Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really, really good.

My name's Ms. Absal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling happy about that because I love teaching art and also because we are looking at graphic communication today, which I think is a very interesting topic.

Our lesson is called, "The Basic Principles of Graphic Communication." Yes, we're gonna be getting right into basics.

We're gonna be finding out what is graphic communication, how do we communicate graphically, and of course we'll be having a go at this ourselves.

The lesson comes from the unit of work, "Foundation workshops, an introduction to the areas of study." So are you ready for this lesson? Some focus is needed, some enthusiasm.

There'll be some art materials needed along the way.

And if you're all set, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can identify and apply the basic principles of graphic communication in my designs.

We have some key words in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

Balance, contrast, emphasis, hierarchy, and unity.

What do these words mean? Well, let's find out.

Balance is the distribution of visual weight in a work of art.

Contrast, this is the arrangement of opposite elements to create visual interest.

Emphasis, the part of the design that catches the viewer's attention.

Hierarchy, the arrangement of elements to show importance, guiding the viewer's eye.

And unity, the feeling of harmony between all parts of the artwork.

So these are our key words, balance, contrast, emphasis, hierarchy, and unity.

Let's be on the lookout for them in our lesson.

Our lesson is called the Basic Principles of graphic Communication, and it consists of three learning cycles.

First of all, that essential question, what is graphic communication? Next, we'll be understanding the seven principles, and finally we'll be applying the graphic communication principles.

We will be getting practical.

Let's begin with what is graphic communication? Okay, there's an image for us, that's definitely communicating something.

Have you ever noticed how some images can quickly capture our attention and convey information clearly? What is it about this image that does that? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

We are gonna be getting right into what is it that helps communication to be so powerful and clearly conveyed.

Graphic communication is the art of using visuals and texts to convey messages.

And we can see a range of graphic designs, posters, and logos on the screen there.

Understanding its principles is key to creating effective designs.

Where might we see graphic communication? Pause the video and share with someone.

Perhaps you did something like this.

Posters, websites, packaging, logos.

Graphic communication shapes how we experience information in daily life.

Effective graphic communication doesn't happen by accident.

There are certain principles that graphic designers can use to ensure their designs are, visually appealing, easy to understand, professional and suitable for the intended audience.

And we can see a graphic designer.

there using a range of sources.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false.

Graphic communication is mainly about making things look pretty.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done If you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause the video while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

While aesthetics are important, graphic communication focuses on conveying information effectively through visual principles like balance, hierarchy, and alignment.

Not all graphic designs are made to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes it may be more important to convey an idea or message as quickly as possible, such as with a street sign.

This is what is referred to as graphic communication.

And we can see this road sign warning of a closed bridge needs to convey the message very quickly and clearly, and I think it's doing that quite effectively.

Graphic designers solve problems visually.

They may use design principles to, communicate clearly, engage the intended audience, achieve certain goals like informing or persuading.

You can see a graphic designer working digitally there.

When designing, we must consider and reflect on the purpose.

What should be considered when designing a road sign? Pause the video and share with someone.

Wonderful answers you came up with.

A road sign is designed to signal and guide road users how to safely navigate the area.

Attract the attention of road users.

Convey information clearly and quickly for road users.

Small or unnecessary details would not be useful.

An advertisement is designed to.

Pause the video and complete the sentence.

What is an advertisement designed to do? Perhaps you had some ideas like this.

To attract attention and persuade potential customers into buying what is being advertised.

Communicate function or use of the product or service being offered.

Signal how the item can be bought and provide information for any related terms and conditions.

And we can see a street filled with billboards and advertisements.

When lots of information needs to be conveyed through graphic communication.

A hierarchy is used to prioritise certain pieces of information over others.

And we can see this wall mural showing graphic communication ideas and we can see a hierarchy of ideas there.

Prioritising certain pieces of information over others.

A visual hierarchy arranges elements in order of importance which guides the viewer's eye.

Think about how a newspaper features bold headlines, pictures, titles or subheadings and paragraphs of smaller printed text.

