Design a Black and White Graphic
Sometimes sending a visual message is as easy as black and white. Most graphic designers now have the tools to use a full-color palette to create graphics. Yet, black and white graphics can still capture attention. Simple, inexpensive to reproduce with a photocopier or black and white printer, these images can be the best choice for your design if you keep a few guidelines in mind.
Instructions
1. Look for good designs and think about what makes them effective. Check out The Big Book of New Design Ideas edited by David E. Carter. The book was created to show designs and help spark new design ideas in the reader.
2. Consider the audience that the design is being created for. Different people have different tastes and different skills in interpreting visual messages. Target the graphic to the needs of the audience.
3. Keep in mind the media on which the graphic will be reproduced. Most computer monitors only display 72 pixels per inch (ppi), so create a graphic for digital display at 72 ppi. Printers vary, but generally have a much higher output. Print graphics should be at least 200 dots per inch.
4. Balance the graphic. Visual balance is achieved when elements of the design have equal visual weight. The size of the elements and their value affect the weight of the elements. Balance can be symmetrical, a mirror image split down the center, asymmetrical, a large element balanced by smaller elements, or radial balance, all elements radiate out from a center point.
5. Create a focal point for the graphic by using an element different from the others in the graphic. This can be done through contrast, like a dark element on a light background, the placement of an object, or differences in the types of elements used.
6. Use lines to convey messages. Horizontal lines suggest tranquility, vertical lines suggest the potential for movement, and diagonal lines suggest movement and action.
7. Use white or negative space, the area without graphics or text, to accentuate the design. Give the graphic and its elements room to breath with white space and the viewer's attention will be called to it.
