Techniques, Materials, tools and Equipment used in Design and Manufacture (2.1,2.2,2.3,2.4)

There are many essentials of techniques and materials which are used in design. It allows artists and designers to be freely creative and produce their desired work.




I am going to list a few techniques which are used in design:-




(Techniques which are commonly used in design work)




Patterns..
- Sun Rays/Lighting/Rays of Light




- Coloured Silhouettes




- Ink Splatters/Swirls/Florishes




- Flowing lines




- The 'Smoke effect'








- Contrast




- Gradient




- Colour




- Letter Spacing




- Case




(Upper Case & Lower Case)




- Anti-Aliasing




(Smooth/Sharp edges...Things that look perfect don't always look interesting, if things are messed up a little, such as blurring the background or adding a lens flare to a photograph, adds depth and interest.)




- Imperfection




(Imperfect your image, for example you can make a paper photograph appear ancient, dirty and old by adding a brown contrast colour to the white edges of the page.)




- Blur




(Blurring one object, brings focus to the other e.g. Gaussian blur tool/ windows vista Aero theme blurs any elements thats behind it, giving it a layer depth effect.)




- Alignment




(Aligning a part of a logo or rotating creates interest.)




- Trim Fat




(Trimming unecessary components)








Materials/Equipment and Tools used




We use many equipment and tools etc in the workplace to fulfill our needs and requirements in order to complete and work on projects. Today we have many better equipment than back then. Artists now have the latest equipment of technology which allows them in a more efficient way to be creative.




To start off with we need the basic tools and equipment such as:-




- Computers are the main design tool, it's not just the use of producing your designs but its also used for business purposes e.g. emails
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Desks
- Chairs
- Windows Vista
- (Stationery)
- Paper
- Pens/Pencils
- Notepads/sketchpads for scribbling down ideas and sketches to start off the project, brainstoms and   mock-ups.
- Sticky notes
- Folders for maybe internal use
- Graphic design books for inspiration and technical help etc.
- Pens
- Ink Jet Printers
- Enevelopes/Parcel materials
- Filing Cabinets to keep things organised and filed
- Scanners
- Photocopiers
- Graphic Tablets
- External USB Firewire hard drive for backing up files




These are just a few of the available materials which we use here at T2 and are materials which designers/artists now can use than which they couldn't before. Before computers it was all hands on work using physical equipment to come up with new design concepts, such as measuring tools, exacto blades, chemicals, paints, pencils, sketchpads and so on.




The software which we use in design




Adobe Software:-




Photoshop;




This software works with pixels and is used for the editing stage of the process in the design industry. It is mainly used by graphic designers, photographers and image manipulators. This software allows the creation of images from scratch or even to edit an existing file. There are advanced features and tools that can be used in photoshop such as, Layers, colour correction/modes, history brush etc. which is useful for editing manipulation. This software is generally used for photographs, manipulation, texture editing, correcting etc.




Illustrator;




This software works with vector graphics and is used by most artists/designers. It is a common used software for the creation of art, logos, cartoons, illustrations, drawings etc. Vector graphics are mathematically made up of anchor points and paths. It is the most suitable software to use for the main designing stage, as vector graphics produce the best quality image and can be scaled up or down as desired without any pixelation.




InDesign;




This software works well with other adobe programmes and is used by most designers. It is really useful for layouts and the design of documents such as; Brochures, leaflets, magazines/books, menus, cd covers, flyers, posters and many more types of documents.
In Design allows you to align everything correctly in it's actual size using guidelines, x/y etc. It also allows you to use many tools like illustrator and frames or grids. Another clever feature that can be used in this software is that you can 'undo' as many times as you require (all the way back to the opening of the document) This is efficient for many designers incase a mistake is made. Also to increase the speed of the running of the software, Indesign sets the display performance to a 'low/standard display performance' (which keeps a fast running flow of the program) However, if it is changed to 'High quality display' It may slow down the program as Indesign is showing all of the elements in a high resolution display.




Flash;




This is the software that maybe banner creaters use to creat online interfaces and online gaming. Flash is also used for animated websites, online videos, flash games and website interfaces.




Autodesk 3d Studio Max;




Autodesk 3ds max (and 3ds max design) software provide a powerful use of 3d modelling, animation, rendering and tools that enable artists and designers to quickly produce for production. It is a 3d computer graphics software which has modelling capabilities and has a flexible plug in. The two versions share the same technology and features but they both have different experiences and specialised tools.
This software is frequently used by Visual effects artists, 3d artists, graphic designers, architects, Tv commercial and visualisation studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualisation. It is a customisable user interface, it has normal map creation and rendering, global illumination and has its very own scripting language.




