We live in a dynamic, visually-driven world with rapidly reducing attention spans. Graphic design is the backbone to communicate what a brand stands for – quickly and efficiently. From logos and websites to banner and brochure designs, it is an indispensable part of the user experience that a brand creates. If you are someone who’s looking forward to making a career in Graphic design, these principles are going to be your go-to.

While graphic design is inseparable from brand identity, it is important to keep in mind some of the principles that make the designs not just visually pleasant and relevant but also coherent and aligned with the brand’s objectives. Read ahead to find out how you can elevate your design using some of these.

Balance

To create a design that is functional and visually appealing, it is important to arrange the elements – the shapes, images, and typography – in a layout that creates a sense of even distribution and thus balance. The simplest way to do this of course is to create a symmetric design using the various elements. However, you don’t always have to make it symmetrical – you can play with the white space or negative space and create an asymmetric, yet balanced design that is visually appealing to the viewers. 

You could also arrange the elements radially – arranging the elements in a spiral or circular way. This is perfect for creating a sense of movement using simple shapes and forms. Creating balance makes it easier for the viewer to navigate through the page and enhances their experience.

Contrast

Contrast in terms of colors, sizes, textures, and more can be an important tool to draw attention to the important elements, creating a visual effect that resonates with the brand identity, and creating a sense of dynamism in the design. Creative design service providers use this principle to play with the focal point of the design and sometimes create a hierarchy between different shapes, texts, and more. 

Using lighter-colored texts on a dark background or pairing cursive letters with block letters are some examples of how we can use opposites in the same layout to create a clear and comprehensible design that would draw the user’s attention in a short period.

Harmony

Creating a harmonious design means using elements that are related to each other in some way. This adds to the aesthetic and makes the composition appear cohesive and hence pleasing to look at. You can use similar elements to create a sense of harmony too. What’s important though, is to make sure no element is over-used to avoid making the design look mundane and boring. 

Having a sense of harmony is crucial to graphic design, mostly because it elevates the image of the brand and reinforces the values, objectives, and identity that the brand is looking to create. 

Emphasis

Emphasizing the most important element in a design or composition can help it stand out and become easily accessible to the user. It is a great way to convey something important, highlight a crucial aspect, or just draw someone’s attention to a certain part. The easiest way to create an emphasis is to use a different, contrasting color, a bigger font, and so on. 

You would have seen how certain services are highlighted on hoardings, or how the title of a movie is highlighted in a poster – these are all examples of how emphasis can effectively and efficiently communicate an idea.

Repetition

You would have seen certain elements – shapes, text, color scheme – being repeated throughout a website or a brand’s social media. These are meant to create familiarity with a certain element that is unique to the brand, or something the brand wants to focus on. It can reinforce concepts or ideas that the brand believes in and is just the right tool to tie a composition together and make a brand website look cohesive and put together.

Proportion

If you are into graphic designing, you have probably heard people talk about altering the sizes of certain elements to make the design more appealing and seen memes about making the logo bigger. Proportion is an integral part of any design and can easily determine if the layout looks coherent and complete or messy and all over the place. 

Playing with proportions, that is, simply put, making certain texts bigger, adjusting the size of shapes and images according to the text and the negative space can create the biggest difference and hence is super important in graphic design.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy simply means giving importance to certain texts or visual elements rather than others aka prioritizing. This makes it easier for the user to browse through the website and adds to a better user experience. You could highlight the title by using a different color, or a bold text, or put a frame to highlight a piece of information – and the viewer would know exactly what you’re trying to convey without much effort.

Unity 

Using elements that are related to one another – are similar in terms of appearance or characteristics, is a great way to create unity. You can organize the shapes so they work together instead of standing out individually. This allows the viewer to concentrate and makes the overall composition appear sophisticated and chic.

Variety

Variety in terms of elements – like using structured and free-flowing pieces – breaks the mundane and draws the viewer to the composition. It is a great way to add a little fun and quirk to a design and engage people in what the brand is trying to portray. 

However, it is also something one needs to be careful with – while just the right amount can add to the aesthetic qualities, making a composition too eclectic can affect the user experience negatively.

Movement

Since the digital world is ever-changing, graphic designers need to create a sense of movement in their designs so the user is constantly intrigued and doesn’t get bored. Juxtaposing colors and using different types of lines and curves can create a sense of movement and help create a focal point, or map a way you’d want the viewer’s eyes to move. You can play with this tool to make the perfect landing page for a brand!

Whether you work for a company or are an experienced professional in the design field, knowing these graphic design principles will improve your work and make you look better. 

By using these concepts, you can make sure that your designs—from banners and brochures to websites and logos—effectively convey your brand’s identity and goals. To attract your audience and stay ahead of the competition, apply these ideas to your work.

If you want to elevate your design to new heights, enhance your brand’s presence today with Aportrophy Creative Services – the ideal companion for design excellence and growth. !