From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

Introducing the foundations of layout and composition

From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

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Introducing the foundations of layout and composition

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- All successful design solutions start with a good idea. But unfortunately that's just not enough. Knowing how to take that great idea and create something extraordinary is what I love about graphic design. Now, making something look amazing may seem like a cosmetic issue, like you're making something pretty just to be pretty. But it's actually vital to the success of communicating any idea. As human beings, we are a visual species. We respond to what we see. We make immediate connections and assign meaning, and we determine right away if we like what something looks like or we don't. If what we're seeing doesn't capture our attention and keep it, the idea and message can't be communicated. Tastes may change and styles come and go, but we will always respond to the same basic attributes of good composition. Whether we look at a mid-century A.M. Cassandra poster to a minimalist layout for MIT, a recent book cover to a spectacular website, inspirational solutions always transcend time. The use of scale, repetition, and space made these pieces successful when they were created and will continue to be over many decades. So what makes a great solution with imagery, shape, and text? I find I'm overwhelmed if I try to tackle a big subject all at once. So I'm going to break this course into easy-to-follow components. The basic elements and principles of layout, proportions, grids, and imagery. We're going to explore how to use shape, color, and space to create a strong solution. We'll look at different proportion concepts and how to apply them, and look at imagery and words and how they interact. This course is designed to provide you with a strong foundation in creating successful composition and layouts. You may be designing a poster, app, website, publication, or solution in a variety of other media. Whatever the final product, the basics covered in this course always apply. If you've already been taught about composition, there will be some new ways of seeing design that will make your work stronger and may even surprise you. If this is your first step into design, we'll give you the basic skills to create work that is strong and compelling. I consider the basics of layout to be the same as a master chef knowing how to create a wonderful meal. Not only must he or she have a fantastic recipe, but they must also know how to crack an egg or melt butter. Otherwise dinner will only be bland broth. I'm Sean Adams, and I've been a designer for over 30 years. And I've spent over two decades teaching these basic principles. I'm a firm believer that having the right skills allows you to create what is in your head and make something magnificent. Welcome to this course on composition and layout.

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