DESIGN PRINCIPLES | TASK 1: EXPLORATION

|| 13th February - 20th February
|| Kek Han Shin, 0352571
|| Design Principles
|| Task 1: Exploration

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Task 1 Details

🔰Task 1: Exploration (20% Individual)

You are to explore the various design principles taught in the module and observe works of design to apply your knowledge. All these must be documented in your blog.

• Task 1 blog link (make sure it is under the label of Design Principles GCD60804)

🔰Marking Criteria

Exhibits the ability to explore, observe and demonstrates an overall understanding of the design principles. 

🔰Marking Rubrics

Beginning (0-4) - Limited results. Lacking the sense of the overall understanding of design principles

Developing (5-9) - Shows some exploration and understanding of the design principles.

Mastering (10-15) - Has good observation and shows good understanding of the design principles.

Outstanding (16-20) - Integrates information from multiple sources and able to describe the principles accurately. 

🔰Learning Goal

• To explore and observe the various design principles.
• To identify an existing design with relevance to design principles and the chosen goal.

🔰Timeframe

Week 2 – Week 3

More details listed Module Information Booklet (MIB)⬇

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Design Principles

1. Gestalt Theory

• Principles/laws of human perception that describe how humans group similar elements, recognize patterns and simplify complex images when we are perceiving objects
•  influence hierarchy, informational grouping and readability
• "Gestalt" = "shape" / "form in German

Principles by Gestalt

Reference:
Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, August 30). What are the Gestalt Principles?.

👁Principle of similarity

• items sharing superficial characteristics, we perceive them as grouped
• often used in branding and design system guidelines 

    ⬆similarity is used to guide users - all buttons are designed similar to let user understand the buttons can be clicked; Sourced LINK

👁Principle of Continuation

• we group elements that seem to follow a continuous path in particular direction
• the eye follows the paths, lines, and curves of a design and prefers to see a continuous flow of visual elements rather than separated objects
• especially applies to typography

       

⬆continuation to guide eye reading movement, the right hand-side example doesn't disrupt readability and making more sense; Sourced LINK

👁Principle of Closure

• we automatically fill in gaps between elements to perceive a complete image
• we can use it creatively to gain users' trust and admiration
• when we see pleasing "wholes" made from cleverly placed lines, dots, shapes

⬆application of principle of closure in brand logos; Sourced LINK

👁Principle of Proximity

• objects placed close to each other are automatically understood as a group
• it is often used to define hierarchies in user interfaces

⬆groupings between bigger and smaller blocks creates consistency; Sourced LINK

👁Principle of Figure/Ground

• objects are perceived as either being in foreground or background
• we can apply figure/ground in many ways but chiefly to contrast elements - for example switching between light and dark theme

Rubin's Vase is a classic illustration that demonstrates the principles of figure/ground; Sourced LINK

👁Principle of Symmetry & Order

• elements that are symmetrical to each other are perceived as a unified group
• sometimes designers utilize grid systems to evenly divide spaces to help designers implement symmetry

2. Contrast

• is the juxtaposition of opposing elements
• form of contrast can be
• colors
• light/dark
• direction horizontal / vertical
• Why contrast is significant?
• eye catching
• it provides visual interest to emphasize a point
• aids organization of information

searched some contrasting design and tried categorizing into types of contrast; Sourced LINK and LINK

• Common mistakes when using contrast❗
• overusing contrast will make design look chaotic & confusing
  

  

  example of overusing contrast; Sourced LINK

  
  
• not using enough contrast makes design look flat & boring
  

  

  example of too less contrast ; Sourced LINK

  
  
• Using without clear purpose can make design look inconsistent and disjointed
  

  

  Inconsistent contrast makes indistinctive information hierarchy; Sourced LINK

  
  

2. Emphasis

Reference:
Lamp, L. (n.d.). Design in Art: Emphasis, Variety and Unity. Sophia. https://app.sophia.org/tutorials/design-in-art-emphasis-variety-and-unity

