The Graphic Punch

Throughout history, artists have continuously searched for ways to compose and improve their skills to create their best work. All the way back to the Renaissance, artists committed to the Golden Mean in much of their work to help communicate their ideas and create dynamic compositions. They saw a universal constant that gave things a pleasing harmony and allowed them to divide and balance their compositions, and control how the viewerʼs eye moves through the composition.

As artists have evolved, certain standards became staples in the art studio such as using the elements of art and principles of design and unstated rules such as “fill your space,” “go off the edge,” and “over and underlap.” Whichever way you approach design, it is important that each of your students is proficient in strong visual language.

Eyes as a Lens
When I think of design, my first thoughts are of computer-generated imagery, logos, and graphics. My class, however, is focused on handwork, and computers are used mainly for photography and research. There is something beautiful about watching students work with their hands, hone their craft, and learn to refine detail. Whether my students are drawing-based or design-based, I have always kept composition at the forefront. These skills will make their graphic design better and their drawings come to life.

Front to Back and Side to Side
Often composition is taught using the borders as a guide. Certain rules are understood. Filling space is always important; we use the rule of thirds to ensure that the final work is full and has the look of completion. Our term “MOP” has stuck, or middle of page. We encourage students to avoid the center of their composition to help develop stronger overall design. These concepts all fall within the “side to side” rules most educators were taught in high school or college.

Thinking of composition “front to back” is a skill that is often overlooked. These skills focus on foreground, middle ground, and background. Knowing that these planes exist is critical to strong modern design—it is what draws the viewer in. Often viewers create their own space in a composition with this technique.

Another technique of composition is to create layers that promote visual complexity or transparency. The vocabulary terms opaque and translucent are crucial to an art student’s vocabulary. This concept differentiates levels of space more clearly and helps to push focal points to the forefront.

Finding Student Strengths
Approaching art with a design eye and looking at the graphic qualities in composition and drawing can help to create bold and striking works of art. Emphasizing students’ natural strengths and challenging their ideas through their personal methods of assembling individual images can help push the work and build a stronger artistic voice. Design asks questions of its creator: How does color influence my ideas? How does material process contribute to my work? How does movement and rhythm drive the viewer’s eye? How do the elements push my focal point? These are all key ingredients to strong artistic design.

Designing in Motion
Tackling design challenges requires the teacher to guide a student through the process and ask them questions. Learning how to revise ideas will help students become better problem solvers. Students should always begin with a list of visual elements and then use those ideas to create a variety of thumbnails. Teachers or peers can share their thoughts or criticism and suggest revisions to the design. This process requires time and should always be built-in to any design project. Here are some tips for creating design idea boards:

Give ample time for research and the formulations of idea boards. This gives students visual references in color, composition, and material.
Ask for a variety of thumbnail sketches and discuss and agree on ways to revise them.
Create boards that showcase strong design with elements and principles, styles, and themes.

The Graphic Punch
Although much of the design in the twenty-first century is computer-generated, look for ways to encourage hand-worked photography, graphic drawing, and design-based collage. These skills will set your standard graphic design students apart from the pack and prepare them for a hybrid future in which they are able to use both skills in tandem. This will create the bold artists we need for a twenty-first century workforce.