ICT Mini tasks. Design Resources

Transcription

1 ICT Mini tasks Design Resources Type The study of type will improve the readability of student work. Some things are easy to read because of the design of the type and how it is used. Research has been done to work out what makes people read fast and what makes people pause when reading and take notice. There are many rules and conventions for using type there are three or four main ones that students can use. They are discussed here. The typeface is the key idea. The typeface is the description of the particular style of type eg Times Roman or Arial. Font is a term which adds details eg 12 point Times Roman. Often the terms are used interchangeably. There are two main typefaces Serif and Sans Serif. Serifs refer to the little ticks or additional marks on a character. Sans mean not so sans serifs means not with serifs. Consider the following characters. The first is set in Georgia, a lovely serif font. The second is set in Verdana, an easy- to-read sans-serif font. Times New Roman is a commonly used serif font. serif sans serif Arial is a commonly used sans-serif font. Serif fonts are said to be easier to read because the eye flows along the serifs. Most books are written in serif type to aid readability. This is because the serif makes the individual letters more distinctive and easier for our brains to recognise quickly. Without the serif, the brain has to spend longer identifying the letter because the shape is less distinctive. Look through the Typefaces in software like Word and Powerpoint to see which ones are serif and which are sans serif. What is easy to read? The commonly used convention for printed work is to use a serif font for the body of the work. A sans-serif font is often used for headings and captions. Most posters and signs where you want people to read a few words very carefully use sans serif fonts. Whatever type students choose it should be readable, suit the purpose and match the mood and shape of the publication. Page 1

2 Measure The measure is the length of a line of type. To a reader s eye, long or short lines can be tiring and distracting. A long measure disrupts the rhythm because the reader has a hard time locating the next line of type. The only time a narrow measure is acceptable is with a small amount of text. For optimum readability you want the measure to be between characters, including spaces. For a single-column design 65 characters is considered ideal. In posters and powerpoints, it is important not to have lines of text that are too long. Page 2

3 Leading Leading is the space between the lines of type. It plays a big role in readability. Correctly spaced lines make it easier for a reader to follow the type and improves the overall appearance of the text. The leading for a printed word processed page is different to what you might use on a poster. Sometimes on posters, space around words is important to isolate the words and emphasise a message. You can alter the leading in Word Processors and Powerpoint. Have a look at the paragraph options spacing before and after a paragraph and line spacing. Often there is extra leading between paragraphs, so the reader clearly knows when a new paragraph (and a new idea) is beginning. Point size Point size is a measure of the size of Text. There are 72 points to the inch. Most type is between 10 and 12 point size. Larger point fonts are used for emphasis and headings. On a poster, you will need a minimum of 16 point text if people are to be able to read it from a distance. Again readability is the key issue. Page 3

4 Adding emphasis There are many ways to add emphasis either in the text or in headlines and headings. Larger point size is used for headings and titles The weight of a font refers to the thickness of the lines of a type. Some are thin and some are thick. When choosing fonts for headings or important messages, a thicker weight will add emphasis. Use Bold or Italic NEVER use underline. It distracts the reader and is quite ugly. Adding colour to headings can add a nice emphasis but use sparingly. Build a hierarchy of headings where the biggest fonts and most emphasis is used for the headline or most important heading. Look at the hierarchy of headings in the built-in styles of Word and Powerpoint. Reverse is a cool way of adding emphasis. So is a large Large cap at the beginning of a paragraph or word. Page design using C.A.R.P. CARP (Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, Proximity) Four principles of design can be applied by everyone to improve the clarity and appearance of their pages: proximity, alignment, repetition and contrast. Proximity and alignment are used to organize the materials on the page. They help tell your eyes where to stop. You can use proximity to indicate a relationship between items. Alignment can be used to unify the page so that everything "goes together." Contrast "To be effective, contrast must be strong--don't be a wimp. If two elements, such as type, rules, graphics, colour, texture, etc., are not the same, make them very different--don't make them almost the same!" Alignment "...simply means that items on the page are lined up with each other. Lack of alignment is the single most prevalent problem on pages Repetition Use a repeating element to give harmony to the collection eg same thing on multiple pages or repeat a simple design trick or shape even colours and lines Proximity "When two items are close, they appear to have a relationship, to belong together. When items are physically far from each other, they don't have a relationship. Often on printed pages many items are orphaned unnecessarily, and many other items have inappropriate relationships." Page 4

