Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. (indistinct).

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is, I can observe and draw everyday objects to explore composition and layout in graphic design.

Our keywords for today are object, contrast, and composition.

Let's explore each keyword in turn, to find out what they mean.

Object, a physical form that can be seen or felt.

Contrast, the use of opposing elements such as light versus dark, to create visual interest.

Composition, the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a design.

So those are our key words for this lesson, object, contrast, and composition.

Our lesson outline objects in graphic communication.

So let's begin with our first learning cycle, designer spotlight, objects.

So let's start with this first question.

Why do you think objects are important in graphic communication? Pause here briefly and brainstorm a few ideas.

In graphic communication, objects are not just decorative.

They can tell stories and convey ideas, making them central to the creative process.

Objects are at the heart of many graphic designers work products and packaging design, advertising, branding and logo design, communicating a message, emotion, or idea.

They use a wide range of materials and techniques to bring objects to life in different ways.

Graphic designers use objects for a variety of reasons.

Creation of visual messages, consideration of composition, layout draughts or mock-ups, emotional and cultural meanings and personal expression.

Graphic communication involves making visual messages that consider how people will perceive them.

What factors should a graphic designer consider when using objects in their designs? Pause here for a moment and have a bit of a brainstorm.

Okay, let's see what our students have to say.

Aisha says, "Designers should make objects easy to see and recognise if a message needs to be conveyed quickly." Lucas says, "They need to make sure it matches the style and tone for the intended audience." And Sam says, "The object must look good so that people want to interact with the design and find out more about it." Let's have a check-in for understanding true or false.

Graphic designers only include an object in their designs when advertising a product.

Is the statement true or false? What do you think is the correct answer and why? So let's pause here briefly and then resume shortly.

Okay, what did you think? Let's find out the answer is, false.

Why might this be so? Graphic design is not just about advertising products.

It also focuses on communicating messages, emotions, or ideas such as road signs, post designs, or brand logos.

Objects can be used as a visual communication tool.

Many graphic designs use objects to communicate a message, emotion, or idea to the viewer.

A car symbol might be used to alert road users to what they can or cannot do.

Can you think of other ways an object could be used symbolically? Pause for a moment here and jot down some ideas of your own, resume when you are ready.

Outfit designers who have used objects as symbols in their designs include, Paul Rand, has created many corporate brand logos, which have made many stylized objects become iconic.

Noma Bar, focuses on simplified object shapes in minimal graphic compositions to elevate their significance.

And Peter Blake, collages familiar and found objects which reference pop culture to develop symbolic and iconic compositions.

Visual language used to depict objects in graphic communication can impact how people see and respond to it.

How do you think design choices for objects can be used as focal points or metaphors to connect with the viewer? Pause for a moment here, and have a little think about this question.

See what ideas you can come up with.

Designers can use objects in their works to connect with audiences visually and emotionally.

Examples of these designers include, Jenny Holzer is a text-based conceptual artist, often applying designs to found objects to communicate powerful messages.

Yinka Ilori uses bold, vivid colours to create striking contrasts and patterns for object inspired graphic and spatial designs.

And David Carson, combined experimental typography with cartilage exploring the emotional impact of objects and text.

Okay, let's see what our students have to say.

Aisha says, "A drinks company might create a brand logo that looks like the shape of a bottle or drink can to visually match it." Jacob says, "A sports brand might use text written on a slant to suggest movement or use equipment like trainers or rackets for a logo." And Sofia says, "A music poster might use typography, graphics and imagery, which represent the sound of the music event." Artists and designers may use objects which have personal significance rather than a shared meaning.

These objects might evoke emotions like nostalgia, joy, or reflection for both the designer and the viewer.

Can you think of a local artist or designer who uses personal objects in this way? Take a moment here to pause, and see what ideas you can find out from your local community.

Artists making personal connections with objects in their graphic designs include Martine Syms, who combines graphic text with found objects to reflect personal symbolism into immersive installations.

Sara Fanelli uses familiar objects and creates personal connections to how they have appeared and been experienced in her personal life through illustrated stories.

Barbara Walker who explores identity, history and race by incorporating personal and everyday objects in portraiture.

Objects can take on symbolic and cultural meanings, which can be by the works of designers.

