Page 15 - DCAP109_GRAPHIC_TOOLS

Graphic Tools

Notes
Figure 1.5: Type based Graphic Design

When you look at an “ordinary” printed page of running text, what is involved in designing
such a seemingly simple page? Think about what you would do if you were asked to redesign
the page. Would you change the typeface or type size? Would you divide the text into two
narrower columns? What about the margins and the spacing between the paragraphs and lines?
Would you indent the paragraphs or begin them with decorative lettering? What other kinds of
treatment might you give the page number? Would you change the boldface terms, perhaps
using italic or underlining? What other changes might you consider, and how would they affect
the way the reader reacts to the content? Designers evaluate the message and the audience for
type-based design in order to make these kinds of decisions.

Image and Type Based

Designers often combine images and typography to correspond a client’s message to an audience.
They explore the creative possibilities presented by words (typography) and images
(photography, illustration, and fine art). It is up to the designer not only to find or create
appropriate letterforms and images but also to establish the best balance between them.

Figure 1.6: Image and Type based Graphic Design

Designers are the link between the client and the audience. On the one hand, a client is often too
close to the message to understand various ways in which it can be presented. The audience, on
the other hand, is often too large to have any direct impact on how a message is presented.
What’s more, it is usually difficult to make the audience a part of the creative process. Unlike

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