5 Contrast examples: In terms of visual communication, there are a number of ways to create contrast; the hands in this Benetton ad use both colour and size. Here, a black hand is shown pressed trustingly up against a white hand. Does this communicate something about racial harmony? Or white paternalism? Given that size often symbolizes power, whatever trust is suggested here is at the same time at odds with a history of white domination and colonization.now consider the fact that this image appears in an ad branded with the Benetton logo.? This painting exhibits contrast in terms of colour, shape and (at least implied) texture. Contrast draws our eye to the main message - the three examples here tell three different stories. Which is the main graphic feature in each? The words are the same but the messages are different. Contrast creates a focal point (where the eye travels to). Alignment creates a cohesive look and feel. Also like or similar information can be grouped together using alignment - an address. Designers say to only ever use two alignments on page (especially is posters) and use centre very sparingly. Never centre everything. 74 Ebe St Boe District Nauru Page 5

6 Repetition can be used very powerfully to pull things together repeat patterns, fonts, colour, shapes, signatures, logos etc. In a multi-page document, even the repetition of a coloured header or footer makes each page seem like it belongs. Because repetition is such a powerful feature, different things on different pages will seem distracting. Using the same thing a few times in a poster will help the eye travel over a page between the common or repeating elements. Repeating a graphic or part of a graphic is a neat trick. In this example by repeating a font, the phone number really stands out. Hint: Students can practice using CARP by building a business card the same card with many designs. Proximity is a main feature on Business cards which information goes together? The students can try ideas on paper if they can t be in the computer room. More on Alignment There are two main ideas we can remember when we're thinking about alignment. 1. Create strong lines to connect objects that belong. Based on what we know about the way we see imaginary lines connecting objects, we can consciously align objects in certain ways (in doing so we create on type of continuity) to help readers navigate a document or Web page. An everyday instance of this is the way we align text horizontally across the page and, usually, vertically as well. Compare this block of text to this 2. Asymmetry is usually more visually interesting that symmetry. Conservative, traditional kinds of documents (like term papers and diplomas) often center titles and blocks of text. Because these texts are "even" (in the sense of being symmetrical), they feel very safe and comfortable - but they tend not to be as visually interesting as asymmetrical compositions, which are more likely to create a sense of movement and interest. Page 6

7 Proximity The principle of proximity rests upon the idea that things which are visually grouped together in space will appear to belong together. Like repetition, proximity is a way to create a sense of unity in a composition, but it's also a way to help construct meaning. Think of the way we group sentences related to each other (or to a similar topic) together to form paragraphs, or the way we categorize different kinds of information about ourselves on a resume. On a business card, things that should go together ( eg lines of an address) should be close together. On a poster put information and its graphic near each other. Put headings near their information etc. As you mouse over this resume, notice how the information is "chunked" with each category separated from those before and after by whitespace. This is also referred to as "chunking" and it helps readers skim and locate information more easily. You can also use colour to chuck information. Some people also use lines and boxes to chuck information. Other page layout principles Reading direction the eye travels across a page from graphic element to graphic element. Generally the rule is from the top right to the bottom left. Though great designs can flow in different directions. The key is to have a flow for the eye to travel. White space leave space around headings, images. Don t fill up the whole page uncluttered is pleasing. Relevance images must relate to the text. The type of font must suit the audience and purpose (eg fonts suitable for children won t suit a Government report). Fonts do portray mood strong bold fonts, whispy light fonts, fun fonts, dazzling fonts. Play with the fonts on the word processor. Print out a page of make a powerpoint of fonts and ask students to nominate what mood the fonts portray. Add colour to the type faces and choose relevant colours for the purpose fun colours, serious business colours, green environmental colours, colours of the islands etc Children s fun The Government Page 7

8 Rule of thirds The rule of thirds says that most designs can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds. Take this concept a step further, especially in photographic composition, by dividing the page into thirds both vertically and horizontally and placing your most important elements at one or more of the four intersections of those lines. Balance - it is often pleasing to see balance and symmetry in a whole page layout or poster. People like things to be even. A grid can help you plan your page so it has balance. Primarily there are three types of balance in page design: they can be used to create moods and help the eye travel around a page. symmetrical things centre along one or two lines. asymmetrical - asymmetrical design is typically off-center or created with an odd or mismatched number of disparate elements. However, you can still have an interesting design without perfect symmetry. Uneven elements present us with more possibilities for arranging the page and creating interesting designs than perfectly symmetrical objects. Asymmetrical layouts are generally more dynamic and by intentionally ignoring balance the designer can create tension, express movement, or convey a mood such as anger, excitement, joy, or casual amusement. radial - With radial designs the elements radiate from or swirl around in a circular or spiral path. Symmetrical balance Page 8