Minjeong An creates work using symbolic objects such as vessels, tools, domestic objects, merged with Korean cultural themes.

Yuko Shimizu combines Japanese motifs with symbolic object imagery in highly expressive compositions.

Muhammed Sajid uses found objects, religious icons, and historic type styles to create strong political and emotional themes through objects symbol pairings.

Artists can work creatively with objects to produce unexpected results by depicting them symbolically to evoke visual associations.

Rearranging objects in different compositions, changing viewpoints and angles, altering scale or proportion, simplifying, exaggerating or stylizing their appearance, incorporating symbolic or cultural meaning.

What other surprising approaches can artists take when working with objects? What do you think? Spend a moment here and pause and think about this question.

Make a note of your ideas.

Resume when you're ready.

Designers may also use objects as a subject or device in graphic communication to, experiment with different compositions, to communicate a message clearly, to convey an idea, to evoke an emotion or feeling in the viewer, or to reflect culture or history through objects.

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

Graphic designers can depict objects symbolically to evoke visual associations.

Is the statement true or false? Pause here for a moment to think about your answer and why.

Okay, what do you think the answer is? The answer is true.

Why? By using objects in a design, viewers will create associations and connections between the object and what it represents.

For example, a cybersecurity company might include a shield in their brand logo to evoke a sense of protection and safety with the viewer.

Okay, let's bring our focus to task A, select two or three artists or specific artwork and compare them.

Consider these questions, in what ways are the designs visually similar or different in terms of subject colour, tone, shape, style, composition, and materials? What messages, symbols, or ideas do the designs communicate? Are there any connections between them? Pause the video here whilst you complete your practical task and resume when you are ready.

Let's start looking at our feedback for task A.

You may have said, according to Andeep, Barbara Walker uses objects in her designs, which aim to convey emotion, history, and identity, while Paul Rand simplifies and stylize objects to make them more universally applicable for brand logos.

Both Yuko Shimizu, and Muhammed Sajid, use objects that are personally significant to explore object symbol relationships, and how cultural themes can influence how designs are perceived by audiences.

Let's continue with our feedback for task A.

Let's look at David Carson and Muhammed Sajid, as our examples.

What are the differences and the similarities? Let's explore the similarities first.

You may have said, they both use symbolic objects in their work, and they both explore personal connections in the work.

And let's look at the differences.

So David Carson, designed for corporate brands and focuses on text object relationships, and explores personal connections with life experiences When Muhammed Sajid, designed as illustrative works, explores religious and cultural themes, and also explores personal connection with cultural heritage.

Let's continue with our lesson outline objects in graphic communication and focus on our second learning cycle, design deconstruction objects.

Okay, let's start this learning cycle with this question.

What is the first thing you notice about this design? Pause for a moment here, and jot down your ideas, what comes to you straight away, and then resume when you are ready.

Graphic designers use various techniques to develop a distinct visual language and communicate in their work, the principles of design, balance, contrast, hierarchy, alignment, proximity, unity, and colour.

The elements of art, which are line tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, and text, imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Okay, let's have a check in for understanding, which of the following is not one of the main ways, artists communicate ideas in their work? Let's look at our options.

A, colour line, form, shape and texture, or B, imagery and subject selected and shown.

C, materials and techniques used in the work.

Or D, the artist's age and personal information.

Pause for a moment here and select the answer that you think is correct.

Okay, which option is the correct one? Let's take a look.

And the answer is the D, the artist, age and personal information.

Laura is deconstructing the visual elements of a graphic design.

The design shows a range of objects related to sports activities to create visual associations.

Bold, vivid colours are used, add vibrancy.

In this case, the primary colours.

Contrast between pale blue background and objects.

Shapes and sizes of objects are considered filling the composition and creating balance.

The objects are clustered together.

Proximity creates a focal point.

Andeep has an alternative interpretation of the same design.

Let's see what he's got to say.

Some objects are hard to make out.

A clearer visual hierarchy could be made through using only a few objects.

There's not enough contrast between text and background.

Pale blue colour doesn't relate to the rest of the palette used.

The different size, shapes and sizes of the objects lacks unity.

There are too many objects placed around the text making it overly complex.

When visually deconstructing a design or artwork, it is important to remember that, each person notices different elements in a design.

Opinions are subjective.

