Basic Design Principles Part 1

Basic Design Principles Part 1

by: Kelly Paal

There are some very basic design principles that are important to know whether you’re a graphic designer, web designer, or even a photographer. Certain very basic design principles apply to all artistic fields and are necessary for the artist and valuable information for the consumer.

Line (s)

The world we live in is three dimensional but when we try to represent that world in art we use lines, a very simplistic way of trying to represent the three dimensional world around us. But by knowing how to use lines in art we can make a very good sometimes great representations of the world around us.

Lines of Direction

Horizontal, a horizontal line usually represents a feeling of rest or relaxation, think of a puppy asleep on the floor. That is a horizontal line. Stability is also conveyed through a horizontal line, think of a table or a large building.

Vertical, a vertical line usually brings to mind strength and sometimes action. Think of a tall tree, its strong vertical line shows strength. A vertical line can show action especially when it’s compared to a horizontal line.

Diagonal, a diagonal line always suggests movement. Imagine a football player running if you draw a line from the top of his head to his heel you will see a diagonal line. Diagonal lines always get our attention for the action they imply.

Curved, a curved line can suggest many things. The curved line of a sagging roof can indicate weakness and a curved line of a dancers arm can indicate gracefulness.

Remember lines convey thoughts and feelings and every line you use in your design helps to convey your message.

Shape (s)

Lines form shapes and from those shapes we get positive and negative shapes, or spaces.

Positive shapes are always the objects in an image or design. It’s important to pay attention to your positive shapes their size, placement, and their balance in reference to:

Negative shapes, these are always the shape formed from the space around your object.

By paying attention to the balance of your positive and negative shapes you can make sure that your designs or images have good balance.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography and Design Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/vweb/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. She owns her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 14, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Optimize your Photos for the Web

Optimize your Photos for the Web

by: Kelly Paal

It doesn’t matter if your emailing photos of your grandson or putting images of your latest product on your online store. Too many people don’t consider optimizing their photos for the web. We’ve all been on too many web pages where it seemed that the photos would never load, and sometimes they didn’t. So here are some steps to make sure that your photos show up on your site.

1. Always have a back up original format copy of your image. Never alter the original. Believe me you will regret it.

2. Crop to size. Make sure that you crop out any extra information that isn’t needed. Remember the larger the photo the longer it takes to load or send.

3. Resize to reduce pixels. There should be an option to resize according to pixels. You’re going to want the largest size to be no more than 250 pixels or you can reduce the dpi to no more than 96.

4.Reduce the color palette. Many images have millions of colors so the first thing that you need to do is reduce the colors to 256. You will lose some depth with this.

5. Save the file in a standard format. JPEG is the most common for photos and you can compress the image with a JPEG for further reduction in file size. It’s not unusual to see GIF or PNG as well.

Remember that with a 56k connection a 150k file will take 20 seconds to load. If you’re creating a web page every photo that you add will add to the time it takes to download all of the images. If you keep the images small in size the smaller resolution will not be as obvious.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on August 03, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Guidelines for Printing Great Photos at Home

Guidelines for Printing Great Photos at Home

by: Kelly Paal

So you have this great digital camera and you’ve taken lots of great photos. Now what? Well you could go to a store and have them print your images for you, but isn’t that what you did with film? The point of all this great digital technology is that you can print your own photos at home without having to pay someone else to do it. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. It’ll seem like a lot of money at first but spend the money to get a good printer. Six color at least. Ink jets are wonderful for printing snapshots. You won’t need more than that. Also look around at the computer brands that sell computer packages for digital printing, the printer that they recommend is perfect for printing photos at home.

2. Buy some photo editing software. There are lots of brands out there many of them for pros but you can easily find software under one hundred dollars that will have lots more options than you will ever use. Look for software that has automatic settings so that the computer can automatically color correct, auto focus, brighten, or darken, etc. At least until you learn number 3.

3. Learn your equipment. Take the time play with the settings. Don’t try to print perfect photos right away. Most people with a little time and practice can learn to do basic photo special effects. Give yourself the time to learn.

