Page 15 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

Graphic Design 3
and targeted message. The design process is the way that a designer breaks the problem into discrete
creative activities. First is an exploration of what is trying to be achieved. Facts are gathered about the
problem, and the problem itself is often defined very specifically. The idea phase is where brainstorming
and ideation occurs, often without judgment, as a way to gather as many different ideas and directions
as possible. From this, solutions are evaluated, both for their perceived impact on the target audience
and for their perceived effectiveness in portraying the desired message. Finally, all of this information
is distilled into an accepted solution. Designers do not sit around waiting for ideas to just happen; they
follow a process in order to make it happen.

Figure I.4 The golden ratio is a constant that
appears in nature

Chapter 3 presents the most important and necessary design elements required for effective graphic
layout and design. When designing a layout, the designer cannot just ‘throw’ all of the information onto
the page. Design is a thoughtful process that makes use of many different skills to create a design that is
both appealing and legible. We discuss the grid in its many forms, including different types of grid such
as the ITS grid, the golden ratio, and even strategies for using no grid at all. Space is an important design
element, with different items on the page requiring more or less area to be effective. We also talk about
the density, or ‘colour’ of type on the page, along with a number of different typographical conventions
for making the most of the collection of words on the layout.

In Chapter 4, we begin to move along in the production process and discuss some of the more physical
attributes of design. And one of the most important topics in creating printed products is that of colour. It
is a complex part of the design process, affecting how an image is transmitted to the eye, how the colours
are perceived, and what makes one thing look different from another, even if it is the same colour. Have
you ever printed something on your home printer only to be disappointed that it doesn’t look like it did
on your computer screen? Highly detailed systems of colour management are put in place to mitigate
these differences.

As we proceed toward creating printed output, Chapter 5 is where it all starts to come together. In the
print process, this stage is called prepress. Prepress is where all the design work is translated from a
file on the computer in front of you into a form that can be ‘printed’ onto a given surface. Imagine the
requirements for creating not just one copy of a design, but thousands! This is a very important step, and
if mistakes or production hurdles are not discovered and overcome at this step, then the project can end
up being very costly for all parties involved, from the designer, to the printer, to the client. This chapter
deals with topics such as preflight, imposition, separations, platemaking, and considerations for other
print and finishing processes.