Rendering;
There are many types of renders and plugins which are used for different purposes.




Scanline rendering (which we use at T2) - This is the default rendering method in max which over the years has had several advanced features that have been added to this type of render, such as; global illumination, radiosity and ray tracing.




Mental Ray - This is a production quality renderer which is integrated into the later versions of max, and is a powerful ray tracing renderer with 'bucket rendering'. This is a technique that allows distributing the rendering task for a single image between several computer efficiently.




Rendering Man - This has a third party connection tool which is available for those that need to integrate max into render man render forms. This type of rendering can make Pixar's films.




V-Ray (which we use at T2) - This is a third party render engine plug-in for 3ds max. It is used widely which frequently substitutes the standard and mental ray renders that are included in max.
V-Ray continues to be compatible with older versions of max.




Brazil R/S - This is a third party high quality photorealistic rendering system which is capable of fast ray tracing and global illumination.




Final Render - This is another third party ray tracing render engine which is capable of stimulating a wide range of real world physical effects/phenomena.




Fry Render - A third party, photorealistic physically based, unbiased and spectral renderer which is capable of high quality and realism.




Arion Render - A third party hybrid interactive, unbiased raytracer which is based on Nvidia CUDA.




Indigo Renderer -  This is also a third party photorealistic renderer with plugins for 3d Studio Max.




Maxwell Renderer - This is a third party photorealistic rendering system which provides robust materials and highly accurate unbiased rendering.




Octone Render - This is a third party unbiased ray tracer with plugins for 3d studio max and is based on Nvidia CUDA.




Big Render 3.0 - Another third party rendering plugin. This is capable of overcoming 3ds rendering memory limitations with rendering large pictures.




Lux Render - This is an open source ray tracer which supports 3ds max, cinema 4d, soft image and blender. This renderer focuses on photorealism by stimulating real light physics as much as possible.




Software Release Dates:-




Adobe Photoshop;




Photoshop CS5 was released on April 12, 2010. The development team revealed the new technologies under development, including 3D brushes and warping tools.
In May 2011, Creative Suite 5.5 was released, with new versions of some of the applications.




Photoshop Plugins;




- Colour correction plugin
- Special Effects plugin
- 3D effects plugin
- Camera Raw




(Adobe Camera Raw is a special plugin supplied free by adobe. It is used to read and process raw image files so that the resultant image can be processed by photoshop.)




Adobe Illustrator;




Illustrator CS5 was release in May 2010. It has perspective drawing tools, variable width strokes, control over opacity in points on gradient meshes, shape builder tool (similar to path finder tools) and a bristle brush, which enables users to imitate real life brush strokes while maintaining a vector format.




Adobe InDesign;




InDesign CS% (7.0) was released in April 2010. However, Indesign CS5.5 version (7.5) was newly released in April 2011.




Characteristics




The characteristics of a design is a big key element used in design. One of them is consistency which covers most of the smaller elements, such as the amount of letter spacing you have. The characteristics of how the design is presented should reflect the tone and personality of the publication.




I am going to use the keepmoat homes wave as an example of characteristics.
I have specifically chosen this design as i think it has a very characteristic flow in colour and shape for example.

First of all the characteristic of colour really seems to emphasise the design. There is a consistency of both colours throughout the wave and also throughout the rest of the branding publications.




Keepmoat use two shades of green which are pantone colours:-




Lighter Green: 375 Pantone, C = 31, M = 0, Y = 94, K = 0
Darker Green:  376 Pantone, C = 50, M = 0, Y = 100, K = 0




These are the corporate colours of the two greens that are used on the wave. The two colours work really well together and the colour for this company also has a purpose of meaning.




The colour green is the colour of nature, healing power, growth, safety, freshness, growth and hope. It is also a restful colour to the human eye. In relation to the company, the colour of nature could relate to the nature of the houses and environment, freshness of the grass surrounding the new fresh house types and is a restful, safe company to buy homes with.
Overall the colour just gives the company the new, fresh and nature feel that it needs to sell their homes.




This is the overall character of this companies image. The image of fresh and new. However, the shape of the wave also has character as it is a flowing smooth shape, which gives it a restful and friendly feel. The company needs a friendly feel as their target audience is selling their homes to families.