4. There is one place that you are going to have to spend some money and it’s on paper. You can have a great image but unfortunately you cannot skimp on paper. Get the nice thick glossy paper, it’s worth it. I’ve tried the cheaper paper, which is good for test prints, but you need the high quality stuff for good prints.

5. DPI, dots per inch. Depending on your printer and your software you may be able to print up to 1200 dpi which is probably unnecessary for what you’re doing. For up to a 4 by 6 inch print you only need about 300 dpi. Most people cannot see the difference between a 300 dpi an a 600 dpi at 4 by 6 inches. For 5 by 7 or 8 by 10 you can go up to 600 dpi.

These steps will help you on your way to printing great digital photos at home. Remember though make sure that you have fun printing all those memories.

FYI Just so that you have a frame of reference, I’m a professional photographer and I have a six color ink jet that I paid less than $300 for and photo editing software that I paid less than $100. I print my 5 by 7 images for shows at 600 dpi.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on August 03, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Basic Design Principles Part 2

Basic Design Principles Part 2

by: Kelly Paal

Tone and Texture

This specifically applies to drawings more than photography, but tone and texture are very important. Tone refers to shading of light and dark on an object and texture is the visual and tactile surface characteristics of an object.

Here’s a list of things that affect the tone and texture of an objects appearance.

1. The direction from which the light is coming. (Left, right, above, behind, or below.)

2. The intensity of the light. (Candlelight or sunlight.)

3. The type of light (Light from the setting sun or flash.)

4. Objects standing between the light source and your subject or object. (Light passing through a thin fabric.)

5. The color and texture of the object. (A fuzzy blanket looks a lot different than a piece of granite.)

Light and Shade

Light always travels in a straight line and depending on the location of the light the object or subject can look dramatically different. To understand this principle get a roll of film a light source, a lamp, an object or a family member. Take a series of photos of your subject start with the light source at twelve o’clock take each successive photo moving the light source to each position on the clock. When you look at your photos you will be amazed at how different your subject looks in each image. This exercise is great for anyone wanting to understand how light changes the look of a subject.

Shade

Shade or shadow and more commonly known as contrast is the degree of difference between the light and dark areas. An image with very black blacks and very light whites has high contrast. An image that is mostly shades of gray has low contrast. Contrast is determined by the intensity of the light source. Adjusting the contrast can help you create a very realistic image or a fantastic one.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography and Design Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/vweb/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. She owns her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 14, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Why Stock Photography is a Great Resource for Web

Why Stock Photography is a Great Resource for Web Business

by: Kelly Paal

A picture is worth a thousand words.

And it still is today. With the media changing everyday photography has changed along with it and as a result is still a valuable resource for web business.

Photos enhance the look of a website.

Communicate so much more than words, they communicate emotions.

Photos can be customized for borders and backgrounds.

Photos have more impact than clip art. (They tend to give a more professional look.)

Stock photography is a big business and affordable stock is out there.

As a web business you’re most likely a small business and have a limited budget and that’s where stock photography can be great resource for you. You can spend as little as $10.00 or as much as $200.00 plus on one image. (Consider that if you hired a professional commercial photographer to shoot a few rolls of film to your specifications it would cost you thousands and thousands of dollars.)

Things to remember when shopping for stock photography:

Know what you want, start with a generic idea and get specific as you shop (Remember you probably will not find the exact image that you have in your head, be open to good photos that you find along the way.)

Shop around, try the larger agencies try the independents too. (Larger agencies offer more to chose from independent photographers offer more personalized service.)

Know what you’re going to use it for, stock photography belongs to the photographer who created it, or the agency, so know what you need it for there can and will be limitations of use.

Know what format you need, you only need 72 dpi for the web, be careful that you don’t pay for a higher quality when you don’t need it. (300 dpi for printing purposes)

Know your terms for the industry, Make sure that you know what the difference is between royalty free and rights managed, and any other terms the business may use. If something is not clear on their site contact them and ask for clarification.

So remember you can add a little more impact and emotion to your site by making use of the stock photography out there today.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on August 03, 2004

by Kelly Paal

What is Good Content?