• emphasis - an area or object that draws attention and becomes focal point
• subordination - minimizing or toning down compositional elements to bring highlights to focal point 

as shown he red circle is the focal point of the composition; Sourced LINK

• same as contrast; color, shapes and value can be used to achieve dominance

Given example of emphasizing design; Sourced LINK

3. Balance

• refers to the distribution of visual weight in design work
• emphasis - an area or object that draws attention and becomes focal point
• subordination - minimizing or toning down compositional elements to bring highlights to focal point 
• 2 types of balance
• symmetrical
  📝has equal arrangement of elements either horizontally/vertically/radially
  

  

  example showing symmetrical design in buildings and artworks, Sourced LINK

  
  
• asymmetrical
  📝unequal visual weight resulting a dominant element, being balanced by lesser focal point on other side
  📝in below example,balance is achieved with the size and curve of the wave and the boats full of people diagonally underneath it. Also, a section of another wave on the far right balances out the movement happening on the left

The Hokusai wave, source LINK

4. Repetition

• repeating a single element multiple times in a design
• it creates
• rhythm
  📝when repeating elements, intervals between repetitions creates a sense of rhythm and a sense of movement
  📝examples can be wavy shorelines, falling snow or traffic movements
• pattern
  📝a repetition of more than one design element working in concert with each other
• with different variety of repetition increases visual excitement by enriching surface interest

examples of repetition, pattern and rhythm; Sourced LINK

5. Movement

• design leads the eye through certain path that the focal objects seem to be moving
• movement can come in
• shapes
• form
• lines
• curves

example of art piece that applies movement; Sourced LINK

• in design above, the brush strokes boldly flows from a point to another across the art piece, this creates a sense of movement to the eye of viewer, also they utilize the flow to draw viewer attention to the texts

6. Harmony & Unity

Harmony

• selection of elements that share a common trait such as
• adjacent colors
• similar shapes
• related textures
• it brings in unity, but with all harmony and all contrast can become monotonous

https://www.johnlovett.com/harmony 

In the painting above the harmonious, repeating rectangles are relieved by the contrasting round forms of the pots and flowers

Source LINK

Besides contrasting, a choice of limited color pallet provides the design a sense of harmony, pulling the elements together.

Unity

• refers to the state or quality of being in harmony and accord
• kinds of unity
• visual unity
• conceptual unity
• unity is important has it leads to more order and organization
• the more elements are unified, the focus of message to be conveyed
• design principles can assist to achieve visual unity like
• contrast
• repetition
• alignment
• proximity

Source LINK

With example above, the message are conveyed in a structured manner through the unity of colors, font size, shapes. Viewer can immediately understand the hierarchy and topic for the infographic.

7. Symbol

Symbols are able to provide information by taking up only small amount of space or minimal strokes.

Above presents 2 main categories of representations, and symbols can be divided into:

• Pictorial symbols
  🟡Images related or simplified pictures that resemble the objects they present.
  🟡Example: traffic sign with a silhouette of a locomotive
  

  

  Shutterstock

• Abstract symbols
  🟡Can look like objects they represent but less details
  🟡Example: found in airports and in travel guides
  

  

  Source: LINK

• Arbitrary symbols
  🟡invented out of the designer's imagination
  🟡no resemblance to the ideas they represent
  🟡usually based on geometric shapes and colors
  

  

  Source LINK

8. Word and Image

• imagery is vital part of design
• to design effectively, we have to use suitable and relevant images
• for wording, choosing the right word to pair with the imagery is also crucial
• suitable typeface
• strategic positioning
• results in visual hierarchy and balance

Source LINK

Above design has larger part of images, and minimal words that aids and strengthen the message the images bring

Source LINK

In above example, the message is conveyed mainly through descriptive text, there are images and figures to strengthen the focal message from texts.

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SDG Design Work

United Nations SDG 14: Life Below Water

💧About

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

💧Description

This SDG aims to achieve several key goals including:

• Reduce marine pollution of all kinds
• Manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystem
• Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology

Above are all crucial as we can ensure the long-term sustainability of our marine resources and build a healthier future for all.

💧Contribution

In order to working towards protecting and sustainably managing our oceans, international bodies had made coordinates of work such as UN Ocean Decade, Convention on Biological Diversity.

