Creating Motion in 2-D
kin·es·the·sia noun 1. The sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. 2. The sensation of moving in space. Origin: 1875–80; Greek kin ( eîn ) to move, set in motion. ki·net·ic adjective 1. Of, relating to, or resulting from motion. 2. (of a work of art) Depending on movement for its eff ect. I am highly kinesthetic. I love movement and touch. In fl at, two dimensional (2-D) graphic design, that translates to a love for active, kinetic...
read moreGrids
Excerpted from a post by Antonio Carusone, TheGridSystem.org Behind most professional page layouts lies an invisible grid system. This page, for example , is overlaid on a classic 12-column grid. I recently came across a website dedicated to grids (!!) and this article challenging some misconceptions about their usefulness in graphic design. #1 GRIDS ARE A DESIGN TREND. Grids have been in use long before graphic design became a discipline. During the 13th- and 14th-centuries,...
read moreHow We Decide
Review of How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer Born of a science writer’s difficulty choosing which Cheerios to buy, How We Decide takes us on a fascinating ride through the human brain, exploring the edge between emotion and reason in our deciding process. THE VALUE OF FEELINGS The feeling part of the brain is an ancient and finely tuned instrument for survival. It can detect danger and discord long before the conscious...
read moreColor: When Less is More
The Zen arts teach never to use more when less will do. One place this principle can be applied in graphic design is in the use of color. Visual layouts often contain several competing colors (or hues) when a single hue in various shades (black added) or tints (white added) or tones (gray added) could have been more...
read moreA Brief History of Graphic Design
Source: Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fourth Edition. 2006. Starting with ancient pictograms on cave walls, visual communications date back to at least 10,000 BC. These graphic representations of ideas are still widely used today as ‘icons’ and transcend language and literacy barriers. Though movable type printing originated in 105 AD, reading for education and communication purposes didn‘t gain momentum until the 1400′s, with the introduction of Johann Gutenberg’s printing...
read moreWhat’s Emotion Got to Do With It?
With thanks to Dan Hill, author of Emotionomics: Leveraging Emotions for Business Success (and an apology to Tina Turner) Breakthroughs in brain science have confirmed what we all instinctively know. People are primarily emotional decision makers, who evaluate matters quickly and intuitively, and communicate their truest responses non-verbally. Emotional reactions are then justified with rational thought. Two scientific tools, facial coding and eye tracking, can...
read more22 Immutable Laws of Branding
by Al and Laura Ries, Ries and Ries Focusing Consultants 1. EXPANSION. The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope 2. CONTRACTION. A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus 3. PUBLICITY. The birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising 4. ADVERTISING. Once born, a brand needs advertising to stay...
read moreWord Art
Wordle is a toy for generating ‘word clouds’ from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your...
read moreTop Ten Photo Tips of All Time
by David Pogue for Graphics.com 1. TAKE A LOT OF SHOTS. Once you’ve bought the camera, digital photography is free. And if you ask any professional the secret to great photographic results, one of the first things you’ll hear is, “Shoot a lot.” It increases the odds that, somewhere in that pile of pictures, there are some true gems 2. HALF PRESS THE BUTTON TO ELIMINATE SHUTTER LAG. Shutter lag is the maddening time it takes for compact...
read moreHope in Hard Times
A Collection of Quotes on Adversity • In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. • The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter. • Crisis doesn’t develop character, crisis reveals character. • Adversity introduces a man to...
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