GRAPHIC DESIGN LESSON
Creative Ideas and Techniques - 9

HOW TO DEVELOP CREATIVE IDEAS FOR GRAPHIC DESIGNS LESSON PLAN A graphic design is a creative arrangement of image and type that communicates a visual concept with a clarity and economy of means. There are tried and trusted techniques that you can use to increase your creativity in the search for a solution to any graphic design. In this lesson we use the symbols below to demonstrate a range of composition techniques that will help you to develop ideas for graphic designs. Click on the symbols below to see how each is developed into a creative idea for a graphic. Once you have studied these examples you can find some other symbols in our Graphic Design Resources that you may use to create your own graphic designs.
Graphic Design Lesson		Image Resources	Evaluating Your Designs
Designing a Logo		History of Logos	The Art of Typography

Graphic Design Techniques

Example 9

CREATING PATTERNS

Symmetrical shapes are naturally inclined to building structural patterns. Once our little modular man meets his friends they cannot help but demonstrate their acrobatic skills in this creative technique.

WELDING IMAGES

Welding is another technique used for building structures. 'Welding' in graphic design, as illustrated in our equation above, is when you take two or more images and combine them to create a single form. Due to their combined nature, 'welded' images often suggest ideas with layers of meaning.

VISUAL AND VERBAL PUNS

By adding the title 'Refrigeration Plant' to our welded image, we have created a logo idea for a cold storage company.

The layers of meaning that arise from uniting the images and type take the form of a visual and verbal pun.

The man / snowflake resembles a 'plant'. The word 'plant' not only describes a living organism but is also another name for a factory. The former is a symbol of nature while the latter is a symbol of technology. Like the stem supporting its flower, the figure holds the snowflake aloft - a reference to man's technology harnessing of the forces of nature, an appropriate symbol for the subject.

FRAMES AND BACKDROPS
ARE NOT ALWAYS RECTANGULAR

To develop this idea we have added a backdrop. Remember that a frame or backdrop does not have to be rectangular. It can be any shape. Here we use a triangular backdrop to frame the image and link to the title. The triangular backdrop also suggests the shape of an icicle, adding some extra chill to the design.

CONTRAST TONES AND COLORS
WITH A COUNTERCHANGE

Next the design was colored ice blue to further amplify the coldness of the concept. Tonal counterchanges of graduated color were added to both the image and its backdrop in order to contrast and balance each element of the design.

OUTLINES ARE NOT ALWAYS BLACK

Finally, all the outlines in the logo were changed from black to white. This adds a 'frostiness' to the image, more in keeping with the subject. A subtle drop shadow was also applied to restore the legibility of the lettering.