Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host, Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my team
and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting. This podcast
is created and produced with the help of students from the International Community School of
Bangkok. In today's episode, we'll be focusing on the topic of design. Much like our marketing
101 episode, consider this episode a free class about the topic of design. And this
episode is sponsored by the Makers' Fair. The Makers' Fair is a local two-day event
that showcases wonderful creations made by our very own creative community members. From
food to written books, pottery and handicrafts, there's something for everyone. Come support
our local creators on December 11th and 12th from 2 to 5 p.m. at ICS. Thanks for your sponsorship.
Now moving on, in this segment one of this episode, I'm joined by student designers
Micah and Esther. Then for our second segment, I'll be joined by Mr. Darwin, a designer
by trade. Stay tuned for this very informative episode about the topic of design. But first,
Esther will be delivering our quote of the day and Micah will be sharing some headline
design news. Our quote of the day comes from Neville Brody, a British type designer, graphic
designer and the former art director of Face magazine. He's quoted to have said, design
is more than just a few tricks to the eye, it's a few tricks to the brain. This quote
seems to emphasize that design goes beyond surface level aesthetics. It's about engaging
the mind on a deeper level. Brody suggests that effective design isn't just visually
appealing but is crafted to communicate ideas, evoke emotions and shape perceptions. Design
can influence the way people think, feel or interpret a message. Good design uses visual
elements such as color, layout and typography, not only to attract attention but to create
meaning, guide viewers responses and leave a lasting impact. Good design is a powerful
tool that impacts perception and emotion, making it more than just decoration. It's
a strategic form of visual communication. That's our quote of the day. Now on to some
headline news.
Now moving on to some not so funny design news. Our first story is about the Tropicana
the redesign disaster. According to Ad Age and Business Insider, Tropicana boldly decided
to completely redesign its classic orange juice packaging in 2009. The original design,
featuring a straw stuck into a juicy orange, was replaced by a minimalistic look with a
simple glass of orange juice and a different logo. Unfortunately, the redesign was a disaster
for the brand. It failed to resonate with customers who found it unrecognizable and
uninspiring. Sales reportedly dropped by 20% in just a few months and Tropicana ultimately
reverted to its original packaging design after losing around $30 million. This redesign
is now a classic example of the importance of brand identity and customer familiarity
in packaging design. Our next story has to deal with the 2012 London Olympics logo. Criticized
and reported on by the BBC and The Guardian, the logo for the 2012 London Olympics became
infamous for all the wrong reasons. The logo, designed by Wolf Oland, cost around £400,000
and was intended to symbolize the energy and spirit of the games. However, the abstract
jagged design, featuring the numbers 2012 in bright pink and yellow, was widely criticized
for being confusing and unattractive. Some even claimed it resembled other controversial
or inappropriate symbols. The backlash was swift, with many calling it one of the worst
logos in Olympic history, proving that even the best intentions in modern, edgy design
can sometimes fall flat with the public. For our final news story, it takes us to the aerial
font confusion. According to Massey B, who wrote a critique called Practical Typography,
the design choice of the aerial typeface has one particularly frustrating flaw, the identical
appearance of the lowercase L and the uppercase I. In most typefaces, designers aim to make
characters visually distinct, improving readability. However, ARIO's L and I look so similar that
readers often mistake one for the other. This leads to miscommunication, especially in contexts
that require precision. This issue has fueled ongoing criticism from designers and typographers
who argue that ARIO's lack of clarity makes it unfit for professional use despite its
widespread adoption in digital and print settings. And there's your Not So Funny Design News
for this episode.
Thank you for the quote and headline news. I'm joined by Micah and Esther for this first
segment and we'll be covering the principles and elements of design. And there are seven
of each. We can't do a deep dive in each principle or element, but we will share some
definitions and add some extra commentary. Before we get into the seven principles and
seven elements, we will share some core concepts about the topic of design. These concepts
are not industry or discipline specific, meaning these concepts are universally applicable in
all design disciplines. Micah and Esther will share about what some of these design discipline
categories are. So go ahead first, Micah.
Like Mr. Jason said, the core concepts we'll share first can be applied uniformly to the
following design disciplines. And the first discipline category would be visual communication
design. This design discipline category would include graphic design, typography, illustration,
brand design, and UI design, which stands for user interface design. Esther has our
next category.
Another design discipline category would be product and industrial design. This broad
category would include design disciplines such as industrial design, furniture design,
packaging design, automotive design, and toy design.
Another broad design discipline category is spatial and environmental design. This category
would include such design disciplines as interior design, architectural design, urban design,
landscape design, and exhibition design.
