The Four Key Components of design I use in every project
Years ago, I realized it. As a professional Freelance Graphic and Brand Identity Designer, in order to always deliver results to my clients, you have to have resources. Not necessarily tools or software. Nor any cheats or tricks. But a process.
What follows perhaps takes the magic out of creativity.
What got me thinking was the theory that you can always break down big, complicated problems into small "bite-sized" chunks. And many Brand Identity Design projects seem big and complicated at first.
But how do you break up (graphic) design into smaller parts?
By looking at the ingredients that all graphic design is built with. Which are four. And one additional one. That is being used more and more.
1 - Color
When describing design, color is always mentioned. Even when no color is used. And color doesn't just happen to be the first of the four ingredients. Because you can't leave color out of a description of design.
2 - Shape
Shapes have color. But colors do not have shape. That's why shape stands as the second ingredient. Kind of obvious. But shapes can take... all shapes. Text areas, lines, a grid, white space and even letters are also basically a shape.
3 - Typography
Text is used in a lot of design. Readable or not, typography is an important element in all forms of design.
4 - Image
Image, in the context of graphic design, refers to photography or illustration. Rarely is there no form of image.
5 - Movement
And then there is a fifth element.
It appears more and more often in design and is actually impossible to do without; movement. In the form of video, animation or film, motion has become an integral part of design nowadays.
Is it a formula?
But are these five elements a real formula? I do use them that way. I "fill them in," combine them and attach a value to them in my projects. When I'm tired, or having an off day, I link each key word from the strategy sessions to each of the five ingredients. For example, the keyword business then becomes business shape, business color, business typography and business image. They have become a regular and very valuable part of many of my design process and presentations.
Examples of using these Four (or five) Elements of Design
Curious how I use these ingredients in your Brand Identity Project? Check out my portfolio for examples of previous projects where I use them every time.
Interested in having a Brand Identity Design done for your brand?
I'm happy to help! Let me know what kind of visual identity you need.
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