On To Design Principles

Currently Reading: Chapter 26 & 27 of Language of Graphic Design | Graphic Design Principles Index

So I'm done with LoGD, and now on to Design Principles. I decided to postpone my typography lessons and the grid chapter was uber short.  Unfortntely now there ere is just one small problem, I can't find a good book that doesn't cost a fortune. I'm still waiting for my thrifty books  purchase because I really want to get a good crack at Visual Communications. So instead right now I'm using the graphic design principles tutorial from Duke University, which is a good susbitute right now.

As why there are gaps in my study days, well, I have barely have energy to actually do my household chores, I just fall alseep after five hours of being up. Getting up athe butt crack of dawn has put a huge crimp in my energy reserves.

Patterns and The Beginning Of Typography

Currently Reading: Chapter 24 and half of 25 of Language of Graphic Design.

Hey I'm back! I had to skip out on Friday because I was feeling under the weather. I'm just currently getting back up to speed with my studying. The pattern chapter was very short, but the typography chapter was WAY over my head. I'm thinking of just skipping it and go back further indepth in the subject later.

So a friend of mine, on a form I frequent told me it was hard to get into the industry without a bachelor's degree, but I already know what field I want to specialize and I'm pretty sure that self-published authors give a sodding hell about degree, and more what's in your portfolio. I plan to be like gingerhaze and get fandom to propel myself to success. Moma didn't raise no chump after all. I'm bound and determined to get into this industry and I rather be working freelance anyway/

Images and A Peak Into The Future

Currently Reading: Chapter 22 of Language of Graphic Design

So very short chapter. I am continued to be surprised how complicated seemingly simple concepts such as images are not as simple as I thought. My notes from yesterday didn't save correctly, but they are now gone, which sucks.  I was way too tired tonight, but I managed to drag my ass to studying. My visual communication book just shipped, so I should get it soon.  In the meantime, I'm going to finish this book, and then I'm going into Universal Design Principals.

Now, I took a peek at The Complete Graphic Designer, and it showed me the design process and WOW. Of course, it's for people who are working for a firm, but I want to be a freelance designer so it's going to be a lot of work. I got some experience (but not a lot from working with big bang challenges).

It's totally in my alley, tbh. However, it's scary. It feels like driving fast on a road,  like you know it's going to be fun as hell, but scary too. I'm so glad that I finally nailed my ass down and started really taking studying seriously.

I think my blogging and this is the best career decision I made. It just feels like a click in my head. Anyway, one more day until the weekend, and I think I will finish this book this week. So double break!

Although I have the long painful process of revising and reviewing. *le sigh*

Late Nights is the New Proportion

Currently Reading: Chapter 21 of Language of Graphic Design

I been getting up really early, because my mom is working later than usual. So it's been cutting down my time. Seriously by 3 o'clock I need to sleep. So that's why I'm up this late. It was a pretty short chapter, and I learned about Proportion and Scale. I had a hard time with The Golden Ratio, because I'm suck at math. However, I get the general gist of it and I checked out an article for as well which I will link below.

I also bought two books, Visual Communication: Images with Messages and the Typography Workbook on Thrifty Books.  I want to learn how communicate a message efficiently and I need to read that. I think next while I'm reading for those two books to come in, I will be reading up on Color Theory or Design Principals.

I think Design Principals before Color Theory. *lesigh*

Supplemental Reading

• Design in Art: Scale and Proportion 
• The designer's guide to the Golden Ratio

 

Figure-Ground Contintued + Frames

Currently Reading: Chapter 20 of Language of Graphic Design

So this study session was a bit shorter than yesterday’s.  It was basically mostly finishing reading the rest of the supplemental articles. Also today’s chapter was on frames and it was basically straightforward and short. I’m almost done with the book and then I’m going to take in a video lecture on the elements of design and then review my notes (there are not many because I was postponed until now). 

I’m going to end up typing them up into google docs as a review.  And then I’m going to take a self-test.  I will diffidentally tell you guys what I get on that test.  Then I plan to move on to color theory which I am really looking forward to.

I also want a book on visual communication as well. So I’m going to look that up as well. I like learning more in depth into graphic design. There are so many nuisances and details that go into design. Like frames, and space. It’s so fascinating.  I’m still chopping at the bit to get my hands dirty, but I have to wait The theory is just as important as the practical stuff. I just got so many ideas.  *le sigh*

Contrast, Figure and Ground

Currently Reading: Chapter 19 and 20 of Language of Graphic Design

I never thought empty space was so friggin complicated. To be honest, a good bit of the chapter went over my head, although I got the gist of it. I tried studying for an hour, and my brain feels like it's going to explode.  I'm actually started taking notes today. And low and behold I'm getting more information (I learn by writing things down who knew) and I diffidently learned a lot more. The con to this is that I feel that my head is about to explode with too much information (and subsequently starring at a screen for a long time, it's a problem).  So I'm going back to doing a chapter a day, but now with notes.

I'm not done with the learning about Figure and Ground. As I mentioned before I already read up on the gestalt theory, but I need to really get handle positive and negative space, and active and passive space before I move on.

This last past week has been fraught with personal and family issues, so I was tempted to just skip, but I didn't want that little dialogue saying I dropped the ball.  So I sucked it up and studied.  I will be back tomorrow for some more reading on figure and ground and on the exciting subject of Frames.

The thing about this book, with all the photos of the projects of graphic designers really just pulls that wannabe designer in me. I want to create that, but I don't have the skills yet. *shakes fist up the air* So not easy.

FYI:  I need to actual buy school supplies for schoolish things. Just saying.

Supplemental Reading 

• Design Principles: Space And The Figure-Ground Relationship
• Positive and Negative Space
• How To Activate Space In A Design

Value, Tint, and Shade

Reading: Chapter 18 of Language of Graphic Design

Another short chapter, but today I really did need some supplmental items. I found a site that broke down all the color terms for me in more simplicitic terms.  Because the book I was reading was a bit more complicated than I needed and I still need to work on how to use a color wheel more effecitively and I decided to use google docs for my notes.   I really love color and I really want to learn how to use it effectively in visual commuication.

Although I'll wait to go further into that when I study color theory in more depth. I'm still not looking forward to the hellish adventure that is revising, but it is very much needed.

But it feels all so complicated at times, and I often feel that I'm out of depth. I also have to start studying more, but I want to gradually up the time so i won't be overwhelm with too much information. I want to be fully trained this time next year and I want to be a working graphic designer in two years. So we shall see how I meet that timeline.