Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today about finding your artistic voice and developing your graphic design style.

Let's get into some thinking, talking, and exploring together in this lesson.

So, let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to understand and reflect on what shapes a graphic design style.

Before we start, let's take a look at some of the key words for today's lesson.

The first key word is consistent.

To be consistent means the deliberate use of uniform elements such as colour, typography, imagery, and layout across a project or a body of work to create a cohesive and harmonious visual experience.

The second key word is aesthetics.

Aesthetics deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste.

It refers to the principles and elements that define the visual appeal and beauty of a work.

The third key word is style.

Style is the distinctive visual characteristics and methods that define a creative's work, encompassing elements like form, colour, composition, and technique.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to note down these key words and press play when you're ready to continue.

The final key word is branding.

Branding is the process of creating a unique visual identity for a business or product, encompassing elements such as logos, colour schemes, typography, and imagery.

Pause the video here and make a note of this final key word and press play when you're ready to continue.

These are the learning cycles that we'll be working through together in today's lesson.

Understanding graphic design styles and developing a graphic design style.

So in this first learning cycle, let's take a look at understanding graphic design styles.

What do all of these have in common? Social media emojis, magazine and sportswear branding, online ads, and websites.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think and then press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, these are just some of the ways that you might encounter work made by graphic designers.

You may see some social media layouts, icons, emojis, logos, and filters.

Maybe the artwork on album covers, concert posters, and promotional materials for artists and bands.

Maybe fashion branding, clothing tags, packaging, and advertisements for popular fashion brands.

Maybe video game interfaces, website interfaces, and typography.

Or billboards, magazines, bus stop posters, and online ads.

So there are lots of ways in which you might encounter work made by graphic designers.

Let's take a moment to pause here.

Which of these is not an example of work usually made by a graphic designer? A, album covers.

B, computer icons.

C, public sculptures.

D, typography.

Pause the video here and have a discussion and then press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said public sculptures, you're absolutely right.

This is not an example of work usually made by a graphic designer.

Graphic design is deeply integrated into your daily life, influencing the visuals you encounter on social media, the branding of your favourite products, and the interfaces of the apps you use.

Can you think of a piece of graphic design that you find particularly appealing or memorable? Pause the video here and have a quick discussion and then press play when you're ready to continue.

What example could you give? Well, Izzy and Alex are discussing graphic design.

Alex says, "The sleek and intuitive interface of the mobile app I use daily is impressive.

Its minimalist design makes navigation effortless and enjoyable." And Izzy says, "I love the vibrant and dynamic album cover of my favourite band.

The striking typography and bold imagery really capture the essence of their music." A graphic designer style is a distinctive visual approach that reflects their unique perspective, creativity, and technical skills.

This style is evident in the consistent use of design elements such as typography, colour schemes, imagery, and layout across their work.

Let's take a moment here to pause.

A graphic designer style is a distinctive visual approach reflecting their unique perspective, technical skills, and creativity, or reflecting their country of birth and subjects, or reflecting their ability to copy others.

Pause the video here and have a discussion about which of these may be the correct answer and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said a graphic designer's style is a distinctive visual approach reflecting their unique perspective, technical skills, and creativity, you are right, well done.

Now Ikko Tanaka is a renowned Japanese graphic designer who works in a style known for blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with modernist principles, resulting in designs consistently characterised by use of geometric forms, vivid colour palettes, emphasis on negative space, incorporation of traditional Japanese motifs, playfulness, and simplicity.

Susan Kare, a pioneering designer in the field of computer iconography, developed a consistent style marked by simplicity and clarity.

She designed icons for the original Apple Macintosh.

Simplicity and clarity.

Kare emphasised creating icons that function like road signs, simple symbols with few details, making them universally understandable.

Pixel art pioneering, working within the constraints of early computer graphics, she mastered minimal pointillism, becoming an early pioneer of pixel art.

Humanising technology.

Well, Kare aimed to make computers more approachable by designing user-friendly icons and interfaces that added a human touch to technology.

Memorability.

She believed that successful icons should be instantly recognisable and memorable, ensuring users could easily recall their functions.

Use of metaphors.

Kare utilised visual metaphors in her designs, creating intuitive connections between the icon's appearance and its function, enhancing user understanding.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Susan Kare believed that successful icons should be hard to recognise and understand.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and have a discussion and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that statement is false, you're absolutely right, but why is it false? Pause the video here and have another discussion and explain why this statement is false and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you get on? Well, she believed that successful icons should be instantly recognisable and memorable, ensuring users could easily recall their functions.

That's why this statement is wrong.

She didn't think that those icons should be hard to recognise and understand.

A graphic designer creates a brand for a client by conducting thorough research to understand the client's mission and target audience, developing a plan that defines the brand's core message and personality, and crafting a consistent approach to elements like logos, colour schemes, and typography.

The overall branding communicates the brand to audiences in a way that is easily recognisable and aligned with the brand.

An iconic example of UK branding by a graphic designer is a British-born Peter Saville's work for Factory Records, particularly his design of Joy Division's 1979 album cover, "Unknown Pleasures." The cover features a white-on-black visualisation of radio waves, which has become iconic in music and design circles.

You can see that illustration of waves there.

Can you think of any other iconic examples of branding? Pause the video here and have a discussion, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Eddie Opara is another British-born graphic designer.

His design portfolio encompasses a wide array of projects, including brand identities, publications, packaging, environmental graphics, exhibitions, interactive installations, and user interfaces.