In addition, the potential of these characteristics gives a positive effect on the company. However, if the colour and shape was different, this would achieve a different effect.




For example, if the colour was red and it was a square-on block shape, i personally think it would create a negative effect and character to the design and company.




Red relates to the meaning of anger, power, danger and forcefulness. However, it also relates to desire, passion and love. But this colour is not relevant to the companies purpose neither their target audience.




Characteristics achieve many different effects not just on the design but also on the person viewing it and also they should be chosen efficiently to achieve the correct desired results.

Descibe how formal elements & principles are visible in the work of two major designers - Designer 2

Armani Jeans

Armani is an italian fashion company that designs, manufactures, distributes and retails all of their products. It was established in 1975 by the designer Giorgio Armani himself who was known by 2001 to be the most successful italian designer. The Giorgio Armani name has become in relation with high fashion and is recognisably considered as one of the most highly specialised labelled name in the fashion industry.

Armani Jeans and the collection of denim related clothing was designed and created in 1981 by Giorgio Armani himself. In terms of his designs, the clothing from his line doesn't feature his signature or speciality. However, the jeans often have a much larger logo than any other clothing he's designed.

I have noticed a few elements that makes Giorgio's designs stand out, which emphasises and unify's his designs and products. One of Giorgio's 'Armarni Jeans' designs has really lead my eye compared to the other designs in his collection of jeans.

This denim jean has rhythm, character and emphasis. The splash of colour pink on the front button fastening and the Armani logo stitching on the back pocket, really directs the eye as both colours are in contrast and isolate eachother. However this design is made to be balanced and in proportion by both pink elements, which gives the customer the focal point of it being the 'feature' and 'character' of this design.

The shading of the jeans' material has a rhythmic pace as the lighter shading unifys the darker shade and is also in balance with eachother, which supports the visual image and rhythm of the design.

Descibe how formal elements & principles are visible in the work of two major designers - Designer 1

Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss is an American clothing company who invented and designed the first ever pair of blue jeans. It is mainly well known for Levi's brand of denim jeans. The company was established in 1853 when Levi Strauss came over to California to open his brothers New York 'dry goods' business. The clothing designs by Jacob Davis and the company founder Levi Strauss, recieved a patent in 1873 to make the first invented men's work pants out of denim, which were the first blue jeans.



I have come across many formal elements and principles that are within Levi's work. These elements are important which acts as a big role on selling his products. The way the technique of the product is presented is what attracts our eye the most. For example, if someone had placed a creased pair of jeans on a bed sheet as their 'back drop' to sell their poduct, and had taken a photo of them in a poor lighting area etc. the poduct wouldn't sell or even draw a customers attention. However, if a real-life visual of the jeans were created on the computer or if the product was taken on real people by pofessional photographers, the quality and technique of the image would immediately grab our attention and sell that product.



There are also elements in the products itself which helps them to sell. For instance, one of Levi's jean designs has a large range of elements. This design (slight curve slim jean) has an emphasis of colour which instantly makes the product 'jump out' as a focal point. The light 'patches' that have been designed onto both legs is emphasised in colour because the background colour is a darker shade of blue than the foreground colour.This also relates the design to the element of rhythm as the light blue 'patches' have
been repeated onto both legs which also makes the design balanced and in proportion.



                                                           Levi's 'Slight Curve Slim' Jeans





This is a really good example of how the quality and technique of a product is presented is important. The professionalism, quality and unity of this image brings the whole elements of the products together. Levi's designs of colourful jeans works together as a whole element in this image. Emphasis has been applied, rhythm, unity and so on. The emphasis on the jeans in this image really stands out to us and so does the main message of the design; colour.


The colour acts as a focal point in this image and it immediately directs our eyes to this element as the outburst of colours have been applied onto a black/dark background. This contrasts and isolates the two elements from eachother.


There are also relationships between objects in this image. Such as the relationship of colour between the jeans and the chairs. The designer has used colourful chairs to make the image balanced and in proportion with eachother at a rhythmic pace to make it more exciting, as colour relates to excitement and happiness which gives the customers a positive image on the product.

How the Element, Rhythm Is kept throughout a Document in Design

Keepmoat Homes Brand, Design & Identity Guidelines

Rhythm is involved with many things around us that we may not realise. It's not just images, sound and real-life objects it is involved in, but it's also involved with things that are produced internally such as, a large spread of documents. I am going to look at how rhythm, is applied throughout a document that is several pages long. I have chosen the 'Keepmoat Homes Brand, Design & Identity Guidelines' brochure as i think it is a relevant and appropiate document.