And onto our next broad design discipline category. It is digital and interactive design.
This category would include UX design, which stands for user experience design, web design,
game design, motion graphic design, and design involving AR, also augmented reality, and
VR, virtual reality.
All right. Thanks for giving us some insight into the broad field of design disciplines.
There are actually a few more categories such as fashion and textile design, industrial
process and engineering design, service design, and some miscellaneous categories such as
film and set and food design, and last but not least, information design.
So with that in mind, here are some basic core concepts that can be applied to any of
these broad design discipline categories. Micah, go ahead and give us our first core
concept.
All righty then. Our first core concept states that design is fundamentally a craft that
involves intentional arrangement of elements to achieve a specific purpose. To take this
a step further, design combines art and industry to create visually appealing and functional
solutions that effectively communicate a message. Design produces that has both form and function,
which takes us to our next core concept.
Our second core concept is that form should reflect and support a function, which in turn
produces harmonious and effective solutions. The aesthetics of a thing should enhance the
function of that thing. Neither should hinder the other.
Another core concept involves intent. Intent refers to purpose or goal behind a particular
action. Intent defines the question of why something is done or made. Intent is the driving
force behind design. A clearly defined intent informs every decision made throughout the
design process, ensuring that the final outcome fulfills its purpose. Intent and design are
inseparable, working together to fulfill a purpose.
Our fourth and final core concept of design relates to the human mind. And to better understand
this concept, you'll need to study the Gestalt Principles, which could be its own podcast
episode in and of itself, but in short, the Gestalt Principles explain how people perceive
and interpret visual information as a whole rather than as individual elements. These
principles guide designers in creating work that is visually cohesive, intuitive, and
impactful. Some examples include the principle of closure, proximity, and similarity. These
can be applied to group elements which guide the viewer's eyes and enhance the overall
experience.
Alright, thank you for sharing those four core concepts of design. It's important that
we share these core concepts first, which I think helps create a foundation for our
next conversation, which is the principles and elements of design. In my book, Navigating
Design, I cover all seven principles and all seven elements, while including very simple
and basic illustrations for each. Because this is an audio-only podcast, we'll attempt
to explain each with simple and clear words to hopefully allow for your mind's eye to
visualize what we are talking about.
Alright, let's start with the seven principles of design. Principles of design are defined
as fundamental guidelines for organizing and arranging the elements in order to create
a visually appealing, functional, and cohesive work. Mike could go ahead and start us off
with our first principle of design, and then we'll work through these quickly since we
have seven of them.
Pattern is our first principle. Pattern is defined as a repetition of visual elements
like shapes, lines, or colors. An example of this principle can be seen in wallpaper
design, which often includes a repeated image or motif which adds to the aesthetic or room.
Emphasis is our second principle. Contrast is the juxtaposition of different elements
to highlight their individual properties and create visual interest. A simple example of
this is black text on a white background. This creates strong contrast, making the text
easy to read.
Emphasis is our third principle. Emphasis is defined as drawing attention to specific
elements by using techniques like size, placement, or contrast. An example of this principle
could be a bright orange button or a muted gray webpage. This draws attention and emphasizes
it as a primary call to action.
Balance is our fourth principle. Balance is defined as the distribution of elements to
create visual stability and harmony. There are three types of balance, symmetric, asymmetric,
and circular. An example of this could be a magazine layout with a large image on one
page balanced by text of equal visual weight on the opposite page.
Proportion and scale is our fifth principle. Proportion and scale can be defined as the
relative size and relationship between elements within a design. An example of this principle
can be seen in old cathedrals where the large towering columns are proportionally scaled
to the vast height of the ceiling, emphasizing the grandeur of the space and creating a sense
of awe.
Harmony is our sixth principle. Harmony can be defined as the overall sense of unity and
coherence in a design which is achieved through the balance application of design principles.
An example of this could be a set of kitchen appliances like a toaster, kettle, and blender
designed with similar shapes, colors, and materials, which creates a harmony by ensuring
the product looks like they go together when placed together on a countertop.
Movement and Rhythm is our seventh principle. Movement and Rhythm can be defined as a pass
a viewer's eye takes through a design, guided by elements that create a sense of flow or
the direction of visual or movement flow. An example of this principle can be seen in
a garden party that gently curves with alternating plantings of flowers and shrubs. This creates
movement and rhythm by guiding the eye along the path and offering a visual flow through
the space.
Okay, now moving on, we'll share the seven elements of design. Thank you guys. Unlike
principles which can be applied to anything, the elements of design are actually things
that can be used in design. In order to not make this too long, we won't go in depth
on each one like we haven't on the principles, so as they are self-explanatory by their name.
