OUGD404 - Study Task 05 - How do you read? Canons

In this task I identified rules of graphic design in a group. After brainstorming what we thought were good rules to be applied in graphic design practice, I have to look into each rule and recognize which of the rules I use myself already and determine which I would like to apply to my own practice.

Sketch/Draft ideas: its good to draft ideas with pen and paper so you can clearly illustrate the ideas in your mind and then transfer them into a digital format. I always try to draft my ideas when I can.

Don’t centralise or justify text: Readability is very important and centering or justifying text makes it difficult to read and prevents a block of text from flowing properly. This is a rule I will bring forward into my own practice and I will focus on readability of text.

Try not to use more than 3 typefaces: Often in graphics, a piece of work will look better the more simple it is. If there are too many typefaces being used it can become chaotic and there is no house style. This is a rule I will focus on in my practice.

Try to use the appropriate white space within the context of design: The use of white space, figure and ground can be used effectively to communicate a tone of voice. It also dictates how busy a piece of work will look. This is something I want to focus on in my work and develop my work to communicate a professional tone of voice.

Research as much as possible to make more informed designs: This is a rule that I follow anyway but have learnt that it is the most important part of design. It makes a piece of design informed and the most successful pieces of design have reasons behind every design decision. I want to develop this even further into my own practice.

These rules are only guidelines as everyone has different tastes in styles. Sometimes you need to break these rules to make a piece of design stand out. There is no example of perfect design however there are steps you can take to ensure that a design is functional and readable.