This is an example of a visual hierarchy.

Let's have a check for understanding.

A visually cluttered design with no clear focal point is likely missing.

Is it A, proximity? B, repetition, or C, hierarchy? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected hierarchy.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to demonstrate understanding of graphic communication through designing a poster for a local music event.

Consider who the intended audience is for your design.

How will you make design decisions to target this audience? Sketch a poster design for a local music event.

Consider imagery, text, use of space and visual hierarchy.

Pause the video while you do this.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on? Considering the intended audience is for your design.

Let's hear from Lucas.

The target audience for this music event is actually anyone who likes rock and roll music.

I want the design to be simple, bold, and striking so that it attracts a wide range of people, not just older people who might have originally listened to rock and roll music.

In this example, a rock and roll themed music gig poster has been created, targeted at fans of this style of music through a bold, clear, and focused use of text and imagery.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, understanding the seven principles.

There are seven core principles that form the foundation graphic design.

Pause the video and share if you think you know what any of those core principles are.

Okay, let's take a look at them.

They are balance, contrast, hierarchy, emphasis, unity.

And these five actually formed our keywords for the lesson and also variety and movement.

These are the seven core principles that form the foundation of graphic design.

These principles are the building blocks of a great design.

Let's go through each of them in turn.

Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight in a work of art.

So we can see on the left there's symmetrical balance.

It's even on both sides.

And here on the right, we have asymmetrical balance.

It's uneven, but can still create visual stability.

Contrast makes elements stand out through highlighting differences or opposites.

It might be used through colour, contrasting colours, light and dark, size, contrasting the size large and small, and shapes contrasting shapes, geometric and organic.

The principle of hierarchy organises elements by importance.

Generally, bigger elements are more important than smaller.

However, position and colour can also reveal a visual hierarchy.

And we can see the hierarchy in the newspaper through the headlines and the pictures being at the top of that hierarchy.

Check for understanding.

What is the role of balance in a design? Is it A, to add more colours.

B, to distribute visual weight.

Or C to make designs more complex.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer B.

The role of balance in a design is to distribute visual weight.

And balance can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Emphasis refers to how certain elements can be highlighted and made to stand out compared to others.

How are certain letters emphasised in this example, and what is the effect of emphasis? Pause the video and share with someone.

Emphasised elements are bolder and capture your attention quicker perhaps that's what you shared.

Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of a design.

Unity creates a sense of wholeness in a design, and can be built through, using similar and related features.

Using repetition, simplicity of elements.

The principle of variety showcases different elements in a single design.

So you can see a range of album record covers there, a real variety.

This helps to create visual interest, keeping viewers engaged and interested.

Finally, movement is one of the seven graphic design principles used to create a sense of rhythm and direction.

Movement is used to help draw viewers' attention throughout designs.

And we can see some graphic text on the screen showing digitally related words.

And getting a real sense of movement in that image.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which element helps to catch the viewer's attention in a design.

Is it A, balance.

B, emphasis or C movement? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected B, emphasis.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to demonstrate understanding of balance, contrast, and hierarchy by reviewing and refining your music event poster.

First of all, review your sketch of a music poster made in task A.

Annotate the design, labelling areas that use balance, contrast or hierarchy.

Make suggestions on how to refine and improve the design.

You may choose to add notes, quick sketches, or write short paragraph.

So pause here while you have a go at this multi-stage task.

First, reviewing your sketch, annotating your design, and then making suggestions on how to refine and improve it.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? You might have said something like this.

The emphasis here was on the bold heading text.

Hierarchy was through the careful sizing of information and details.

And it was a contrast between the block text and the lightning bolt graphic.

And in terms of refining and improving, here's some comments from Aisha.

Lucas's music poster design is quite effective at catching the attention of the viewer through emphasis and hierarchy, but the details are hard to read.

It could be improved by balancing these elements with the rest of the design to also create more unity.

Some great suggestions there from Aisha.

And now we're onto our final learning cycle, applying the graphic communication principles.

Looking at this poster design, discuss with a partner which graphic design principles you can identify and which ones might be missing.

