Research. Research. Research. To create with intent, you must have done some research on the subject matter or medium in which you are creating. Sure creating with no purpose can be freeing and in the moment, but will that work have the lasting impression that all great work does? Research can only help develop a thought or an idea, so why not use research to develop design too?
DUALITY
Duality: the quality or state of having two parts.
Duality. Is there a better time to talk about duality than mid-week? Just like in human nature, duality is a constantly reoccurring element of design. Even in early religious art, the theme of duality is a focal point.
Duality in art and design makes a statement. Sparking conversation can be an effective strategy in branding. Although, make sure you are sparking the right conversation with your statement.
MESITA
Mesita, meaning little table in Spanish. This young, small scale, vineyard creates beauty by cultivating less than desirable soil to work for their vines.
Logo and wine label created by Calle Bonita Studios.
SYMMETRY
Symmetry: the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis.
When something looks visually pleasing there is often a level of symmetry involved. Perfect symmetry though, can confuse the eye. Adding a focal point to direct the eye is essential if there is an element of focus that should be created. Symmetry can also be lost if there is no object to focus on. Don’t let perfect symmetry take over the image. Let symmetry contribute to the overall goal, but not be the leading scorer.
VISION
Developing a clear vision can be a challenge for both designer and client. Some clients can come to you with a clear vision. You have two options then, create exactly that vision or create a version of their vision developed beyond their expectation. In the end it’s up to the client to choose their vision for their brand, but showing a few options can never hurt.
Pattern Me Pretty
Pattern: The composition of structural features such as color, line, texture, and shape.
Patterns are everywhere. I mean everywhere! Patterns can be composed, in nature, in science, in mathematics, in poems, and even in negative space. There are so many possible inspirations for developing a pattern. Where to start?! My processes stars by deciding if the pattern will be a primary pattern or a secondary pattern. My next step is letting my creativity run wild with inspiration while keeping the project objective in prospective.
#DesignGoals
Goals: A desired result achieved by implementing a plan to reach a final objective.
What is the goal of your current design project? The answer should come easily, but often it doesn't. Design goals are often multi-faceted. We can create work that solves on goal, but does it create problems in the larger picture? Broadening your focus and critically solving each design challenge with the larger context in prospective, will save time and money.
def. of CREATIVITY: PLAY
People have defined creativity before. Is creativity as easily defined as we may think? No. The act of being creative is as diverse as every person who has had a creative thought. There is an infinite number of mediums to express creativity, so play. Play to create. Creativity is not madness. Madness is not fulfilling creativity.
PERSPECTIVE
Perspective: Any method by which a three-dimensional space is represented on a flat surface. Linear, aerial (or atmospheric), isometric, cabinet, and reverse perspective are most commonly used.
The air that we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air that we breathe. - Edgar Degas
Having perspective in visual design, is creating visual context for the viewer. By creating the appropriate perspective you are able to depict a scene with greater realism, and hopefully creating more than just a visual experience. When an artist has the ability to create great perspective the viewer can ofter feel drawn or pulled in to the artwork, or even that they are placed within the artwork. Each medium of art has many was of creating perspective, but it is a true skill to develop overwhelming real perspective.
INFORMAL BALANCE
Informal Balance: A casual, unpredictable distribution of visual weight which does not use opposing halves. It is usually devised by intuition rather than analysis, and in visual esthetic design, it may be used more frequently than symmetrical and asymmetrical balancing schemes.
Most of us try to achieve balance in our lives, whether it is physical or emotional. If only we looked up every once in a while, we’d realize that balance is all around us; it might be informal, but it’s there. Great branding allows us to envision a certain brand or company’s products embedded in our own lives. One technique to achieve this is informal balance. The juxtaposition is not blatantly symmetrical or explicit, but natural. It looks like the product or brand being sold could just slide right in to your life without conflict. Sounds easy, but even informal balance is designed with thought and intention. You just need to find it.
Grouping Proximity, Contiguity Grouping
Proximity Grouping: A special case of similarity grouping in which it is predicted that things which occur together in space will appear to belong together and those which are separated in space will appear to belong apart. It is grouping by similarity of location.
Contiguity Grouping: A special case of similarity grouping in which it is predicted that things which occur together in time will appear to belong together and those which occur at different times will appear to belong apart. It is grouping by similarity of occurrence in time.
Grouping is a vital tool in branding when trying to develop behavioral conditioning. When you have established behavioral conditioning, your customer knows what to expect from your brand; which can be anything from product attributes, brand mission, featured retailers, or brand values. The most successful brands have conditioned their customers to expectations.
Hello, my name is: Hue - Color Guide
Hue: The chromatic attribute of color. The hues within a spectrum are traditionally listed as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Black and white are not commonly labeled as hues.
Color schemes are endless, and in branding, color schemes can leave a lasting impression. Knowing your audience and the internal connections you would like to create with your brand is critical when developing a color scheme.
Color schemes are highly deliberate. Consider taking a strategic approach when choosing hues for your next color scheme, then evaluate what kind of personal accents can be should be included.
SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST IN THE WILD
Simultaneous Contrast of Value: Alterations in the appearance of color caused by changing its background or surroundings. The resulting modifications are somewhat predictable, in that when things are juxtaposed their differences will be heightened.
The exploration of color is unbound. Josef Albers shows us that a single color is only as we see it because of the relationship to the color surrounding the object. The theory of simultaneous contrast holds true in the wild also. We may remember a certain vividness of a coral flower when placed among greenery in a tropical forest, but when the same flower is brought back and placed in a beige room the vivid hue is lost. This difference in color is not due to the flower, it is because of the flowers surroundings.
In branding we must choose our colors wisely. The primary foreground colors are important, but the background colors are equally important when being brand identity.
Color + Context - Elements of Design
CONTEXTUALISM: The general idea that the nature of things can only be described or known in relations to (by comparing them with) other things or contexts. To follow, things may change in appearance when they are extracted from one environment and displaced to another.
When presented with a new design project the importance of context is irrefutable. Starting a project with a color scheme without any context can be distracting and unproductive as the color scheme may not relate to the context of the project. Starting a project with visual context and narrative is primary when creating a design with purpose. The introduction of color in design is what reinforces the the design project goal.
Order & Disorder of Natural Beauty
Let there be order!.... Or not.
"Order makes it possible to focus on what is alike and what is different, what belongs together and what is segregated." - Rudolf Arnheim
Great design is not always created by following orders. As the natural world has shown us, there is often great beauty when monotony and chaos are intertwined to create a well balanced ecosystem. Just as great design is the balance of familiar and unfamiliar design elements to create a cohesive design aesthetic.
