Anatomy of Type
The first three sessions of Design Principles were perhaps the most enjoyable for me, I found it particularly interesting learning about the history of type and how it has changed through the ages as it something I haven't previously been exposed to before. Additionally it was beneficial to my practice to learn about the anatomy of letterforms and how they are constructed as this helped in other modules of the course it's also good knowledge to have as a graphic designer. The tasks set along the anatomy of type principles were also very fun and experimental, creating new letterforms from existing letterforms provided an insight into how letterforms are formed and the different anatomy unique to some letters, the task also produced to possible typefaces as well some other weird creation. Furthermore the type hierarchies task also proved very informative as it gave me an insight into how layouts are constructed and why certain typefaces are used at different weights and scales to guide the reader around the page and aid in legibility and readability.
Colour Theory
Colour Theory has also been something I have wanted to learn about I find it fascinating how colours are constructed, mixed and appear, it is al element of design theory that I have previously been taught in previous design education. The various studio tasks and presentations were interactive and aided in understanding the subject and the subject in very dense in complexity and is hard to grasp at first, however I feel I have gained some knowledge from the sessions However I know there is still a lot more I need to learn. The pantone task, for me, solidified the theory I had been taught within the sessions, It allowed me to put the theory into practice and explore the differences that can be created within colour.
Frame and Format
The frame and format sessions which primarily focused on photography was something I has previously explored however not to the depth I explored it within these sessions. The photography workshop in which I was taught how to effectively use a camera was extremely beneficial to my practice as I traditionally use a camera on auto however after being taught how to each of the settings on a camera within this workshop I feel more confident in using a camera correctly to create the best and desired results I want. I also found the tasks in which I used the camera to document the world around extremely interesting as it encouraged me to really look and shapes and forms within the world and also how they can be manipulated using angles to create new forms.
Type and Grid
The type and grid sessions were the most beneficial towards aided my studio practice, magazines and newspaper are form of graphic design I appreciate and this type of graphic design is something I have always wanted to become better at and learn how to use the correct tools and rules to create layouts, grid and use typography effectively and this exactly what I was taught within these sessions. Deconstructing and reconstructing the newspaper and magazines articles really opened my eyes to the complexity of editorial design and furthermore solidity the importance of establishing a type hierarchy within a layout design. Additionally to then use the paper based skills I had learnt such as measuring type and creating grids and to then apply this to my digital practice within InDesign developed valuable skills I need as graphic designer.
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