Post #13

How can you as the designer use principles of design to help compose a page?
As a designer, one can use the principles of design to compose by utilizing them in various degrees to figure out where to place certain elements. For example, a white lettering can be placed on a dark background to create contrast.

What are the principles of design (define each in your own words)?
The principles of design, Contrast Repetition Alignment and Proximity are ways by which a designer can place their elements in a design in order to achieve a more appealing design as well as to better convey their message.

For each of the 4 principles of C.R.A.P., find an example that utilizes the principle within the design. You should have 4 DIFFERENT sample designs. For each, discuss how the particular principle is used.

In this design, the principle of contrast is used in order to create the effect of a spiral heading towards a central point in the middle. A black layer was likely simply placed over the white with which the white is more accented than the black, creating the elongated shapes.

In this design, the circular ends of the color pencils are set up in such a way that individual colors of each are accented. By repeating the circle inside a circle pattern, the other parts of the design is accented

In this design the tips of the color pencils are lined up to create a full circle in the same colors as a color wheel. This accents the middle of the circle as well as the pattern along the outside with its attractive colors.

The way that the apples and cinnamon sticks are lined up in this photo is an example of proximity. By being the same arrangement as one another, with the same spacing with each, a mesmerizing pattern appears to be made.

How do you add a layer mask to a particular layer?
You select an area in the layer using the Marquee tools, then click Add Layer Mask at the bottom of the layer palette or choose under Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

What two colors are used to create the mask?
Black and White are used to create the mask and its varying levels of possible gradient and opacity

Describe the process of using a layer mask?
After a layer mask is created, it can be fine tuned by clipping various edges, moved around or removed entirely.

Post #12

Define principles of design

Ways in which an artist or designer uses portions of the art work in such a way that it is aesthetically pleasing or balanced.

What do the principles of design affect?

Principles of design affect the balance of a design and the attractiveness of such design

What is the difference between the principles of design and C.R.A.P.? How can contrast help a design? 

Principles of design are basics and C.R.A.P uses these basics in such a way that a common theme or attractiveness is achieved. Contrast assists in accentuating a portion of the design.

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?

Having too little contrast causes the design to all blend together in the eye of the view whilst too much contrast causes the viewer to be distracted, confused or otherwise overwhelmed.

What is the key to working with contrast?.

The key to working with contrast is to balance it in such a way that only one or two regions are being highlighted through it.

What are some common ways of creating contrast?

Common ways of creating is by using bright colors on darker colors such as white on black, or by using geometric symbols on top of one another.

What is the principle of repetition?

The principle of repetition is to create patterns by using similar or the same figures.

Describe ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition?

Repetition may help the composition by creating a mesmerizing pattern for the viewer or by accentuating the figure being repeated.

What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs?  

Repetition may be incorporated into your design in backgrounds or as the center piece, only with varying colors for each repetition.

 What should you avoid when working with repetition? 

Avoid creating something is too distracting or chaotic, or otherwise creating a repetition that is out of alignment and is not geometrically appealing.

 What is the principle of alignment?  

Alignment is a principle that is normally performed automatically and makes it so that the design may be connected through simple lines.

What is the principle of proximity?  

The principle of proximity is in which various elements of the design are placed nearer or farther from one another in order to convey a message about them or otherwise improve visual attractiveness. 

What is the principle of proportion?

Proportion is a principle by which some elements of a design are smaller or larger than others. Often times elements that the designer wish to be noticed are made larger than others such as the title.

Define symmetrical balance?

Symmetrical balance is when a design is mirrored across a central axis on the document.

What is another name for asymmetrical balance? 

Informal Balance

Define asymmetrical balance?  

Asymmetrical balance is when a design lacks a central axis by which it is mirrored, and thus has more design freedom.

What is a focal point and how is it created?

A focal point is a point in the design where the designer wishes most of the attention of the viewer to be directed. This is created by using the principles of design above to make this part more noticeable than others

How many components of a composition can be a focal point?

Only one component of the composition can be the focal point, any more and the design begins to be messy and confusing.

What ways can emphasis be created in a design?

