Elements of GD_Gregory

1. Grid

Summary

A grid is a connected network of lines that run either horizontally or vertically in evenly spaced increments. Grids can be angled, irregular or circular as well. They function similarly in the design of printed matter, as it helps designers align elements in relation to each other. The margins and columns created are to unify pages and makes the layout process more efficient. A well-made grid encourages designers to vary scale and placement of elements without relying wholly on arbitrary or whimsical judgments.

Grids have functioned throughout society through usages such as street grids, which are found mostly in the works of modern cities, even neighborhoods. By breaking down space into units, grids can encourage designers to leave some areas open rather than filling up the whole page. Grids can also help designers create active, asymmetrical compositions in place of static, centered ones. Guidelines can be dropped, dragged and deleted, and can also be made invisible at will.

2. Pattern

Summary

The creative evolution of ornament spans all throughout human history. Styles and motifs of pattern-making evolve within and among cultures, and they move in and out of fashion. They travel from place to place and time to time, carried along like viruses by the force of commerce and the restless desire for variety. The decorative forms presented embrace a mix of formal structure and organic irregularity. They meld individual authorship with rule-based systems, and they merge formal abstraction with personal narrative.

3. Point, Line and Plane

Summary

Point, line and plane are the building blocks of design. From these three elements, designers can create images, icons, textures, patterns, diagrams, animations and typographic systems. A point marks the position of the design in a particular space. Such points can be a nail, a dot on the board or in the ground. From a series of points, it creates a line. A line has length but no breadth. It can also be a path of a moving point, and can either be a positive or a negative gap in the design. Lines exist in many weights and are usually drawn with a pencil, pen, brush, mouse or digital code.

A plane is a flat surface extending in height and width and is the path of a moving line. The line closes to become a shape. Shapes can also be solid, smooth or transparent, depending on what type the designer chooses.

4. Balance & Rhythm

Summary

Balance is a fundamental human condition. We require physical balance to stand upright and walk. In design, balance acts as a catalyst for form; it anchors and activates elements in space. A symmetrical design, which has the same elements on at least two sides along a common axis, is inherently stable. Yet balance need not be static. Rhythm is a strong, regular, repeated pattern: the beating of drums, the patter of rain, the falling of footsteps.

Balance and rhythm work together to create works of design that pulse with life, achieving both stability and surprise.

5. Hierarchy

Summary

Hierarchy is the order of importance within a social group or in a body of text. The order of hierarchy exists in every single aspect of our lives including the family unit, workplace, politics and religion. It is structured by the rankings of power and position, which define who we are as a culture. Hierarchy is expressed through naming systems such as general, colonel, corporal, private, and so on to name a few. It is also expressed visually through variations in scale, value, color, spacing, placement and other signals.

Visual hierarchy controls delivery and impact of a message, and without hierarchy, graphic communication is dull and difficult to navigate.

6. Modularity

Summary

Modularity is basically a module that is a fixed element used in a larger system or structure. An example would be a pixel, which builds a digital image. The idea of a pixel is so small that it goes unnoticed by us, but to create a pixel typeface, we use pixel grids, which are nine-by-nine. The results are infinite as they used in modern typefaces and even as of today. However, the strict perimeters allows for just one kind of basic system.