5 Basic Rules in Visual Communication Part One
A Proper Layout
Every advertisement, every page of a document or a website is seen, as a whole, as an image. The use of the rule of thirds, the golden rule of photographic framing, helps to balance this image. This principle of proportion and balance has its origins in pictorial art.
The third-party rule divides an image into three equal parts. Several variants are possible. The principle applies to both images and documents and applies to both vertical and horizontal. The location of logos, images, texts or any other element will be conditioned by the mode of division chosen by the creator.
When this rule is respected and controlled, it guarantees a graphic design balance that will capture attention.
Personality of Typographical Characters
Typographic characters used in a composition can decrease or strengthen the meaning of a text. The two large character families are serif and sans serif fonts. Wheelbases are the small points present in the drawing of the characters.
Each Typography Brings Out a Distinctive Personality
Some characters bring a masculine side, serious or show prestige or modernism. Others propose a more artistic, technological or fanciful style. A bold character makes the idea of strength, solidity. Italics suggest dynamism, movement. A lean character brings a feminine touch and is recommended to express distinction and delicacy.
Basic Principles
Italics: Continuous text should not be italicized, as the motion effect it generates will make reading more difficult by forcing the eye to scroll faster on the text, creating visual discomfort that slows down reading.
Capitals: A text in capitals will experience the same slowdown effect as a text in italics. The combined use of capitals makes reading easier by bringing attention points when well controlled.
Interlinking: The interlinking of titles and texts should be neither too tight nor too spaced.
Character: In general, a good logo design , advertisement or document should have no more than two different character styles and certainly no more than three. The use of too many different characters forces the eye to make many adjustments that push it to give up reading.