Emphasis can be created by using the principles of proportion, alignment and contrast.

What is the principle of harmony and how is it different from unity?

The principle of harmony is in which all elements of the design work well with one another to direct the attention of the viewer and its message. This is different from unity in that contrasting colors can be used.

What is the principle of unity?What three ways can unity be obtained?

Unity is in which all of the parts of the design blend together and is often obtained by using similar figures, colors and designs.

What is the principle of variety?

The principle of variety is the polar opposite of unity in that there are many different distinct parts of the design that are not flowing together.

What three ways can a designer add variety to a design?

Variety can be created by using contrasting figures colors and designs.

Post #11

Who is Andy Warhol?
Andy Warhol is an American Artist that was the leading figure behind an art movement known as pop art. He was originally an illustrator that rose to fame through his works.

Within what art genre did Warhol work?
Warhol worked within the pop art genre

Define the genre?
Pop art originated as an art movement in the late 1950s that challenged traditional fine art and included images of popular culture. An example is seen in Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans.

During what years was he alive?
He lived from 1928-1987

Post 2 samples of his art. Answer the following questions for each piece.


Title of the piece:
Marilyn Diptych

Describe the color that he utilizes.  Does he use any particular color scheme?
Warhol uses bright colors such as pink and yellow, colors that contrast greatly with their surroundings. His color scheme is generally bright aside from the black used to create the figure.

What do you notice about the artwork itself?
The art is based on a real life movie star that was famous at the time, Marilyn Monroe who was also a popular figure of women as well.


Title of the piece
Campbell's Soup I

Describe the color that he utilizes.  Does he use any particular color scheme?
Warhol uses the original colors of a Campbell's soup can, the dark red of which contrasts with the white, mirrored with white contrasting with a red background.

What do you notice about the artwork itself?
This piece of work is a perfect example of the pop art movement, a piece of art made out of an ordinary everyday object.

Post #10

Compare and contrast vector graphics and pixel images.

Vector graphics utilize lines in order to form the image instead of pixels, allowing images to be expanded without causing it to become blurry or pixelated. However, pixel images are easier to edit and are able to create more complex designs, as well as better translates into the real world.





What resolution is necessary to print raster images?


300 PPI



What resolution is necessary to display raster images on the internet?


100 PPI

Post #9

Who is Steve Jobs?


Steve Jobs is the now deceased founder of the computer company Apple that began in his garage and over the course of the years became an influential worldwide company producing products other than simply computers.





What company was he CEO for many years?

Steve Jobs was the CEO of the company Apple Inc., an American multinational company that was founded by Jobs in 1976 and today produces consumer electronics, software and personal computers.


What did he do for the computer industry?

Steve Jobs effectively brought computing outside of massive server rooms and into the homes of the average consumer, advancing the concept of a personal computer and in the process formed many of the precedents followed today in computer building such as the popularization of the mouse as a pointing tool, of which was a revolutionary development in personal computers during the time.


How did this man impact the graphic design industry?

Steve Jobs impacted the graphic design industry by helping in bringing the world into a new era of computing in which simple design work can be done at home with a personal computer. He also created the first GUI, allowing the image created to be displayed on the screen.

Post #8

Why must designers pay close attention to how color is utilized within a composition?
Designers must pay close attention to how color is used within a composition because that the way color is used impacts many portions of a particular design, such as the focal point of the design and the mood of the entire work






Why is the color wheel an important tool for graphic designers?


The color wheel is important for graphic designers because it helps the designer select the color scheme of a design and how these colors interact with all others.






Find an example of neutral colors utilized within a design (hint: google poster design). Near the sample, discuss why you feel the designer included neutral colors within the composition.






The following design is the logo of Logitech and makes good use of various neutral colors in order to form the image of an eye. The contrast seen between the colors of white with gray causes the human eye to rest more upon the darker grey, and by contrasting itself with the background along with clever placement, forms the likeness of an eye. I feel that the designer selected these neutral colors in particular because that it causes the logo and the company in general to appear more modern and sleek, as grey has become a common modern color.