9 Asymmetrical layouts above Radial Balance Page 9

10 Sources from Colour Knowledge of colour and how to use it effectively is important for design and photography. Students should learn how to blend and harmonise colours, use them for effect and to create moods. A core understanding of colour will help students take better photographs and set photographs on harmonious backgrounds. A pdf of a web site on colour for children called Colour Matters, has been included in the support materials for these mini-tasks. The Colour Matters for Kids Chapter is a good start. The information below is a summary of some core ideas. Two ways of looking at colours have been included here. Primary Colours: The primary colours consist of 3 unique colours, red-yellow-blue. When mixing these 3 colours hues, at least in theory, all the other hues of the colour wheel, including black can be created. Colour Associations: Primaries red, blue, yellow. The ultimate contrast of hue and the greatest luminosity. Primaries express fundamental qualities, folk art, embroidery, costumes, etc. They are exuberant, decorative, tonic, vigorous, decisive. Page 10

11 Red- emotional and active, danger, love, warmth, life Blue- passive, soft, cool, watery Yellow- warm, vibrant, the closest to light and warmth Secondary Colours When any one primary colour is mixed with another a secondary colour effect is produced. 3 secondary colours are produced from the mixing of one primary colour with another. These colours are orange-green-violet. These secondary colours are also known as complementary colours. Orange is a secondary colour. A colour effect combination of red and yellow. Colour Associations: Secondaries: green, orange, violet The second most contrast of hue, the intensity of colours diminishes as hues are further away from the primaries. Blending complementary colours to create harmonious, neutral tones. Page 11

12 Colour Associations: Tertiary Colours These colours are created when mixing one secondary and one primary colour. i.e. blue + violet = blueviolet. Three or more separate colours are mixed (one primary and one secondary the combination of two primaries), and in our colour wheel each tertiary colour being created will be an equal combination of the two colours, left and right, surrounding an open segment. The tertiary colours are, yellow-orange, red-orange, redviolet, blue violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. Mixing the primaries and the secondaries to create tertiary colours. Cosmic universality, celestial, medieval manuscripts, stained glass, other religious art. Tertiary colours have less distinctive colour contrasts and often imply the concrete, mundane, and earthly simplicity Creating Tints and Shades Tint Adding white to a colour is known as a tint. Shade Adding black is referred to as a shade. Creating calm with harmonious neutrals Mixed together complementary colours make gray or black. Each colour has only one complement. All 3 primaries are always present in each complementary pair. blending of complementary colours - blue+orange blending of complementary colours - red + green Page 12

13 blending of complementary colours - yellow + purple Colour theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. All the information would fill several encyclopedias. As an introduction, here are a few basic concepts. The Colour Wheel A colour circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colours in Since then scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke debate. In reality, any colour circle or colour wheel which presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit. PRIMARY COLOURS Red, yellow and blue In traditional colour theory, these are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues SECONDARY COLOURS Green, orange and purple Page 13

14 These are the colours formed by mixing the primary colours. TERTIARY COLOURS Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green. These are the colours formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange. COLOUR HARMONY Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, colour, or even an ice cream sundae. In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Colour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order. In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to overstimulation. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium. Some Formulas for Colour Harmony There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas. A colour scheme based on analogous colours Analogous colours are any three colours which are side by side on a 12 part colour wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colours predominates. Page 14

15 A colour scheme based on complementary colours Complementary colours are any two colours which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colours create maximum contrast and maximum stability. A colour scheme based on nature Nature provides a perfect departure point for colour harmony. In the illustration above, red yellow and green create a harmonious design, regardless of whether this combination fits into a technical formula for colour harmony. Information from the Colour matters web site. Taking photos and making illustrations It is important to use design principles to take photos. You can compose a photograph and have a much better shot if a few rules are followed. LIGHT Light is your friend when taking photographs. You need to position your subject so that you do not take dark or over exposed photos. Do not take photos into the sun or harsh light. Watch out for shadows when taking photos outdoors. Cloud cover presents a nice even light. If auto settings on a camera are not producing good images, then perhaps altering the shutter speed manually will get the light right. This is an example of a subject standing in her own shadow (right) and a photo taken a moment later using the flash to balance the light between the background and subject (left). Page 15