Micah go ahead and share the first element of design.
Alright, so line is our first element. Line is a mark that connects two points that can
vary in width, direction, or style.
Shape is our next element. Shape can be defined as a two-dimensional area enclosed by a line.
Shape can be geometric or organic.
Form is our third element. Form is defined as a three-dimensional shape that has volume
and depth. A square becomes a cube, a circle becomes a cylinder, and a triangle becomes
a cone.
Color is our fourth element. Color is defined as the visual property of objects perceived
by the eye, characterized by hue, saturation, and brightness. The traditional color wheel
includes primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Primary colors are not mixed, and
there are three of them, which are red, blue, and yellow. Secondary colors are mixed created
by mixing two primary colors together, and tertiary colors are created by mixing one
primary color with one secondary color.
Textures are our fifth element. Texture is defined as the surface quality of an object
that can be visual or tactile. Rough, smooth, slippery, or sticky are just some of the words
that can describe the element of texture, depending on how it looks or feels.
Space is our sixth element. Space can be defined as the area between or around objects
in a design, including both positive and negative space. Yes, there is such a thing as negative
and positive space, and both are very important.
Last but not least, we have value, which is our seventh element. Value is defined as the
degree of lightness or darkness in a color or shade. The element of value can be used
to create the illusion that the 2D object is 3D in appearance. Gradients and shading
use value, and can give the appearance of depth and create more interest to an object.
And there you have it. Thank you, Mike and Esther, for sharing some core concepts and
the principles and elements of design. Our hope is that more and more people will have
a better appreciation and understanding about the topic of design and how it affects just
about every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not.
All right, stay tuned for our second segment with special guest Mr. Darwin right after
this short PSA.
Hey, Students Incorporated listeners, I want to invite you out to the Makers' Fair coming
December 11th and 12th of this year. We are going to be having handmade goods, food, live
music, all kinds of fun stuff happening in the high school secondary courtyard from two
to five both days. We're excited about this event because it represents our community
and all of the creativity here. We've got amazing students, staff and parents all involved
in this event. If you didn't catch the details, it's coming up soon, December 11th and 12th
from two to five p.m. in a secondary courtyard. You can follow us online at ICS Makers' Fair.
And if you have any questions, you can get in touch with me, Mrs. Asia. See you there.
And we are back with our second segment and I have Mr. Darwin, our local residential multimedia
designer in the studio. Chances are if there's a poster, a sign or an announcement of some
sort you have seen around school, Mr. Darwin has had a hand in designing it.
All right, to kick off this segment, I want to talk about some design no-nos first. These
would be things that designers cringe about when they hear or see them. Then Mr. Darwin
and I will present some best practices for design. And these are mainly for those of
you who are not trained designers by trade, but want to learn and grow in this area. But
first, let's get started with our first design no-no discussion question. So the question
is this, what are some common design no-nos that instantly make a project look unprofessional?
So go ahead, Mr. Darwin, let's get started with that one.
The first one is overcrowding with too many elements, whether it's your image, fonts
and colors. This creates visual chaos and confuses the audience. You are designing to
communicate or to inform. In order to do that, your design should not be overcrowded. But
don't be scared to explore your design process. So that's some good advice, overcrowding,
too many elements and visual chaos. So we got to be careful of that, right?
Yeah.
The next talking point, let's see, is using low quality images or assets. And this can
diminish the overall credibility of the design. So low quality image or assets. Maybe you
can give us some more insight into this.
Ignoring alignment and spacing, which makes the design look disorganized and amateurish.
This is something I am still perfecting and is very crucial, especially if you are designing
for a printed material.
For printed material, like Mr. Darwin was talking about, we have to understand the size,
the output size, right? So starting with the end in mind and trying to understand how will
this design, this piece be used. And then going backwards from there, it will help us
understand what type of resolution or size should our images be. And sometimes staying
away from clip art, right?
Yeah.
So our next talking point would be why is choosing the wrong font a major design no-no
and how can designers avoid this mistake?
Well mismatched fonts can distract from the message, especially if you are using a Comic
Sans for a formal document. Some successful brands tend to use only one or two fonts in
older campaign.
So Comic Sans is probably a font we shouldn't put on a professional document.
That should be.
Yeah, Comic Sans is great, but it's very informal. It's okay to use it for maybe memes or other
things. But like Mr. Darwin said, the font should be chosen according to what is the
end result. Where is this document? Where is this design going to be shown? And kind
of what's the design or what's the tone of that document and that font should match.
Okay, moving on to our next design no-no. This no-no is stated as overusing trendy fonts
or overly decorative fonts because this may feel dated and may go out of style too quickly.
