Visual+Design+by+Gary

=__**The objective of Visual Design**__=

//"The art and profession of selecting and arranging visual elements—such as typography, images, symbols, and colours—to convey a message to an audience. Sometimes graphic design is called “visual communications."--//definition of Visual Design at The Free Dictionary

To define more crudely, the objective of Visual Design is, quite simply, **To get and keep your attention!**

=__**Mediums that use Visual Design**__=

There's a various examples of things that use Visual Design--you most likely saw one today when you woke up! This includes, but is not limited to:
 * Posters
 * Menus
 * Billboards
 * Reports
 * Flyers
 * Pamplets

=**__What to consider when designing__**=
 * **Concept:** What is the subject you are designing about? What type of information needs to be included? Also take into account the type of medium you are designing for (ex: a design for a menu will be much different than a design for a billboard).
 * **Placement:** Placement for both text and graphics is important because you can either end up with a product that's neat, attractive, or ugly. To determine placement, you should take into account your...
 * **Audience:** This basically goes hand-in-hand with concept. What type of audience are you desigining your project for? You should base your design on your observations and perceptions of what your audience might expect (ex: the design expectations of senior citizens might be vastly differnet from those of college students).
 * **The demands of the customer:** This is in cases where you are desiging a project for someone else. Unless they give specific directions, you should, like with a general audience, base your design on your perception of what the customer wants. You should also keep in contact with the customer in order to ensure quality.

=__**Main Tools**__=


 * 1) **Computer:** Who does not have a computer these days? Or, better yet, who does not have access to a computer these days? With numerous programs, such as Photoshop and Microsoft Paint, and creative options at one's feet, computers are now the main tool used for Visual Design. But this does not mean that older, more hands-on methods are no longer used.
 * 2) **Writing Utensil:** This includes pencils, pens, markers, paintbrushes, and crayons. In light of todays technological advances, they are now mostly used for editing purposes.
 * 3) **Scissors:** For cutting. Used for those who wish to make a collage visual design, or a classic, Do It Yourself (DIY) projects.
 * 4) **Glue and tape:** For placing words and images onto your project. Used in classic collage and DIY Visual Design projects. Can also be us[[image:http://www.oasischristiancentre.org.uk/Images/content/178/115715.jpg width="231" height="237" align="right"]]ed to post your project in various places.

=**__Other Tools__**=

Depending on the type of project, you might also want to utilize:


 * Projectors
 * Copy Machines
 * Memory Stick, Floppy Disks, and anything else used to save your work on.

=__**Elements of Visual Design**__=

Visual Design projects, in general, are like snowflakes--no two are exactly the same. They all do share some common characteristics though, including:


 * Pictures (i.e. graphics)
 * Various font styles
 * Various font sizes
 * Various colors
 * A hierarchical order (numbers, bullets, etc.)
 * An objective (ex: to inform you of an event, to sell you a product, etc.)

=5 Common Visual Design Mistakes=

Tom Kuhlmann, who has had over 15 years of hands-on experience in the training industry and currently runs the community at Articlute, hosts the "Rapid E-Learning Blog". Here, he has compiled a list of common Visual Design mistakes that a student of his did in a recent project, and how to prevent the m. We can also assume that these mistakes can happen to anyone engaged in a visual design project. These mistakes include:


 * Not considering the impact of visual design
 * Lack of unity
 * Graphics don't match
 * Confusing use of contrast
 * Misuse of fonts

Click on the above link for more information.

=__**Example Videos**__= media type="youtube" key="k3VpznVv6XU" width="425" height="350"media type="youtube" key="G-qI2tqLEJw" width="425" height="350"

=**Good luck on all your Visual Design projects and ventures!**=