There are numerous concepts and ideas that coorespond with design. You pass by majority of these concepts daily without even noticing. As I take my daily route to classes on the University of Oklahoma campus, I’ve noticed ads and signs incoorperating the design concepts of color, typography, form/function/message and proportion. I also recognized the design concept of rhythm right in my own apartment!
Color
Color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. Looking at this sign, one can tell that color plays a major role in the design. For me personally, anything bright with a lot of colors instantly catches my attention. This is exactly what this sign did to me. I was walking down the hallway in Gaylord and caught a glimpse of bright colors that immediately caught my eye. I think all the colors in this specific design work together in a creative, unique way. However, being colorblind is a challenge distinguishing what colors actually look good together. I appreciate the bright colors accompanying the funky arrow design.
Typography
Typography is the arrangement of type. A successful design that incorporates typography is deeply rooted in its overall theme, tone and message. It works with one’s layout, grid and color choice to create a well-rounded design. Outside the Gaylord computer lab, I saw this advertisement for a Gaylord College t-shirt. It immediately caught my eye due to the creative typography used in the t-shirt’s design. The same blue font is used throughout the entire design; however, the most important/impactful words that describe Gaylord College are bolded and enlarged. The rest of the sentence is either bolded with smaller font or not bolded at all. I think having certain words/phrases bolded and enlarged within a sentence is a smart design technique to use when trying describe one specific thing, such as Gaylord college.
Form/Function/Message
Design serves the purposes of others. Design is a craft of service, not self-expression. When speaking of design, form follows function. While walking to one of my classes in Gaylord, I stumbled upon an ad about a development series for the Gaylord College Career and Internship Fair coming up later in the fall semester. I found the design of the this ad to be creative with a straight forward message. The form and function of the looseleaf paper, computer, coffee mug, business card and iPhone sends off a message of a school related event. I think the graphics go great with the message that is being advertised to Gaylord students.
Proportion
Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. It is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole. While attending a PRSSA meeting at Lindsey and Asp, the advisor pointed out a wall dedicated to OU graduates who have been successful with finding a job after college. On each card is the name of the graduate, what company they work for and what country they are working in. Looking at the layout and design of these cards, the first thing I noticed was the proportions. Each card is proportionate to one another, thus giving it a nice clean, organized design.
Rhythm
Rhythm, also known as repetition,is repeating any of the elements of design (line, colour, texture and pattern, light, and scale and proportion) or other design concepts in an organized and regular way. As I was laying in my room trying to figure out what concept to use for my blog, I saw my lamp on my table and began to think about how much I admired the design. This lamp shows the design concept of rhythm by the repeating shapes and color patterns. Rhythm is my favorite design concept because of the way it catches the eye.