Briefly describe how we "see" the color of an object?


We "see" the color of an object from the light emitted or reflecting off of it and this light finding it's way into our eyes. For example, light travels from the sun, striking a green leaf, of which absorbs all other colors beside green, reflecting that color of light and this light is what is deciphered by our eye and brain.

Post #7

Describe white light?

White light is a combination of all colors of light, and is emitted in sources such as the Sun that illuminates the Earth


How do we see color if objects "have no color of their own"?

Objects absorb all other colors that they do not appear to be, reflecting that color into the viewer's eye. For example, a green cup is hit with white light, absorbing all other colors except for green.


What seven colors result when white light is refracted through a prism?

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Purple. However, the existence of purple in the color spectrum is hotly debated and some say that the last three colors of light should be known as Cyan, Blue and Dark Blue, saying that a dark blue in small amounts appears to be purple.


Describe hue?

Different shades of color, such as Purple, Green, Blue and Red


What happens with white?

White is created when all colors are combined, mixing together to create a pure color.


What happens with black?

Black is the absence of light, as due to the fact that no colors in black, this particular 'color' fills the void in the mind of the viewer


How color is perceived depends on what?

Color perception is a combination of the factors of saturation, brightness and tint or shade


What is a color wheel?

A color wheel is a representation of many main colors that can be seen by the human eye and a color's relationship with all other colors


What are primary colors? Name them?

Primary colors are colors that cannot be made by mixing other pure colors together, they are Red, Green and Blue


What are secondary colors? Name them?

Secondary colors are colors that can be formed by mixing two primary colors together, and they are Yellow, Cyan and Magenta.


What are tertiary colors? Name them?

Tertiary colors are colors formed by mixing any combination of secondary colors together, or one secondary color and one primary color together. All colors that are not listed above, such as orange and violet.


What are neutral colors? How can they be created?

Neutral colors are white, grey and black. they can be created by including all forms of light, some light by mixing white and black, or no light at all.


How can a neutral color help a design?

A neutral color can provide a certain sense of space or contrast with one another or with other colors.


What are complementary colors? Name them?

Complementary colors are colors opposite of each other on the color wheel and include Red with Green, Blue with Orange and yellow with purple.


What is color value?

Color value is the value and hue of something, and lowering a color value is to make something appear more black and white rather than in sharp color.


What is a shade?

A shade is the darkness of a color, or it's mixture with the color black.


What is a tint?

Tint is the lightness of a color, or it's mixture with the color white.


What is saturation/intensity?

The saturation or intensity of a color is it's distance from the color of gray, making the image appear to be more sharp or more muted


What happens when you mix complementary colors together?

Mixing complementary colors together yields the color of brown.


What is a color scheme?

A color scheme is the choice of colors used in a design in order to convey a certain feel or message through it.


Describe a monochromatic color scheme?

Monochromatic color schemes incorporate all colors of the same hue only with different tints, tones and shades.


Describe an analogous color scheme?

An analogous color scheme uses many similar colors, such as blue, dark blue and teal. These colors tend to be set next to each other on the color wheel.




Describe a complementary color scheme?

A complementary color scheme uses colors that are across from each other on the color wheel and tends to make the design seem to stand out or emphasize a particular area.


Describe a split-complementary color scheme?

A split-complementary color scheme uses colors adjacent to a complementary color, an example of which is Green with Orange and Magenta.


Describe a triadic color scheme?

A triadic color scheme utilizes colors that are placed in a triangle around the color wheel such as Light orange, Violet and Green.


What colors are considered to be warm colors?

Colors such as Red, Orange and Yellow


Describe the psychology of a warm color scheme?

A warm color scheme causes the viewer to feel a sense of homeliness and energy.


What colors are considered to be cool colors?

Colors such as Blue and Purple.


Describe the psychology of a cool color scheme?

A cool color scheme causes the viewer to feel a sense of relaxation and refreshment.


Why is important to consider which colors are being used within a design?

Colors used within a design determines the mood that the viewer feels when looking upon your design, as well as what is emphasized upon it and in general, how aesthetically pleasing the design may be.