Pause the video while you do this.

Okay, so what did you come up with? Let's hear from Lucas.

"I think movement is created through the sweeping graphics and emphasis is shown through the larger capitalised text at the top.

There could be greater contrast used." Good, great comments.

And Aisha, "There is a lack of variety in this design as it only has a couple of colours with similar graphics and textiles.

However, there is unity and wholeness with what has been used." Good point.

So in this design, we can identify balance and movement in the graphic elements used.

Emphasis and hierarchy from the large headline and smaller subheadings.

Contrast through bright text on a dark background.

Graphic design has been developed over the years in many ways.

Jan Tschichold, worked during the 20th century and created innovative designs for book covers, which featured symmetrical and asymmetrical typeface.

George Olden, was a major contributor towards early television, broadcast graphics and advertisements.

And Gail Anderson is a contemporary graphic designer, known for her skill with hand lettering, topography, and poster design.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which principle helps create the feeling of harmony between different parts of a design.

Is it A, unity.

B, contrast, or C, movement? Pause the video while you decide which principle helps create the feeling of harmony between different parts of a design.

Well done if you selected unity.

When creating a graphic design, it's important to consider the target audience.

So that you can engage them and clearly communicate the purpose of your design.

This will help you to select appropriate elements to feature and emphasise.

And we can see some paper cutouts of question marks on a screen there.

The style of imagery, use of space and typography used will be different depending on your target audience.

And we can see a selection of magazine covers, which is showing a range of imagery, use of space and typography depending on their target audience.

And we can see a classic children's book there with again, very particular use of imagery, space, and typography.

Examples of artists using graphic design principles include, Aries Morris, uses a clear visual hierarchy in their bold, colourful designs.

Herb Lubalin, demonstrates the use of balance and contrast through graphic communication.

And Sahara Jones, incorporates a variety of elements creating rhythm and movement in her designs.

And now I'd like you to reflect upon how graphic designers use each of the principles in their artworks.

And how this could inform your own designs.

Here's Aisha, "I admire the use of clear visual hierarchies in designs such as posters and book covers, as it helps me to see the most important information first and guides my eye towards details." And Lucas, "I like how contrast and variety can quickly capture my attention." Check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a graphic design principle? A, balance, B, contrast, C, shadow, or D, movement.

Which of these is not a graphic design principle? Well done if you selected shadow.

And now it's time for your final task.

I'd like you to develop a refined design for your music event poster from Task A.

So first of all, refine your earlier design, incorporating some of the improvements you identified in Task B.

You should, consider your use of the seven design principles in your refined design.

Consider your chosen colour palette.

Select which medium you'll choose to create your design.

After that, I would like you to reflect on your refined design.

How have the changes you've made improved the design? And how well have you used the seven design principles? So pause the video while you have a go at this multi-stage task.

First of all, refining your design and then reflecting on your refined design.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So how did you get on with developing a refined design for your music event poster from Task A? Oh wow, ake a look at what Lucas has come up with.

This has really progressed from that first version that we saw, and he says, "I developed my design in a digital form.

I kept it quite simple with a limited colour palette.

The contrast of the block text and the light background creates emphasis on the words rock and roll.

I considered hierarchy when adding details like the address.

I can make it less busy at the bottom and spread the elements out more." Some really great reflections from Lucas.

And I hope you enjoyed refining your design and reflecting upon it.

In our lesson, "The basic principles of graphic communication," we've covered the following.

Graphic communication is used for a variety of purposes, including posters, advertisements, logos, and road signs.

The seven graphic design principles of balance, contrast, emphasis, hierarchy, unity, variety, and movement, can be used and incorporated into designs to effectively communicate ideas and themes for an intended audience.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

I love the way that you got right into exploring those seven graphic design principles and creating your own posters using those principles.

I think it's been very effective and you've done a really great job today.

Keep looking out for graphic design all around you.

It is everywhere.

And have a look at what's working, what's being successful, which of these principles has been used effectively.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

And in the meantime, stay creative.