VISUAL COMMUNICATION

line, shape, form, tone, type, texture, colour, point

design elements

1. scale

2. proportion

3. figure-/ground- dominant

4. hierarchy

5. contrast

6. pattern

7. balance

8. cropping

design principles

1. proximity

2. continuity

3. similarity

4. closure

5. common fate

6. figure-/ground-

7. focal point

gestalt principles

convey a sense of stability, order and modernity and appeal to professional or business-orientated audience

effect of clean straight lines

convey a sense of fluidity, grace and movement and appeal to more create or free-spirited audience

effect of curvy flowing lines

convey a sense of strength, confidence, and energy and appeal to more adventurous or dynamic audience

effect of bold thick lines

convey a sense of elegance, sophistication, and delicacy and can appeal to a more refined or upscale audience.

effect of thin delicate lines

convey a sense of order, stability, and logic and can appeal to a more structured or scientific audience.

effect of geometric shapes

convey a sense of natural beauty, fluidity, and freedom and can appeal to a more creative or nature-oriented audience

effect of organic shapes

convey a sense of creativity, imagination, and uniqueness and can appeal to a more artistic or imaginative audience.

effect of abstract shapes

convey a sense of elegance, sophistication, and simplicity and can appeal to a more refined or minimalist audience

effect of minimalistic shapes

convey a sense of stability, order, and structure. They can appeal to a more structured or professional audience

effect of hard-edged forms

can convey a sense of fluidity, comfort, and relaxation. They can appeal to a more creative or relaxed audience

effect of soft-edged forms

convey a sense of power, confidence, and impact. They can appeal to a more adventurous or dynamic audience

effect of bold forms

convey a sense of elegance, sophistication, and refinement. They can appeal to a more refined or upscale audience

effect of delicate forms

convey a sense of drama, energy, and impact. They can appeal to a more adventurous or dynamic audience

effect of high-contrast values

convey a sense of tranquility, calm, and stability. They can appeal to a more relaxed or contemplative audience.

effect of low-contrast

convey a sense of innocence, purity, and hope. They can appeal to a more innocent or optimistic audience

effect of light values

convey a sense of sophistication, elegance, and depth. They can appeal to a more refined or upscale audience

effect of dark values

(such as Times New Roman, Garamond) can convey a sense of tradition, history, and elegance. They can appeal to a more refined or classic audience.

effect of serif fonts

(such as Arial, Verdana) can convey a sense of modernity, simplicity, and cleanliness. They can appeal to a more contemporary or casual audience

effect of sans-serif fonts

(such as Calligraphy, Script) can convey a sense of warmth, personal touch, and authenticity. They can appeal to a more humanistic or emotional audience

effect of handwritten fonts

convey a sense of ruggedness, authenticity, and naturalness. They can appeal to a more earthy or organic audience.

effect of rough texture

can convey a sense of sophistication, cleanliness, and modernity. They can appeal to a more contemporary or refined audience

effect of smooth texture

can convey a sense of comfort, warmth, and luxury. They can appeal to a more comfortable or indulgent audience.

effect of soft textures

can convey a sense of strength, stability, and permanence. They can appeal to a more structured or serious audience.

effect of hard textures

can convey a sense of energy, excitement, and playfulness. They can appeal to a more energetic or adventurous audience.

effect of bright colours

convey a sense of calmness, serenity, and sophistication. They can appeal to a more relaxed or contemplative audience.

effect of cool colours

can convey a sense of passion, warmth, and comfort. They can appeal to a more emotional or welcoming audience

effect of warm colours

can convey a sense of stability, reliability, and professionalism. They can appeal to a more serious or traditional audience.

effect of neutral colours

small, closely spaced point can create a sense of texture, and convey a sense of detail and precision. They can appeal to a more refined or analytical audience.

effect of small, closely spaced point

can convey a sense of playfulness and creativity. They can appeal to a more playful or imaginative audience

effect of large loosely spaced point

create a sense of depth, and convey a sense of movement and progression. They can appeal to a more dynamic or innovative audience.