What are your thoughts on this?
Well to avoid this, designers should consider readability, context, and tone. A general
rule is to limit designs to two complimentary fonts. If you're going to add another one,
make sure it doesn't turn out to be a distraction from the main message.
Very good. So less is more when it comes to choosing font styles.
Okay, moving on to our next no-no discussion question. How does neglecting mobile or responsive
design affect user experience and why is this a design no-no? What do you think?
Over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. A design that doesn't adapt to smaller
screens frustrates users and can lead to lost opportunities or clients. Make sure your artboard
sizes are correct before you start designing.
So those who neglect the idea of responsive design usually will run into issues especially
with people who mainly look at design on their mobile device because it may not fit the screen.
So that's something to keep in mind is to not ignore that idea of responsive design
especially within like the web design and application design field.
I want to take this a step further and mention that even static designs like a logo, other
brand elements such as graphics, textures, shapes, or color need to be responsive. They
not only need to be responsive on the digital devices but also in the real physical world.
So a designer should create multiple versions of a logo, a vertical orientation and a horizontal
orientation with color and without color. Design should be responsive to the environment
they will be used on or in. I used to consult businesses to keep their branding flexible
and adaptable and not be too scripted in their brand style guides so as to miss opportunities
where they could be even more creative and innovative.
So what are your thoughts on some of those things Mr. Darwin?
Those practices include testing on multiple devices and ensuring elements resize or reflow
intuitively. If you don't have the luxury of owning multiple devices send it to your
friends who have different types of devices and ask for their opinion on how it looks.
It's a good idea. I like that. Send it to your friends and usually your friends will
be honest with you.
Ok, so moving on to our next discussion question and it's similar to the fonts question we
talked about earlier. So it is why is using too many colors in a design considered a no
no and how can designers create a balanced color palette? What are your thoughts on that?
For me too many colors can overwhelm the viewer, make design look cluttered and detract from
the overall message. Although if you're going to do a colorful design you should know how
to pull it off.
Very good. Know how to pull it off. So a lack of color harmony may also create a chaotic
or unprofessional feel. So that whole, there's a whole study and it's called color theory
and that's something that color can add so much to a design but if used inappropriately
or the different type of colors are used it can invoke a feeling or emotion or tone that
was not necessarily intended for that design. So Art do you have any more thoughts on that
Mr. Darwin?
Designers should stick to a cohesive color palette with two to four primary colors and
leverage tools like Adobe Color or coolers to select complementary schemes. Using consistent
brand colors help maintain visual identity.
Very good. I'm glad you brought that up because there are a lot of tools out there that can
help us. So if you're not an expert in this idea of like putting complementary colors
together primary, secondary or even knowing what different colors, what type of emotions
they can invoke there are great tools out there like Adobe Color. There's another one
called coolers. There's lots of books that give examples of how to put different colors
together and how those can communicate different things.
Okay moving on to our next question and it has to do with white space. So the question
is this. What makes neglecting white space or negative space a significant design mistake?
So what are your thoughts on that one?
This is somehow my pet peeve when it comes to designing. So filling every inch of design
makes it hard for the viewers to focus leading to cognitive overload or misunderstanding
the details of the information you want to convey.
I would agree this is a big pet peeve of mine too. Putting too many things together therefore
it clutters out the main message. So white space enhances readability, creates a breathing
space and draws attention to key elements. Your eyes just like you need to breathe air,
your brain your eyes need to breathe as well. So if we cram too much together in a poster
or some sort of design it actually works against the main message. So design with restraint
keep some space on there and yeah so do you have any more thoughts on that one Mr. Darlin?
Designers can avoid the mistake by prioritizing simplicity and actively leading margins, baddings
and clear areas around focal points. Think of white space as an essential design element
not wasted space.
Oh I like that. It is an essential design element. Even though it's negative there's
nothing there. Space can be used in a very positive way even though it's negative space.
Okay moving on to our next question. It is why is skipping user testing or feedback a
critical design no-no and how can this be avoided?
The first one without testing designers might create something visually appealing but impractical
or confusing to the end user.
Oh very good. So visually appealing or impactful or confusing to the end user. We need to get
the feedback of the people who will be using or looking at it. So solutions include prototyping,
gathering feedback early and iterating based on real user interactions. And this really
has to do heavily within the digital design or application design field.
And remember the sign is for the user not the designer's personal preferences.
Oh very good point. Very good point. It's not necessarily just about our own personal
preference or opinion which can be very subjective but we've got to think of that user.
Moving on from design no-no's we'd like to end with some design best practices. So Mr.
