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Elements Of A Good Design
By Moonrise Productions (c) 2009

One resoundingly negative consequence of the amazing
advances in computing power over the last 25 or so years is
the notion, still popular despite constant debunking, that
all you need to be a designer today is to buy a computer
(usually a Macintosh).

When over-caffeinated pundits were first promoting the term
"desktop publishing" in the mid-1980s, many said the new
technology would result in so many great new print
publications (this was before the Internet boom) that it
would put the First Amendment into overdrive.

What really happened, of course, is that entirely
unqualified, untrained and untalented people got hold of a
Mac, a LaserWriter and some software and proceeded to crank
out a few metric tons of 300dpi landfill.

My, how judgmental, you may think. Oddly enough, for all the
counterculture tendencies of some, artists in general are
among the most judgmental and elitist folks around, and have
no problem observing (and saying) that people are not
"equal" when it comes to design talent.

A clever advertisement from that bygone "DTP" era promoted
a graphic design firm with the tagline, "Using Picasso's
paintbrush doesn't make you Picasso". Since this is a
principle and not a value judgment, it is as true now, and
will be as true in 2050, as it was then. Fact is, there are
elements of a good design that must be attended to and
contended with, no matter the medium - print, broadcast, web,
even mobile phone displays.

Classic Components

Think of the elements of design as the basic building
blocks. These elements will be part of everything you
design, from consumer products and furniture to magazine
pages and billboards, whether you know that or not. (For
now, we will restrict our discussion to the layouts that are
common to print and web publishing.) It should go without
saying, but very little does anymore, that understanding
these basic elements will enable you to create more powerful
pages for your packaging, ad, magazine or website.

At the most basic level, there are five elements in any
design:

1. Lines and Linework

These terms do not refer to pen-and-ink or pencil sketches,
but to borders, frames and rules. Horizontal or vertical,
thick or thin, regular or irregular, they help define and
delimit spaces around various elements on your pages. Good
linework increases both the readability and
"directionality" (see #5, below) of the design as a
whole.

2. Shape

Any enclosed area, form or contour in your design is a
shape. Shapes in most layouts are square or rectangular, but
nothing says they must be, and circles are useful, too. You
can also use images to create other, regular or irregular
shapes.

3. Texture

Texture imparts a "surface" feeling, and is tactile in
printed matter, so choosing the paper stock-matte, weave,
coated - is a design decision, too. Textures on layouts meant
for broadcast or the Internet are visual only, but still
key.

4. Color

Color is probably the element that most designers are at
least acutely aware of, if not schooled in. However, color
is not required in many designs, and some art educators
suggest creating designs without any color first. The
artist, in this view, should then add only as much color as
needed to enhance or complete the design. Another school of
thought holds that color should be one of the first elements
determined. Experience and experimentation will help every
artist develop a good color sense and strategy.

5. Direction

Effectively designed layouts, in magazines or on your
computer screen, usually have a sense of motion. A good
design will lead the reader's eyes through the design
deliberately, using color changes, shapes, linework and copy
placement to direct viewers' attention to what the designer
wants them to see.

Balance and Interest

Other considerations enter in to the process of making good
design choices, such as the feelings of space, balance,
action and even excitement. The important thing for young,
inexperienced designers to remember is that "less is
more". One can often identify the design work of a beginner
by a lack of open (or "negative") space, an overdose of
motion or color contrast, the proliferation of different
typefaces and conflicting directionality. Rather than pull
every tool and trick out of the bag, the designer needs to
remember the ultimate aim of the layout, which for pages in
print or on the web is quite simple: Draw the reader in so
you can deliver your message.

It seems much simpler after, say, three or four years in a
fast-paced, high quality, well-managed design studio. One of
the simpler ways of judging a page design is to ask, Does it
say "read me" when you look at it? Frankly, some print and
web pages look like the backside of a rental agreement,
while others seem designed to confuse the readers or test
their reactions to optical illusions.

The bottom line of good design is, quite simply, to attract
readers' attention, direct it in a particular way and, in
concert with the copywriting, make a positive impression. It
is, after all, "commercial art" at which most artists
work. It becomes much easier for them to do as they learn to
leave their egos out of it and simply do what is necessary,
proper and effective. If they are unable to do so, perhaps
they should go get one of Picasso's paintbrushes and be a
different kind of artist entirely.
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Moonrise Productions is a full services 'San Francisco web
design' (http://www.moonrisedesign.com/) company. They offer
complete design services, 'web application development'
(http://www.moonrisedesign.com/web_application_development.htm),
ecommerce development and more. With New York, San Diego, San
Francisco and a Los Angeles presence no matter where you are,
we've got people to serve you.
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