effect of graduated point

can convey a sense of tradition, order, and repetition. They can appeal to a more traditional or structured audience

effect of point patterns

raster based media or vector-based media

digital media

pixel based design, mainly photos and complex, blended illustrations

raster based media

refers mainly to designs created through geometry and line, these are mainly logos or typesetting on pages such as magazine layouts.

vector based media

items which have been applied to the material, these can include paints, such as watercolour, acrilyc or oil based paint, drawing media, such as pencil, pen, marker, charcoal, chalk

manual media

the surface in which the design is applied which can be digital or non-digital

materials

refer mainly to things like digital signage, in which case, you are discussing how the signage is improved, both functionally and aesthetically due to it being a digital screen

digital materials

a digital screen often means the content can be rotated, it is more legible, because it is backlit, it also often allows for animation, so to draw the attention of the audience.

functional digital material

colours appear brighter and more vivid on screen

aesthetic digital material

take on two different meanings, one for communication design, the other of both Environmental and Industrial Design

physical materials

Materials in communication design refer to the ‘stock’ or ‘substrate’ in which the design is placed

Communication physical materials

type of paper: stock weight (i.e. 300 gsm is thick card) the thicker the card, the more durable, thicker stock can also create a more premium feel / stock type (Card, paper, kraft paper, gloss paper) / sustainability, recycled stock is common among companies concerned with the environmental impacts of their marketing material.

stock meaning

refers to signage, this can be glass, timber, steel, plastic etc

substrate meaning

refer to the things in which the item or building is made out of and have both functional and aesthetic implications

industrial and environmental physical material

refer to the processes undertaken to create the design - digital or non-digital

methods

collage, drawing and 3D modelling

digital methods

drawing, painting, screen painting

manual methods

composites a series of drawn or photographed images onto one design

digital collage method

they may overlay a photo of a person (in the gure) onto a drawing of a streetscape (in the ground) with another photo of a sunset (also in the ground).

example of digital collage method

where the designer draws directly onto the computer, usually using a tablet such as a wacom

digital drawing method

allows a designer to produce more detailed drawings, functionally, it makes it easier to reverse mistakes and make changes to the artwork

usefulness of digital drawing method

the designer uses a 3D modelling program to create a 3dimensional depiction of the design, used in Environ mental and Indstrial design, but can also be used to create form in communication design.

digital 3D modelling

This refers to using a pen, pencil, charcoal, pastel or chalk to draw the object. Remember that the method here is drawing, but what you are drawing with is actually the media! Drawing can create an authentic, human feel. It can also allow the designer to create a disticntive style by how they depict line and shape

drawing manual methods

Painting refers to applying any type of paint media to a material, often using a brush, but can also be a sponge or pallete knife. Like drawing, this can allow the designer to create a distinctive style and an authentic feel.

painting manual methods

Screen printing refers to placing a stencil over a material (often fabric), then wiping ink over the stencil so that the ink is applied to the material through the gaps in the stencil. This is commonly used for creating the surface graphics of clothing. Other methods include: Manual Collage, Photography (Digital or Manual), 3D Construction.

screen printing manual method

cover the legal and ethical obligations of a designer, they govern their practice and in the design solutions

legal factors

automatically granted to any completed design. It protects the designer from having their design directly copied

copyright

a form of Design Registration, it protects companies and brands from other brands emulating their product or impying a connection with and leveraging their brand identity.

trademark

another form of design registration. It protects Object Designers when they create a new and useful feature for an object.

patents

refer to the laws that govern design practices and design solutions. These include safety, intellectual property and consumer rights.

legal obligations

refer to ensuring a designer does what they can to avoid negative implications of their design, such as ensuring a design is culturally sensitive and environmentally conscious.

ethical obligations

Good design is:

1. innovative

2. makes a product useful

3. aesthetic

4. makes a product understandable

5. unobtrusive

6. honest

7. long-lasting

8. thorough down to the last detail

9. environmentally friendly

10. as little design as possible

dieter rams connections of good design

interviews, surveys, focus groups, audience personas, ethnographic research, competitor analysis

human-centered design research

effective visit cheatsheetpro.com.au/go for further information Competitor Analysis because they allow designers to gather rich and detailed information directly from the source, and to ask follow-up questions to clarify and deepen their understanding.