In terms of national or local initiatives, countries are establishing networks of protected areas safeguarding critical marine habits and species; promoting plastic pollution awareness. Local communities also initiated volunteering programs to protect coastal resources from overfishing and plastic pollution.

SDG 14 Design Poster

🐟Greenpeace No Plastic, by Salih Kızılkaya

Credit  

Title: Greenpeace No Plastic

Artist: Salih Kızılkaya

Year: November 24th 2018

Size: N/A

Medium: Poster/Photoshop

Source: LINK

This design poster is designed by Salih Kızılkaya in response to Greenpeace's "#NOPLASTIC" initiative. Greenpeace is an international organization for environmental causes and has initiated this plastic pollution awareness campaign. This poster is one of the designs from his "NOPLASTIC" work collection. The artist uses plastics waste such as grocery bags, bottle caps to craft out various marine animal looking form like fishes and penguins as shown in the poster above. I chose this poster to correlate with SDG 14 because it fulfils its target 14.1, reducing marine pollution. Plastic is one of the main pollutant substance to the ocean, its micro-forms not only endangering marine ecosystems but also jeopardizing food security. Hence this plastic pollution awareness poster implemented in social medias creates impact by advocating responsible plastic disposal, contributing to SDG 14.

🐟Design Principle

• symbol
• contrast & emphasis
• repetition

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Feedback/Tutorial

✍🏼Week 2

- Mr. Zeon brief us about general module requirements and the assignment submitting procedures

- I presented Mr. Zeon of the artwork I have selected as shown below

Artwork by Anna Ancher

- the feedback is that because this artwork is more towards expressive painting design principle applied would be more subtle

- suggested to find posters or photography

✍🏼Week 3

- not allowed to use lecture slides material

- for the poster, can combine the principle of emphasis and contrast as these 2 are applied together (yellow and black)

Reflection

✍🏼Week 1

During week 1 I have an overview of the upcoming module during online lecture. I feel that week 1 lecture contents are quite many hence had took some time to finish them all. I am intrigued by the principles as although they sounded like common sense I like how they play a role to construct good design

✍🏼Week 2

The search for the right artwork is harder than expected, the first artwork I selected has only few design principles. I found out that although it might seem like it, the design principles I come out with doesn't match with the artwork so I have to search for another one. But throughout the practice I managed to come up with the correct design principles applied. 

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Further Reading

Universal Principles of Design

- William Lidwell, Kritna Holden, Kill Butler

LINK

⚫80/20 Rule
- asserts that approximately 80 percent of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20 percent of the variables

- this rule is useful for focusing resources and realizing greater efficiencies in design

- when redesigning systems to make them more efficient, make them more efficient, focusing on 

aspects on the system beyond the critical 20 percent yields diminishing returns 

⚫Depth of Processing

- a phenomenon of memory in which information that is analyzed deeply is better recalled, than information being analyzed superficially

- the key determining factors as to how deeply information is processed are distinctiveness of the information, the relevance of the information and the degree to which the information is elaborated

⚫Entry Point

- a point of physical or attentional entry into a design

- the initial impression greatly influences subsequent perceptions and attitudes

- The rules for an effective entry point

   ✅minimal barriers

   ✅points of prospect 

Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking

- Nielson Norman group

LINK

⚫What is it? Empathy mapping is a collaborative design tool used to understand a user's perspective.

Benefits: It helps designers and product developers gain insights into user needs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

⚫Structure: The empathy map typically has four quadrants: Says (what the user hears/reads), Thinks (what the user thinks/believes), Does (what the user does), Feels (what the user feels/experiences).

⚫Process: The team gathers information about the user through research (interviews, surveys, etc.) and populates each quadrant of the map with relevant details.

⚫Outcome: A completed empathy map provides a holistic view of the user's experience, helping teams make informed design decisions that cater to user needs.

⚫Additional Tips: The article emphasizes the importance of using real user quotes and avoiding assumptions during the process. It also suggests using empathy mapping throughout the design process, not just in the initial stages.