Graphic design plays a critical role in brand-building and at the same time, in showcasing your skill-sets. Although branding and design are an inseparable experience, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of graphic design before embarking on any new assignment. When working with clients, you get only one opportunity to make a strong first impression, so why not infuse their experience with your knowledge and application of design elements to a range of projects — social media graphics, web and app UI, videos, banners, advertisements, et al.

Of course, as a designer, don’t worry about drawing outside the lines and having fun whilst doing it! In fact, you must frequently color outside the lines to pull away from a mediocre or a repetitive design structure, but, the beginners must first know what those prescribed lines are. So, let’s understand the ten basic design principles that will help you create stunning graphics.

We have to learn here are,

• The principles of design


• BALANCE – Balance in design is similar to balance in physics. A large shape close to the center can be balanced by a small shape close to the edge. Balance provides stability and structure to a design. It’s the weight distributed in the design by the placement of your elements.


• PROXIMITY – Proximity creates a relationship between elements. It provides a focal point. Proximity doesn’t mean that elements have to be placed together, it means they should be visually connected in some way.


• ALIGNMENT – Allows us to create order and organization. Aligning elements allows them to create a visual connection with each other.


• REPETITION – Repetition strengthens a design by tying together individual elements. It helps to create association and consistency. Repetition can create rhythm (a feeling of organized movement).


• CONTRAST – Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements (opposite colors on the color wheel, or value light/dark, or direction – horizontal/vertical). Contrast allows us to emphasize or highlight key elements in your design.


• SPACE – Space in art refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within elements. Both positive and negative space are important factors to be considered in every design.


• COLOUR – Colour is light reflected off objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue or its name (red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).


• TYPOGRAPHY - Much like color, typography conveys mood and tone. Choose fonts that communicate your brand’s voice and style or are relevant to the message you’re trying to convey. As a rule of thumb, use no more than 3 different fonts per graphic, any more than this can make the design seem unstructured and disjointed. You should also make sure they complement each other by combining sizes, weights, and a mixture of serif and san serif styles.


• HIERARCHY - Hierarchy can be accomplished in a variety of ways — larger or bolder fonts, placing your most important message physically higher than other pieces of information, or using shapes to frame the focal point. Utilizing this principle in your design starts with your message first and the goals of your design.


• CONCLUSION - Ultimately, you’ll find that you can design icons, magazines, web pages, and even wedding scrapbooks using the 5 basic graphic design principles Ellen and Jennifer discuss in their class. Beyond the 5 basic principles, students can take their knowledge further by exploring advanced graphic design essentials like layers, transparency, time and motion, and gestalt psychology. The key takeaway from this course? Graphic design is all about relationships — the relationships between one design element and another, that element and the page, and that element and yourself.