A Crash Course on Graphic Philosophy 101

Novice and professional graphic designers, we are aware thatyou know the basic principles of graphic philosophy. But then, asworkers of art - though digital and graphic art already borders incommercial arts, there's no harm in continuously improving our craftthrough constant study and practice, is there? Really great graphicdesigners I know have come to their status because of painstakingapplication and study of their past works.

We'll review thetheoretical concepts of graphics and graphic forms as a foundation onhow we have to go about our graphic designs. To begin with, a graphicform is the shape that embodies a certain idea. We can take a tree anduse it as an example. How many ways can we depict a tree? We can depictby a photo of a tree, or the silhouette of a tree, or even its outline.By having these forms that represent a tree, we are therefore conveyingthe idea of a tree.

A word of caution, though, the effectiveness of which the idea is communicated depends upon many levels of context.

Theabstraction of an idea into a flat space, to make it a graphic form, isan integral part of Graphic Design. Usually, the goal is to communicatethe idea as clearly as possible. So why not depict the apple as closeto reality as possible with a photo? This clearly depicts an apple andleaves no room for misinterpretation. So why not use photos ofeverything?

The idea is usually not as simple as just anapple. The graphic form is merely a component of an entire design. In adesign of a poster for example, the existence of multiple forms andlarge amounts of text can compete with one another for the reader'sattention. To increase readability, graphic forms are usuallysimplified into basic shapes, and flattened into a limited amount ofcolor. They are made to work with type more harmoniously and furtherrefined to convey the layers of information with clarity.

Theconcept of contrast also defines the graphic form of an idea. In afield of 10 squares and 1 triangle, the form that will be noticed isthe triangle. A design placed on a wall, on a billboard, or on theinternet, are usually lost in a field of other designs. In order tohelp define your idea over the others, forms that contrast those aroundit are effective. Basic factors such as typeface, color, scale, andform are elements that can easily help get a design noticed.

Therepresentation of an idea goes beyond its place on the page or itsplace on a wall. There is the larger context to consider the audience.The ability of the audience to interpret your design is based on theability of the audience to understand the forms in which an idea isembodied.

Preferences of form, and the ability to understandform, can change by age group, location, and through time. We allunderstand the representation of dollars by a symbol: $. Though symbolsuniversally communicate, they are become ordinary by usage. As theaudience becomes visually educated and aware of these forms, the visuallanguage of graphic design expands. However, the evolution of formsmust also take place in order to keep interest.

In the overallscheme of things, fresh ideas and interesting graphic forms have alwaysbeen able to attract attention. New ways of representation strikecuriosity. But the goal is to communicate and the form is part andparcel of visual communication.

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