Visual communication design

Educational level: this is a secondary education resource.

Visual Communication Design is a branch of arts comprehending the designed visual communication of ideas. Visual communications design suffuses modern life: signage, books, interactive screens, websites, newspapers, television and more.

The building blocks of visual communications design include:

• Line-the foundation of any design. Line can be mechanical (drawn with a guide, such as a ruler) or organic (drawn freehand).
• Shape-any object constructed by lines, whether by a solid or implied line, such as dots or dashes.
• Color-as well as filling shapes, color can significantly create or affect the "mood" of a design.
• Typography-literally, the use of text, typography affects the mood of a design, much like color, while also controlling the clarity of the intended message.
• Layout-"placing into view," the arrangement of the design elements on a page.
• Visual Perception-the user's reaction to a design. This can range from simple (meanings of colors and textures, proximity of elements, readability, etc.) to more abstract psychological theories (the Gestalt Principle, the Law of Closure, etc.)

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• Graphic Design