16 Shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open, that the time light is let in to brighten your photo Shutter speed is measured in seconds - or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30). In most cases you ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is moving while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos. FOCUS Sometimes you can correct light issues in software after you take photographs called post photography production. Focus is very important. It is essential to have sharp focus creating clear photos. You can not correct an out-of-focus picture with post photography production. Take photos carefully, try not to shake when depressing the shutter and look carefully to see whether your subject is in focus before you click the shutter. Depth of field is an important trick that is how deep is the focus. For example people take photos of close up plants or people which are sharply focussed while the background is blurred. You need to decide if you want to have background and foreground in focus. RULE OF THIRDS This is often the key to composing a great photo. One third sky, one third subject and one third foreground can ne interesting. Divide a landscape into thirds when deciding how much sky to include. Play around with foreground for a third eg a tree in front of the ocean. Using the rule of thirds can help add perspective to your photo e a small person in front of a large tree. This is the simplest rule that you can follow until you gain experience at combining rules. FLOWING LINES The eye travels through a photograph. You can exploit this by using angles and lines deliberately to give a path for the eye to follow. You can also create a sense of movement, fun and action by using lines and shapes within your photographs composition. Help students see the impact of such composition tricks in photographs they take or you have in these and other resources. Some examples below. Page 16

17 Computer mini-tasks Year 9 TVET Curriculum Draw a diagram of where the eye follows. How much of the photograph is part of the line Cropping After taking photos, it is possible to improve them using software cropping out the unnecessary parts of a photo is a quick way to improve a photo dramatically. General Composition Principles BALANCE Balance in design and photography is important. A large shape close to the center can be balanced by a small shape close to the edge. A large light toned shape will be balanced by a small dark toned shape (the darker the shape the heavier it appears to be) Page 17

18 Computer mini-tasks Year 9 TVET Curriculum GRADATION Gradation of size and direction produce linear perspective. Gradation of of colour from warm to cool and tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective. Gradation can add interest and movement to a shape. A gradation from dark to light will cause the eye to move along a shape. REPETITION Repetition with variation is interesting, without variation repetition can become monotonous. Use repetition of settings, angles and look, for photographs that will go together in a brochure or document. For example, take similar portrait shots of people in a profile brochure. CONTRAST Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements eg. opposite colours on the colour wheel red / green, blue / orange etc. Contrast in tone or value - light / dark. Contrast in direction horizontal / vertical. The major contrast in a painting or photogrpah should be located at the center of interest. Too much contrast scattered throughout can destroy unity and make a work difficult to look at. Unless a feeling of chaos and confusion are what you are seeking, it is a good idea to carefully consider where to place your areas of maximum contrast. Contrast can tell great stories eg old and young. HARMONY Harmony in painting is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. eg.adjacent colours on the colour wheel, similar shapes etc. Look for harmony and maybe balance in your photos of objcts, colours, background, clothing colour etc DOMINANCE Dominance gives a painting interest, counteracting confusion and monotony. Dominance can be applied to one or more of the elements to give emphasis Page 18

19 Computer mini-tasks Year 9 TVET Curriculum UNITY Relating the design elements to the the idea being expressed in a painting/photo reinforces the principal of unity.eg. a painting with an active aggressive subject would work better with a dominant oblique direction, course, rough texture, angular lines etc. whereas a quiet passive subject would benefit from horizontal lines, soft texture and less tonal contrast. Unity in a painting also refers to the visual linking of various elements of the work. Source: or first published on The Digital Photography School is an excellent web site with many topics for beginners. You can use all their material for free in education. Page 19

20 Computer mini-tasks Year 9 TVET Curriculum Portraits It is actually quite difficult to take good photos of people but with a few simple tricks you can improve your odds of taking interesting photos. Have the person s face in focus Take a close up shot Don t have the person look straight in the camera lens. Make sure the light highlights the face and does not put it in shadow. Get subjects to look over your shoulder and tilt their face. Play with angles to get the interesting features of a face. Look at the examples below one looks like a criminal shot and one tells a story of a interesting insightful woman. Faces can tell stories if the photographer takes time to capture the person s mood or interesting features. Not Good Great There are two excellent tutorials in the accompanying resources about Tips for great Portraits. Read them and decide how best to help students use the key ideas from the articles. Page 20

21 Computer mini-tasks Year 9 TVET Curriculum Using free software Students should be given the chance to play with design ideas and rules using software available to you. You can use the features of Microsoft Office especially in Word and Powerpoint to play with colour, fonts, layouts and templates. Be creative in using the software you have available. Play with the styles for headings, pictures, tables etc Look at the colour palettes in Powerpoint and word for various templates. Students do not have to start from scratch. Add some shapes and coloured tables to TEXT and encourage students to experiment. Place borders and other effects around photos and clip art to create pleasing effects which complement the diagrams. Free software Free image manipulation software GIMP or use Google s Picasa. picasa.google.com.au/ These tools let you crop, colour, darken and lighten photos and add interesting effects. You can also retouch or restore photos this is great for photos which have scratches on them. To fix a scratched photo, use a camera to take a photo of the photo then use the retouch tool of Picasa to cut out the scratches. Use powerpoint to place images on backgrounds, add frames and generally decorate your images. It s a great tool for this. Page 21