Past experiences shape our interpretations.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding with the following question.

Why is it important to remember that each person notices different elements and has subjective opinions? Is it A, art has one, fixed meaning? B, everyone sees the same details.

C, only experts can understand it.

And D, personal experiences affect understanding.

Pause for a moment here and think about your answer.

Okay, which one do you think is the correct meaning? Let's take a look.

The answer is, D.

Personal experiences affect understanding.

Let's focus our attention on task B.

Select one design and describe it.

Describe what you can see in the design.

The principles of design, which are balance, contrast, hierarchy, alignment, proximity, unity, and colour.

The elements of art, line tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture.

Text, imagery and subject.

How the graphic designer has used these techniques to communicate with the audience.

You might record this as an idea shower around an image of a design.

Write it as a paragraph or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

So please pause the video here to complete the practical task and resume when you are ready.

Let's look at some feedback.

So you are tasked to select one design and describe it.

You may have said objects chosen, evoke visual associations to music.

Colour palette creates unity.

Composition is full, but not too busy.

A clear visual language has been made, through the hand drawn style, balance between different sizes and shapes of objects.

Contrast and texture use on text makes it stand out.

Let's focus now on our third learning cycle.

Personal connection in design, objects.

How can looking at a designer's work help us develop our own work? Let's take a look.

Let's see what our students have to say.

So Izzy says, "Graphic communication with similar themes can develop my ideas in new unexpected ways." Alex says, "I look at techniques and compositions and try to apply them to my theme." And Jun says, "Work that has similar imagery or objects can be inspiring even if the idea is different." Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding, which of the following is true, about taking inspiration from design.

Is it A, inspiration only comes from the theme of design? Or B, you can only use the designer's technique for inspiration.

C, you can use any combination of imagery, theme and technique.

Or D, you must use all three imagery, theme and technique.

Which you think is the answer.

Pause for a moment here and then we'll regroup.

Okay, which one do you think is the correct answer? The answer is C.

You can use any combination of imagery, theme and technique.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with an artwork, such as use of techniques or expression or themes.

We can establish a personal connection to an artwork by interpreting how objects in a composition can signify deeper meanings or a theme.

We can often find links to our own work through deconstructing both the themes and techniques used in an artwork.

What objects are represented in this graphic design.

Pause here for a moment, and take a look at this graphic design image.

What can you see? What themes do you interpret from the objects used and composition of this work? So take a moment here to think about this question and make some notes on your answers.

Let's see what our students have to say.

Aisha says, "This work inspires my theme of digital technology as objects like these create visual associations for it." Jacob says, "My theme is religion.

I'll create objects which relate to faith celebrations and consider how to symbolically depict them." And Sofia says, "I wanted to look at symbols from different cultures, and this work makes me think of how objects carry different meanings." Can you think of other theme interpretations? Take a moment to pause here and jot down your own ideas.

Okay, let's have a check in for understanding, true or false.

We can only establish a connection with an object if we have a personal connection to it.

Now, is this statement true or false? And why? Pause for a moment here and choose your answer.

Let's find out which is the right answer.

So the answer is false.

And why might this be? We can connect to an object by finding links to our own ideas and developing work.

We can interpret different themes from the object itself as well as any imagery, symbols, and techniques used.

Let's focus on task C.

Select one design, and use the questions below to consider your personal connection.

Let's take a look.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this design explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections between them that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this design inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? You might record this as an idea shower around an image of a design, write it as a paragraph or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

So please pause the video here to undertake this practical task.

Resume, when you are ready.

You have been tasked to select one design and use the questions below to consider your personal connection.

You might have said example, the theme summer.

This design makes me think of summer as we have more ice drinks and fresh fruit at this time.

However, in different parts of the world, with different climates, this might not relate to summer, or these foods might not be available.

For my own design, I'll consider other objects which could evoke the sense of seasons, warm and cool climates.

Okay, we have now arrived at our summary of objects in graphic communication.

Everyday objects can be used to convey meaning, messages, emotions, and ideas in graphic communication.

Designers use composition and layout techniques to guide the viewer's attention.

Contrast enhances visual communication by emphasising key elements.

While I hope you enjoyed this lesson, I look forward to seeing you again next time.

Take care.

Bye for now.