interviews usefulness

are effective because they allow designers to collect data from a large sample size, and to identify trends and patterns in the data.

surveys usefulness

are effective because they allow designers to observe group dynamics and interactions, and to identify common themes and issues that arise

focus groups usefulness

because they help designers empathize with and understand the needs and behaviours of their users, and to design solutions that meet their specific needs and preferences

audience personas usefulness

provides designers with a deeper understanding of the context in which their users operate, and to identify unmet needs and opportunities for innovation.

ethnographic research usefulness

helps designers understand what is already available in the market and to identify opportunities

competitor analysis

demographic and psychographic

target audience

age, gender, culture and location, income

demographic

lifestyle, values, interests

psychographic

individuals, groups or organisations involved in a design project, that have an interest in the process or outcome

stakeholders

people who end up using the design. They make the decision to use it based on whether it’s function, aesthetic or sometimes cost, responds to their desires or needs.

end users

people that engage your services to design something. They pay you to produce a design which will respond to their end users.

clients

people that contribute (often financially) to a design in order to benefit from the designs success through publicity or credibility.

sponsors

there to ensure a design adheres to the legal requirements relating to the field, such as safety, consumer rights and some sustainability considerations.

regulatory bodies

groups that may be positively or negatively affected by a design, these groups need to be considered and often consulted in the design process

affected groups

contribute their skills to a design project. They can be specialists who offer expert advice in a specific component or aspect of the design

peers and colleagues

Name the project Astrid John is part of

Macarthur Precinct upgrade project

Name the field of design Astrid John works in

Environment

What type of designers work in the field of environment?

Architects, landscape architects, urban designers, interior designers and stylists, set and event designers, exhibition designers, game designers, concept artists, animators visual merchandisers.

What type of context does Astrid John work in?

University classroom, studio

Who was Astrid John’s client?

Australian Government

List the Australian Government’s communication needs

“asked to explore the relationship between urban landscape, cohabitation, the dynamics of dwelling and density to produce a project that involved the intensification and densification of a heritage neighbourhood”

List the Australian Government’s communication need

“design the schematic spatial organisation and massing of three neighbouring house plots on MacArthur Place in Carlton”

Communication need of Australian Government

“One of these houses then had to be developed into a compact and adaptable multigenerational dwelling”

Communication need of Australian Government

“design outcome had to show a deliberate attention to historical and heritage sensitivity of the area, urban morphology, sustainability and neighbourhood ecology”

Target audience of the Macarthur Precinct upgrade project

Carlton diverse future and present residents from multiple generations

Purpose of the Macarthur Precinct upgrade project

•The strategy acknowledges additional open space will be required in Carlton as the population grows. Council's Urban Forest Strategy also aims to increase canopy cover in the public realm to 40% by 2040. To achieve this, the City of Melbourne is planting 3000 new trees each year. Macarthur Place North and South are identified for priority tree planting activities in the Carlton Urban Forest Precinct Plan”

Context of the Macarthur Precinct upgrade project

“ The City of Melbourne's Open Space Strategy identifies Macarthur Square as a local open space with a formal character. It recommends Council should "continue to maintain and manage the heritage values balanced with contemporary recreational needs and values"

Identify the impact of ethical and legal obligations including the issues of ownership and intellectual for the Macarthur precinct upgrade project

When a designer has completed their contract with the client they will sign a handover contract which will provide the client full ownership of the design

Identify the impact of ethical and legal obligations including the issues of ownership and intellectual for the Macarthur precinct upgrade project

When the designer is working with the client, they need to ensure that their designs are appropriately representing what the client has requested

Outline the first step in the typical design process of the Macarthur precinct upgrade project

Discover - given a list of precedent projects to study as inspiration and reference for the project, part of the studio process to get a true understanding of building scale, proportion and design by studying plans, sections and elevations of a successful project

drawing purposes, thinking types, design processes

Processes

design ideas, design concepts, design solutions, prototyping

drawing purposes

divergent, convergent

thinking types