What is Good Content?

by: Kelly Paal

I’ve read that a good web site is all about content, content, and oh yes content. Now if you’ve managed to design your site so that you can fill it with great content, what next, how do you know what good content is?

This may be one of those things that you know it when you see it kind of thing but I think that there are a few basic points to make in regards to having good content on your site. Considering how important content is we should all really focus on adding good content to our sites.

Relevant. Your content must be relevant to your site. Why would you have articles or information that has nothing to do with whatever it is that you’re selling. You would think that this would be obvious but I’ve seen web sites that just have gobs of information that really doesn’t match their site.

Accurate. The information that you give must be accurate. Part of the reason that you’re adding content to your site is to add to your reputation as a knowledgeable person in your field so if your information isn’t accurate then you don’t look like you know what you’re doing.

Free. Now if you make your living by selling information then not all of your content should be free but some of it should. How are people going to know that you know what you’re doing if they can’t read or see any of your work. I sell stock photography and I offer all of my short informational articles for free, not only because I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience but it allows my customers to see that I know what I’m doing.

One last point but I’m not giving it as much importance as the first three, it would be ideal if all of your content was your own. Now there are exceptions to this, if you can’t write well then there is no point to writing poor articles with good information. The good information will be lost in the lack of writing ability. So it’s okay to use some of the free content, furnished by others, on your site. (Don’t forget to give them credit for their work though.) If you can create your own content I think that it the best case scenario for adding good content to your site.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography and Design Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/vweb/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2005 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. She owns her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on March 08

by Kelly Paal

Graphic Design Using Color

Graphic Design Using Color

by: Kelly Paal

Color is everywhere and conveys a message even if we don’t realize it. While this message can vary by culture it pays to know what colors ขsayข in your own corner of the universe, and even what color means to your target market.

If you don’t think that color speaks just complete this sentence, ขred means and green means –ข even a child will know what red means stop and green means go. If such simple ideas work for all of a given culture or market what could it mean to the graphic design of your website, brochure, or product if you know some of this information.

First let’s start with the basics. The color wheel. We’ve all seen it. The color wheel shows the basic colors, each wheel is different in how many shades of each color is shown, but they are essentially the same.

Color harmony, colors that go together well. These will be colors that are next door to each other on the color wheel. Such as blue and green. In reference to clothes these colors match each other. Instinctively most of us know which colors go together when we dress ourselves every morning.

Color complements, colors that set each other off, they complement each other. These are colors that are opposite on the color wheel. Such as blue and orange.

Color depth, colors can recede or jump forward. Remember that some colors seem to fall back such as blue, black, dark green, and brown. Other colors will seem to step forward such as white, yellow, red, and orange. This is why if you have a bright orange background it may seem to fight with any text or images that you place on it. The orange will always seem to move forward.

Now you have the basics so let’s go further. Just because to colors go together or complement each other doesn’t mean that yo necessarily want to use them on your project. I opened this article with the meaning of colors now here is an example, keep in mind this is one example from western culture.

Color Survey: what respondents said colors mean to them.

Happy = Yellow

Pure = White

Good Luck = green

Good tasting = Red (tomato)

Dignity = Purple

Technology = Silver

Sexiness = Red (tomato)

Mourning = Black

Expensive = Gold

Inexpensive = Brown

Powerful = Red (tomato)

Dependable = Blue

High Quality = Black

Nausea = Green

Deity = White

Bad Luck = Black

Favorite color = Blue

Least favorite color = Orange

So in designing your project it’s important to know what colors mean. You can now see why a black back ground with green type would be bad, beyond being nearly impossible to read, if your target market thinks that black represents mourning and green makes them sick. There are exceptions to every rule of course.

So you may want to include some research in what colors mean to your target market. Colors that would get the attention of a teen would probably annoy an older person and the colors that appeal to the older person wouldn’t get a second look from a young person.