Darwin and I have condensed several different lists together into one general top 10 list
we both agree on right?
Yes.
Alright thank you. This list is focused toward the graphic or creative design fields like
graphic design, web design, UI design. However some of these best practices can be applied
to other disciplines such as architecture, interior design and product design.
I'll start with the first design best practice on our list and it is keep it simple. Okay
keep it simple. Avoid overcrowding your design with too many elements. Use white space effectively
like we talked about earlier and using white space effectively can communicate or give
your content room to breathe. Alright next on our list what's number two Mr. Darwin?
The second one on our list is use a grid for alignment. Grids ensure proper alignment and
spacing. Make your design look balanced and professional.
Yes grid and grids are essentially invisible to the user when they see it.
Yes.
But it is a really handy tool that we can use to plot things in the space and put them
appropriately so there is balance.
Moving on to our third item on the list and it's choose a consistent color palette. This
idea is to stick to two to three main primary colors and maybe a few accent colors. Use
tools like Adobe Color like we said earlier, coolers or to find harmonious color schemes.
Alright moving on to number four. What's number four Mr. Darwin?
The fourth design practice is stick to readable fonts. You should limit your designs to one
to two font families and prioritize readability. Pair a bold font for headlines with a simple
font for the body text.
I like that. Just like we were talking about design no-nos these are some best practices
when it comes to not only like the color choosing a color palette but like number four here is
focusing on finding one to two fonts.
Alright, on to our number five on the list of best practices. It's use high quality images
and graphics. So avoid pixelated or blurry images. Don't just copy something from Google
and then slap it in your you know page or on your design. Use free resources like Unsplash,
Google Pexels, Pixabay or Canva to professionally present good quality visuals. And I think
this is another pet peeve of probably both of ours. Yes. Is when we see low resolution
pixelated clip art images just thrown on something. So do the hard work find a good image that
represents and that will add something to your design and don't cut quarters and just
find cheap clip art pieces out there on the internet right?
Correct.
Alright, so let's move on to number six. What's number six on our list?
Well before that I want to add there's also free resources with AI that can enhance your
pictures with a price of course. But moving on to number six. The number six design practice
is pay attention to contrast. If using text ensure it stands out from the background and
is readable. Light text on a dark background or vice versa enhances readability.
So that's a good one. So contrast. I think some people forget about that as being a design
principle is using contrast to your benefit. Okay, moving on to our seventh design practice
which is maintain visual hierarchy. So guide the viewer's eye by prioritizing the most
important elements. Headlines, images, even bodies of text using size, color, or placement.
The most important thing should be at the top or be the one element that demands the
most attention. So use hierarchy where you put things, the size of things, and how they're
placed on your canvas or in your composition so that people know what's most important.
Alright, we're going to move on to number eight. What's number eight on our list?
Design best practice number eight is balance your design. Symmetry and balance make a design
pleasing to the eye. Distribute elements evenly across the layout. The elements in the design
should not be competing for attention. Symmetry, right? So balance the design and
of course that goes back to white space and space and all that kind of stuff too. So balance
your design. That's number eight. Moving on to number nine and we're almost done with
our top 10 list. Number nine is be consistent with the branding. So if the design is for
a brand or like a company or somebody or something or an organization, use consistent logos,
fonts, and colors to create a cohesive look across all the materials. A brand is important
because those elements represent the identity of the business or company or organization
that you're working with. And this brings us to number 10, our final design practice.
And it is, what is it Mr. Darwin? It's test your design. View your design on multiple
devices in different formats to ensure it looks good everywhere. As I mentioned earlier
with multiple devices, ask a few trusted colleagues for their opinions. Alright, so that's number
10 test your design and that's our top 10 list of best practices that you can or we
can as people who want to create good design can follow. So and there you have it, some
best practices to remember when designing. Just another word of advice, design software
is a tool. So a design software does not make you a better designer. Design software is
a tool that we can use as designers. So like all tools, principles and best practices need
to be followed in order to use that tool effectively. And I hope this episode has provided some
guidance in doing so. So thank you again Mr. Darwin for being on the show. Any last words
of advice? Thank you for having me here and just keep on creating. Well, I like that.
Keep on creating. Alright, thank you. As we end this episode, we'd like to thank our sponsor
again, The Maker's Fair, which will be held on December 11th and 12th from 2 to 5pm at
ICS. Stay tuned for our next episode as we take you on an actual field trip. I'll just
leave it at that for now. And as always, this podcast would not be possible without the
hard work and support of our international student production team. All music and sound
effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives sharing copyright free
images, videos and music. And we are signing off until next time. We are Students Incorporated,
because your voice matters.