarily presented using signs, symbols, typography, drawing, and illustration. Therefore, we can also say that visual communication is a special blend of art and language used to deliver information to a particular group of people. It explores the idea that a visual message that accompanies text has greater power to inform, educate, or per- suade an audience. How we evaluate a good visual communication design is mainly based on how well the message is understood by the audience. We don’t evaluate based on aesthetic and/or artistic preference alone since there is no universally agreed-upon principles of beauty and ugliness. However, when we do want to add beauty and innovation to our visual commu- nication skills, we lean towards graphic design for help. Graphic Design is the area of design that deals with the structuring of the visual information for communicating messages. The field uses two words Graphic and Design because of the dual nature of its process. 1  ART òÝ DESIGN “Being a designer in- Most people think that design is something that comes only at the end—a mere afterthought. This is a common misconception. Design should be thought of from volves finding ways to the very beginning because design is essential in organizing information in a way reveal the beauty in that makes things clearer. It should make things easier for the viewer. Remember something that others that this is design in the context of visual communication; we are using design to may not see and ex- communicate, not as mere decoration. pressing a thought in an Design is about creating solutions that help or improve the lives of other people. At unexpected way—a times, these are profound and often unnoticed ways. When we design, we need to mission through which be concerned about how other people interpret our design solutions and messages. blending the useful with Design is not necessarily “art”, but it has art in it. When it comes to artists, they can the aesthetically ap- freely move with their art to express themselves. It doesn’t matter if people under- pealing has one primary stand their work or not as long as they were able to sincerely express themselves. But when it comes to designers, they work in a more audience-centric manner. They goal— need to be aware of the end users. They need to make sure that what they put out to communicate.” there shouldn’t be misunderstood from the user’s point of view. While design is more than just aesthetics, it will most certainly have aesthetic quality to them if they are well-designed. Well-designed things almost always look good. Successful designs can stimulate viewers intellectually & move them emotionally by including both familiar & surprising elements. Because of this, design communication can explain something and affect the audience on another level. If applied successfully, the results will reflect your intentions, your messages will be clear. A website is user-friendly when its pages are attractive and its navigation is simple. A book’s content might be more accessible if the cover presents an expressive visual metaphor. Furthermore, it’s easier not to get lost in a building if there is a logical system of signage to its passageways. Handshake for Peace This photo was taken during the FIFA World Cup 2010 in Africa. Elements in the photo are considered familiar but what made it surprising was the handshake. People, in- cluding Nelson Mandela were so amazed at the photo that they used it as a campaign called “Handshake for Peace”. Albeit a very simple and basic photo, it captivated people and moved them emotionally. Therefore, the intent of visual communication design is to persuade, identify, or inform. As such, in advertising, once a product is being advertised to you, you may want to purchase the product (persuasion). To make sure you get the right one, you are made to remember how it looks (identification). And lastly, you are provided with the things that the product will do for you (inform). If the information presented in visual form attracts the intended audi- ence, you, the designer has done the job well. Thus, the goal of the visual communication designer is to create visual formats for messages, taking into consideration the intended audience by using mutually understandable alpha- bets, symbols, colors, images and selecting appropriate media so the messages can be re- ceived, understood, and responded to. And who knows, you might end up designing some- thing that can be recognizable on a global scale. For example, the red-cross symbol has as- sumed a global understanding for medical care. A circle with a red diagonal line through it is also a globally accepted to mean “no”. The Superman symbol has also been etched in our collective imagination to represent Superman himself. All these and more have proven to be understood beyond the bounds of culture and language. 2 Universally Recognized Symbols These symbols have stood the test of time and has been widely known for what they mean. What other signs and symbols do you think are universally known beyond culture and language. Design work incorporates several things. The first one is aesthetics which is used to achieve notions of beauty. You also have structure—because proper organization and arrangement is essential in making an understandable design. Then emotion to be able to emphasize feel- ings. And lastly, you have utility because the design that is being produced is meant to be used in the best way possible. For that reason, a Graphic Designer needs to be part artist, scientist, researcher, psychologist, and businessperson. Whether designing for an individual, a small company, or a large corporation, the designer brings a degree of art, craft, intelli- gence, and intuition. And with that, being a Graphic Designer means saying something that matters, and saying it with both grace and intelligence. References Introduction to Visual Communication. (n.d.). Jigyasa University. https://www.hzu.edu.in/csit/ Introduction_to_visual_communication.pdf Communications Toolkit: Visual Communication & Graphic Design. (2000). Michigan State University Board of Trustees. https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/236/67553/4-H_Communications_Toolkit- VisualDesign.pdf Chapter 1: About Graphic Design. (n.d.). Pearson. https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/ samplechapter/0/1/3/2/0132300702.pdf Gallo, C. (2010). The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: how to Insanely Great in Front of A ny A udience. The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. 3