First of all, I am going to look at how the pace of the information is delivered throughout the brochure. The information appears to be delivered fluently at a consistant pace and also flows in text as it has a constant alignment to the right hand side of the page which keeps the appearence neat, professional, clear and coporate. They have also kept the rhythm in the type face as they have used 'Myriad Pro' throughout, along with the consistant font size of 11pt. This keeps a fluent rhythm throughout the document which doesn't make it sporadic in content or pace. The whole element of information has a steady rhythmic feed across the entire brochure.

There is a constant, fluent theme throughout the document which straight away supports the rest of the elements and layout within the brochure. It is a strip of colour at the top of every page in the 'keepmoat green' (pantone: 376). It also adds character and creates a visual image of the company and brochure itself. In addition, it supplies the document with a professional, business-like and corporate appearence.




I like how images of the logos are used to show the examples of how the logo should/shouldn't be as it provides a more clear understanding of the logo's appearence guidelines. I also think it is effective how there are examples of correct and incorrect examples which is supported by the large 'ticks' and 'crosses' which immediately emphasises the rhythm of what is right and what is wrong. This leads the eye to the information provided which simply shows that the images support the pace and rhythm of the text.


The white title in the green feature at the top of the page is consistently repeated along with the title numbers. This keeps an organised pace through the document which shows that the layout of the information is arranged and is fluent. This helps the brochure to be an 'easy to follow' document as it splits up the elements into sections of its pupose, this makes sures it's not sporadic with an un-even flow.



The following pictures are only a few that I have selected out of the brochure. However the only thing that I would make amends to would be the cover page. As I personally think it is bland, nothing is emphasised and it doesnt attract the eye. I would include the green strip feature to the top of the page like the others to make it directly constant from the very beginning.



However, in conclusion, the pace of the whole brochure has a steady rhythmic feed across the entire document. It has a professional, clear and corporate appearence and the elements within the brochure support eachother which results in a balanced rhythmic pace.

The 3 F's of Design

'FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION'


Form: Refers to what something looks like
                                 follows...
Function: Refers to how it works

The Principles and Elements of Design

The principles of design are concepts which are used to organise the structure and elements in the design of products. The principles and elements within this area are; Balance, Proportion, Rhythm, Emphasis and Unity.



I am going to give a short list with what each principle involves;-



Balance:

• Symmetrical
• Asymmetrical
• Radial
• All over pattern

Proportion:

• Two-dimensional
• Three-dimensional

Rhythm:

• Repetition
• Consistency
• Stability
• Visualisation

Emphasis:

• Focal Point
• Contrast (Putting opposites together)
• Isolation
• Placement
• Absence of focal point

Unity:

• Repetition (keeping this consistent)
• Continuation
• Closure

Balance



First of all, balance is an important element in the principles of design. Balance is the concept of visualisation and stability, this relates to our physical sense of balance. This element can be successfully achieved in two ways, symmetrically and asymmetrically.



Symmetrical/formal balance is having equal weight on both equal sides, which are organised equally on either side of the central axis. However, if balance is not achieved, the image will be over powered on one side of the design and will be unbalanced. If the elements are arranged equally around a central point, then this will result in a radial symmetrical balanced design. Basically, symmetrical balance is the balance of the elements within itself such as, colour, texture, shape etc.



Shapes: This is where the root of the design begins. Shapes are used to create and layouts, patterns and to build endless concepts.
Lines: This element is also important in the use of balance. It is used to divide space and to split it up into sections. This directs the eye into the correct visuals and creates forms.
Colour: This is an interesting element in design and balance as it can be changed dramatically which can create an effect of making an image stand out, create character and emotions.
Texture: This relates to the visual appearence and surface of a design. This generally creates balanced visualisation of the audience being able to actually 'feel' the texture, which makes it unique and different from the other elements in design.



Asymmetrical/informal balance is the placement of objects which have a variety of visual weights to balance eachother around a central point. Unequal weights can be balanced by adjusting the central point on our imaginery scale. For example, a large object can be balanced out by a number of small objects.



