All posts by Kwame Abotsi
Visual Balance/Flow
Visual Hierarchy/Emphasis
Visual Unity/Variety
What is graphic design?
Graphic design should be able to interpret to the audience. It’s not as simple as i first thought it was. Logos, texts over pictures? No. There’s more to it. A design means nothing without a meaning. Graphic design has being underestimated more often than not. Quick example, Gorilla glue and Moco de Gorila. These two products have almost the same colors on their labels, same names too. If both were in the same cabinet, i bet most people would always choose wrongly depending on they’d be using them for.
This is a clear example of graphic design. Two different products, two different companies, two different graphic designers. But they came up with almost the same idea. Their designs communicate differently to the audience but it now depends on the audience to now be able to tell what each design means.
The Process of Graphic Design
The graphic design process is a tedious one. The beginning stage could be very difficult depending on the type of project. A client might come in with everything in hand or the graphic designer would have to start from scratch. Choosing colors, fonts, size, etc. The design should be able to tell a story so the graphic designer creates more than one design and compares them to the story or project at hand. If it doesn’t capture the audience was the process really worth it?
Showing your work to close associates also is part of the design process. Putting your work up for criticism helps know how well to go about it and also if any changes need to made, you make them before handling over to the client. Once the design is able to speak visually to the audience, i then believe that the process was worth it. Its not a beautiful one, but a fulfilling one.
What a graphic designer does
Initially, i did not know what graphic designer did. If you asked me, I’d say they make posters. Logos too. I thought their job was just to put text over pictures. I never thought that there was more to their work.
A graphic designer tells a story through their works and making them meaningful. Their works serves as a visual message. They are able to get their message across with whatever projects they’re working on, be it website UX design, logos etc. They also help their clients achieve their goal by reaching an audience with their art. Graphic designers could also be called commercial artists. Before the computer, graphic designers worked with what they had, paint brushes and paint, canvas, papers, etc. The emergence of the computer has given them an easier space to work and bring has put all the old ways of designing into one place.
When I first took this class remember we worked on a few projects. One that stood out to me was when we were asked to create an invitation card for an art museum. An invitation card that would let people in on what was happening at a particular museum. We all shared ideas as young designers and critiqued each other’s work. It really helped us churn out beautiful works. This is what I believe it means to be a graphic designer. Now I know it is not limited to creating logos and putting texts over pictures or creating party flyers. One thing bothers me still. Is every graphic designer okay being criticized, or some really take it to heart?
Introduction
Hi my name is Jeffrey Kwame Abotsi, I mostly go by Kwame because I hate my first name. Please don’t ask me why. I’m in my second semester at BMCC and i major in Multimedia Programming and Design. I am a certified introvert. That’s how I would describe myself. I don’t have a lot of friends because I enjoy my own company. I believe I have just about 5 friends. I first took this class in my first year but did not pass due to the study from home thing. I got so comfortable and lazy that I did not do most of my course work so I had to retake it this semester. Hopefully I pass this time. A word that describes me is FREE.
