Y12 design elements + principles Flashcards
Describe the element of line
- a visual element of length
- created by setting a point in motion
- defines the position and direction of the design
- define shapes, convey mood, create perspective and define space
describe the element of shape
- external form or outline of an image
- produced by the use of line, value, colour and/or texture
describe the element of space
- the area within or between images or elements
- positive space: filled space
- negative space: empty space
describe the element of texture
- surface quality of an object
- the feel, appearance, thickness or stickiness of a surface or a substance
- texture is captured in a two-dimensional place
- described using words like rough, silky, pebbly, smooth and shiny
describe the element of colour
- hue: name of colour
- value: lightness or darkness of colour
- intensity: amount of pigment a colour has
- temperature: warm or cold colours
describe the principle of balance
- elements of design are arranged to create the impression of equality in weight or importance or harmony of design and proportion
- symmetrically
- asymmetrically
- radial (elements are from a central point)
describe the principle of emphasis
- special attention or importance given to one part of a work of art
- shape of darker value
- achieved through contrast and proportion
describe the principle of dominance
- creates a focal point
- the more dominant an element, the more noticeable it’ll be
- the more dominant element will attract the eye and get noticed first
describe the principle of unity
- Relationship among the elements that helps all the elements function together
- Gives a sense of oneness to a visual image
- Words/text and images work together to create a meaning
- Helps organising a visual image, facilitating interpretation and understanding
- Achieved by use of similar shapes
- Achieved by use of common pattern
- Achieved by use of common background
list the elements of design
- line
- colour
- shape
- texture
- space
- 3D form
list the principles of design
- dominance
- emphasis
- unity
- balance
describe the element of 3D form
- physical shape and dimensions of object within product or artwork
what is typography
the style or appearance of text
what does typeface mean and what are some questions to ask yourself
- font family
- limit typeface choices to 2 or 3 at most and use them in a consistent manner
some questions include
- is it easy to read?
- does it fit the style or tone?
- does it go well with the other typefaces?
- will it be used against a background colour?
- what sizes will it be used?
- will it be printed or read on screen?
list and explain examples of typefaces
Serif
- has fine dashes at the end of each stroke
- helps guide the eye to the next letter and improve readability
- used for printed documents
Sans-serif
- typefaces without serifs, which is used for headings or small blocks of texts
Modern
- They have thick and thin strokes with flat serifs
- considered more elegant but less readable
Slab-serif
- square and larger, bolder than other typefaces
- best used for short tiles or headings that need impact
Script
- designed to imitate handwriting
- used for smaller blocks of text and kept for special occasions
Blackletter
- designed to resemble calligraphic hand writing
- makes it difficult to read, so should be used for special occasions
Display
- covers fonts that don’t fit into any other groups
define readability
- how easy it is to read and comprehend words in short blocks of texts
define legibility
- the length of time it takes a person to read a letter within a word, sentence or passage of writing
what is contrast
- uses a combination that a really different to create visual interest
- headings, subheadings etc must stand out
what is hierarchy
- information should be presented in levels of importance, which should be clearly organised by using a distinct contrast.
what is type spacing
- the space between lines of text
- larger spacing can improve readability
- but too much spacing can make it look unrelated
what are columns
- breaks long passages into smaller blocks of texts that are reader-friendly
- avoid orphans and widows
what are orphans
last line of a paragraph that appears in a new column
what are widows
single words that appears on its own line
explain about logical and hierarchical organisation of content
- user interface should be well set out and easy to follow, not cluttered
- it is important that content is arranged in away where users will understand and will be able to find the information they are looking for quickly
explain about graphical user interface (gui) and what is WIMP
- visual way of interacting with electronic devices using elements
- presents information in an easy-to-understand manner, through windows, icons and menus
- well-designed interface contributes to learnability, efficiency, memorability & errors
- a designs usability depends on how well its features accomodate users needs
- it should be effective, efficient, engaging, error tolerant and ease of learning
- all computer systems use some form of user interface to allow for a computer and human interaction
- uses visual elements that present information stored in a computer in an easy-to-understand manner
WIMP
Window - area on screen that displays information
Icon - small picture that represents objects
Menu - provides a list of choices to users
Pointer - onscreen symbol that represents movement of a device that the user controls to select windows, icons and menus
what are some help features of gui
usability - people will be able to use the website more effectively
inclusivity - the design is inclusive of various different users
accessibility - the design is inclusive of features to help people with disabilities
describe about interface design
- designing a good user interface is critical to success of a system
- a well designed interface should contribute to learnability, efficiency, memorability, minimising errors and satisfaction
as a part of design considerations, describe knowing your audience
- user’s goals are your goals, so restate and repeat them
- find out what interface they like and watch how they use them
- by focusing on the user first, you will be able to create an interface that lets them achieve their goal
as a part of design considerations, describe pay attention to patterns
- users spend more time on other interfaces so use familiar UI patterns so that the users feel at home
as a part of design considerations, describe staying consistent
- a consistent user interface enables users to have a better understanding of UI
as a part of design considerations, describe KISS
- keep it simple stupid
as a part of design considerations, describe use visual hierarchy
- design interface in a way which allows users to focus on what is most important
- the size, colour and placement of elements work together, creating a clear path to understanding your interface
- reduces the complexity of your interface
as a part of design considerations, describe providing feedback
- interface should speak to the user when their actions are both right, wrong or misunderstood
- inform your user of actions, changes in state and errors
- visual cues simple messaging can show users whether their actions have led to expected results
as a part of design considerations, describe being forgiving
- your UI should allow for and tolerate user errors
- design ways for users to undo actions and be forgiving with input
- if user causes an error, use messaging as a teachable situation by showing what went wrong, ensuring they know how to prevent the error again
as a part of design considerations, describe empowering your user
- once your user has become experienced with the interface, reward them
- breakdown of complex tasks into simple steps will become cumbersome and distracting
- provide more abstract ways (like keyboard shortcuts)
as a part of design considerations, describe speaking their language
- whenever your thinking about adding a new element, think ‘does the user really need this’
as a part of design considerations, describe currency
- your information should be current
- your GUI should be up to date with new industry standards
describe about usability
- determines how easy it is to use a particular interface
- categorised into 5 categories
-> learnability
-> efficiency
-> memorability
-> errors
-> satisfaction
describe about inclusion
- designed for all, usable for all, whatever their ability, age, situation, education, location, language etc.
describe about accessibility
- focuses on people with disabilities, people with auditory, cognitive & neurological (nervous system problems) , physical, visual and speech impairments
what is content format
- can be presented in different formats to match sensory needs or preferences of a person
- some include auditory, tactile and visual
what is the presentation of content
- content can be adjusted to make it easier to distinguish
- making audio content to hear and visual content easier to see, combining them makes it easier to understand
what is user interaction
- people use different approaches to enter text and activate commands
what is the design solution
- people navigate and find content differently
- some people need clear guidance navigating websites
what are some accessibility principles
- web content - any part of a website
- user agents - software people use to access web content
- authoring tools - software/services people use to produce web content
what are some text alternatives for non-text context
- short equivalents for images
- description of data represented on non-text content
- brief description of content like audio, video etc
what are captions and other alternative for multimedia
- people who cannot see media or hear audio
- they could use things like
-> text transcripts, and captions
-> audio descriptions
-> sign language
what makes content easier to hear and see
- the colour shouldn’t be the only way of conveying information
- default foreground and background colours provide sufficient contrast
- text is resizeable