Proportion



Proportion is the size and scales of a variety of elements in design. Artists regularly take natural proportions of the human body to achieve and progress their desirable goals. It is a two - dimensional and a three - dimensional element by other elements. Proportion is also the relationship between various objects in design as they are one part to another or to the whole. However, you can define proportion in the terms of size, quantity or degree. As the size of an object is influenced by other parts in it's environment, it could easily appear 'out of proportion'. For example as an interior designer, if they placed a small image onto a large wall, it wouldnt appear 'in proportion'. Whereas if a large image or a repetition of small ones was placed onto a large wall, it would achieve the proportion principle.


Shape and proportion are elements which help to make the image feel 'balanced and 'in proportion' as if the objects are 'working together'. The shapes must be as interesting as possible and for whatever image the shapes are made into, they must be in proportion with eachother. For, example the relationship between a basket ball net and a basket ball itself would have to be in proportion. The net would have to be a much larger size than the ball itself, otherwise the balance between the two objects wouldnt work together and they would be 'out of proportion'.


Parallax also relates to proportion. It is the displacement or different position of an object which we see at a specific angle. For example if we was to look at the time (1:30) on a clock and someone was looking at it directly infront of them, they would see the two arms pointing at the correct time. However, if someone was viewing the clock at a 90 degree angle from the left, the arms of the clock may not be seen exactly on the correct reading time. Another example of parallax is if you was to travel down a street of houses and the buildings appear as though they are going from bigger to smaller. This is because objects have a larger parallax when nearby, to objects that are at a distance which is why they appear smaller the further away you are. Parallax can be used to identify distances or what the eye can see. Our eyes have overlapping visual fields which is to gain depth perception and they way we see things. In computer vision the effect called stereopsis that our eyes create is used for computer stereo vision.



Rhythm



Rhythm is the repetition of one or more elements thats within a visual format, this creates consistency and stability. Rhythm is achieved in visual design by the repetition of elements in a design such as image, layout, type and shape. This is what creates pattern with a repetitive arrangement. Rhythm creates visual unity and organised movement which leads and draws the attention  of the eye and mind to the space surrounding the rhythmic pattern.


Rhythm can make a large area or even small, interesting. Such as the simplest form of repetition or a regular placement of the same element. For example, consistent placement of the same dining chairs or even a repetition of the same brick pattern and window panes can create a rhythmic building pattern.


In the terms of 'visual rhythm' you can repeat a colour, pattern or shape with other elements. For example, a repetition of colour throughout a room, will immediately direct the visual eye through the whole of the elements in the image.
Pattern can be made more rhythmically interesting by varing the space or characteristics of a reacurring element to create visual interest. For example, if you have a repeated object you can keep the shape and size consistent, but have a variety of textures/materials, colour and tone.



Emphasis



Emphasis is used by artists to ultimately draw attention  to a certain element of the image, a focal point. Contrast is also used to create emphasis as it dramatically divides the elements within the image to make the audiences eye notice the effect. For example, something neautral against an object that has a high saturation, simply isolates the two from one another. However, there are several techniques used to emphasise the most important object on an image. For example, larger or opposite facing objects placed in the foreground creates a focal point to the eye.


Shapes are also used to create emphasis such as a group of unusual shapes with an odd geometric shape, immediately draws attention to itself.

Colour is also a big part of emphasis as an element. If most elements in the image are generally dark or grey scale, a splash or outburst of colour will contrast from its background and the rest of the elements within the image. This will immediately 'jump out' the page.

Isolation also creates emphasis in an image. For example, if most of the elements in an image are grouped together and there is an object by itself, the object that is alone will stand out to the eye as a focal point.

Placement is also used to create emphasis in an image. If an object is placed in the center of other elements, this will often be in perspective of a focal point. This is because of the way our eye sees things, as though the element in the center of others is in the 'spotlight'.



Unity



Unity is the placement and position which the elements are to eachother. It is the element that sums up the whole of the other elements in design and it is all of the elements working together to get the achievable result. Unity is also a concept which can be achieved by keeping consistent using repetition, proximity, continuation and closure.


Repetition is a method which is used to achieve unity. The repetition of colour, shape, texture or objects can be used to tie all of the elements together. For example, in an image with a row of houses, to create unity there could be a repetition in colour of the doors, bricks, style of the objects and pattern. This would achieve the sense of unity and would immediately bring the whole image together.


Proximity is the most simple method of making objects and elements belong together. This can be achieved by simply grouping the objects together to unify the image and create a visual pattern.


Unity also involves the continuation of lines, edges and the direction of an object to another. Continuations is generally used in images, graphics, books, magazines, brochures etc. which is usually used to group the elements of a page together.