Color may be one of the most overlooked aspects of design.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on August 03, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website

Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website

by: Kelly Paal

We’ve all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make you cringe as soon as they load. But how do you keep your website from becoming, well, ugh. You could hire a professional web designer, and that’s expensive, or maybe you already hired a professional, or someone who claims to be professional, and you don’t like what they’re doing with your site. It all comes down to the K.I.S.S. principle; keep it simple stupid. And you’re probably asking well what does this really mean for web design.
Here are some basic graphic design/web design principles that you can use on your site:
1. Background, be careful what color you use for the background of your site. Yes I know that you’re trying to get noticed, but really they’ve already decided to look at your page so why does it have to be orange? Seriously though, consider how long you want people to be on your site, half an hour, one hour, more? Whatever the time chose your background color and then sit in front of your computer and stare at it, for awhile. Is the color easy to look at? Difficult? Does it make your eyes water? Does it make you calm? If you can look at the color for about fifteen minutes without a problem you’re okay.
2. Text, related to the above be careful what text color you use. Follow the rules above for determining a text color. It should be easy to read, and look at.
3. Font, no more that three fonts on the entire website. I mean that! A big mistake that I see a lot of times is the use of more than three different fonts, it get’s hard to read no matter how neat you think it looks.
4. Font size, no more that three font sizes either. Now I don’t mean three font sizes for each of the three fonts you’ve chosen. I mean no more than three fonts with a total of three sizes throughout the entire site, and if you can get by with less even better. It will simplify your site.
5. Scrolling, this is a big one literally. I’ve been on too many sites where I had to scroll down so far that my computer beeped at me. This is really important on your main page. Keep it very sparse, generally any information that someone has to scroll more than one full page down for will not be read.
This is only a start of course but it’s a start and it is on these issues that I see so many problems. Always remember that simplicity is best.
Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on July 02, 2004

by Kelly Paal

Simple Steps to a Great Banner Ad

Simple Steps to a Great Banner Ad

by: Kelly Paal

Everyone is using them now and if you’re planning on creating your own banner ad then there are some things that you should know.

Standard Size

I’ll admit I made this mistake. I was too caught up in creating a really nice looking design that I made something that was not the standard size. Now it wasn’t much off the norm but when I found out I promptly changed the size. Keep to standards. I know that if your ad is slightly larger it may get more attention but if we all start doing this where will it stop? Creating an ad that is larger than standard is not the way to get attention. And in many places they will require you to keep to the industry standard.

Content

This must be short, simple, and very direct. You’ve really got to simplify this. I know that this is hard but there is not a lot of room on these banner ads and the more information that you try to cram on there the less likely that someone will read, or try to read it. Keep it to a few words, if you can’t manage to say what you want in a few words enlist the help of friends and family, ask them to define what it is that you do, or sell in five words or less. You may get a really clever saying to use by doing this.

Color and Animation

Keep colors eye catching but easy to look at and make sure that they match your site. Maybe it’s just me that prefers this but I’ve clicked on banner ads that looked really great and ended up on these hideous web pages. Try to match your ads to the look of your website.

Animation, please, please, please keep this simple and a short download. I don’t know how many times I’ve clicked off a page before the banner ad animation even started. Please make sure that you run your ad several times. Have others watch it, make sure that the download is reasonable. Don’t assume that everyone has DSL. Now you also don’t have to make allowances for older computers or bad connections but most of the country now has enhanced or accelerated connections. Make sure that your ad downloads quickly on an accelerated connection and you’re doing fine.

Call to Action

Apparently we’re all still highly suggestible since studies show that call to action words still work. Things like: call now, click here, and buy now. Try to work some call to action words into your content if you can, it won’t hurt.

Lastly for those of you working at home, or running your own business. Never underestimate the value of family and friends for critiques. They may not be able to tell you what is wrong with the way your ad looks but if they look at it and only say, ขEh, it’s okay.ข Then don’t use it. We all instinctively know what looks right or wrong. If you ask around and don’t get positive feedback from family and friends who love you and want your business to succeed then what do you think that a total stranger is going to think? Also before you even start creating your own ad, look around at what everyone else is doing. Decide what you like and don’t like about other ads that you see. And then don’t make the same mistakes.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

This article was posted on August 03, 2004

by Kelly Paal