His ideas are characterised by a blend of modern aesthetics and functional clarity, reflecting his commitment to creating impactful and enduring visual experiences.

His broad range of designs meet aesthetic standards and effectively communicate the intended message to the audience.

Can you think of another designer who works across design disciplines? Pause the video here and give yourself some time to think, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Baraka Carberry, known as Bokiba, is a British-Guyanese multidisciplinary artist.

Her style is characterised by bright, vibrant palettes, playful shapes, and floral representations, reflecting her background in textiles.

She uses colour to connect with diverse audiences and aims to celebrate diversity and women through bold patterns.

In 2023, Royal Mail released a collection of stamps commemorating the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush.

Bokiba was one of five artists commissioned to create these stamps.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to first collaboratively list as many designers or brands as you can within a set time.

Then I'd like you to discuss what the consistent style is for a selection of the designers or brands.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to do that, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you get on? Well, there are lots of possible outcomes for this, but you might have said Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Nike, Zara, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Almarai, Petronas, maybe Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Starbucks, Disney, Netflix, Sony, Emirates, Adidas.

There are so many designers and brands you could have chosen.

Maybe when you were discussing the consistent style for a selection of them, you might have said something like, this brand consistently employs its signature red and white palette, cursive font, and classic imagery in all materials, creating a cohesive and instantly recognisable brand image.

This brand has a minimalist design approach, featuring sleek lines, white spaces, and a consistent sans-serif font across its products and advertising, reinforcing its brand identity of simplicity and innovation.

Well done for having a go at completing that first learning task.

Let's now move into the second part of our lesson, looking at developing a graphic design style.

Alex's graphic design style is shaped by a mixture of personal experiences and a reflective practise, a target audience or a client, and the purpose of the design.

These factors influence Alex's graphic design style, guiding the development of a consistent approach and recognisable style.

So, target audience.

So that might include factors such as age, gender, cultural background, interests, and preferences, and these might influence the elements, tone, and style of the graphics.

Purpose of the design.

Well, the purpose of the graphics impacts their design and layout, for example, whether the graphics are meant for informational, promotional, educational, or entertainment purposes.

And finally, personal experiences and preferences.

The designer's individual experiences, interests, and aesthetic preferences play a role in shaping a designer's unique style.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

A graphic designer's personal experiences and preferences have no influence on their work and style.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself time to think about whether this statement is true or false, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said this statement is false, you're absolutely right.

Now let's think about why.

Pause the video here and have a discussion.

Why is this statement false? And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said the designer's individual experiences, interests, and aesthetic preferences play a role in shaping a designer's unique style, you're absolutely right.

Well done.

Izzy is reflecting on what her graphic design style is shaped by.

She has the target audience and the client, the purpose of the design, but also personal experiences and a reflective practise.

Personal experiences and having a reflective practise are important in developing a graphic designer's unique style.

A reflective practise involves critically analysing one's own design processes and outcomes to gain deeper insights and foster continuous improvement.

By engaging in reflection, designers can identify strengths, recognise areas for growth, and make informed decisions in future projects.

Let's take a moment to pause here.

By engaging in reflection, designers can recognise areas for growth, identify strengths, mind read clients' needs, make informed decisions in future projects.

Pause the video here and have a discussion and press play when you're ready to continue.

If you selected recognise areas for growth, identify strengths, and make informed decisions in future projects, that's absolutely right.

That's what designers can get when they engage in reflection.

Now, by integrating personal experiences and interests into design work, you can infuse authenticity and originality into designs.

Designers draw upon their cultural backgrounds, hobbies, and life experiences to inform their creative decisions, resulting in designs that have a particular style and stand out.

This personal connection can lead to more meaningful and impactful designs.

Let's take a moment to pause here.

Is this statement true or false? Integrating personal experiences and interests into design work infuses trend following and repetition into designs.

Pause the video here.

Is this statement true or false? And press play when you're ready to continue.

If you said it's false, you're absolutely right.

But why is this statement false? Pause the video here and have a discussion and then press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that integrating personal experiences and interests into design work infuses authenticity and originality into designs, that's absolutely right.

Well done.

This brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to create a poster that visually represents a significant personal experience, interest, or aspect of your identity.

You could consider these things.

Gathering visual references such as photographs, illustrations, or artworks that relate to your theme.

Analysing how other designers have communicated similar themes and considering which techniques resonate with you.

Effective use of graphic design tools, techniques, and principles, and communication.

Ensuring that there is clarity and impact of the poster in conveying the intended personal narrative.

Pause the video here and give yourself enough time to do this and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Well, there are many possible outcomes for this, but you might have produced something like Izzy that represents her personal interests and identity.

Well, Izzy says, "I love playing the guitar, "so I've included an illustration of my favourite one.

"I incorporated notes, performing patterns "that represent a song I wrote.

"The colours and typography reflect "my bold but calm personality." Well done if you were able to create something similar for your own identity.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about the artistic voice.

Graphic design is deeply integrated into our daily lives.

We encounter examples frequently and in many ways.

A designer's style is a visual approach that reflects their unique perspective, creativity, and technical skills.

A designer creates a brand for a client by conducting thorough research to understand the client's mission and audience.

The designer's experiences, interests, and aesthetic preferences play a role in shaping a designer's unique style.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the artistic voice.

I hope to see you in the next lesson.

See you then.