![\"640px-1989_Copa_Libertadores_Local_replica\"](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/640px-1989_Copa_Libertadores_Local_replica.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A few weeks back, we walked you through the process of <\/span>using our powerful Design Studio Software<\/span><\/a>. But knowing how to use the software is only the first step. There\u2019s a lot more that goes into creating an awesome-looking shirt than you\u2019d expect.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s why today, we\u2019ve got another walkthrough for you. We\u2019re going to go over everything that\u2019s involved in dreaming up an awesome-looking shirt, from the principles of visual design to the elements of proper branding. By the time we\u2019re done here, your toolkit will have everything necessary to come up with something incredible, whether you\u2019re making a shirt, sweater, mug, or even a hat. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s ease into things. First question – what do you want to create, and why? Are you looking for a custom-printed T-shirt that you can use to add a bit of personal flair to your wardrobe, or do you want to print out a set of branded sweaters you can hand out to your customers? Are you printing off some sports uniforms, or a mug that you can use at the office? <\/span><\/p>\n Although you\u2019ll follow the same basic compositional principles regardless of what direction you decide to take, it\u2019s essential that you know exactly what you\u2019re setting out to do before you start designing. Without a strong idea as a foundation, whatever designs you come up with will very likely fall flat. Bear that in mind moving forward. <\/span><\/p>\n Next, let\u2019s take a look at some of the visual elements you\u2019ll be using to put your shirt together.<\/span><\/p>\n Lines <\/b>are linear marks that connect two points. They\u2019re used to define shapes, create textures, and divide sections of an image. They\u2019re used to define shapes, create textures, and divide sections of an image. <\/span><\/p>\n Direction <\/b>is a quality of lines. According to Lovett, there are three primary \u2018types\u2019 of direction – horizontal, which suggests calmness, stability, and tranquility; vertical, which suggests balance and alertness; and oblique, which suggests movement and action. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe element of direction can have a powerful influence on the mood of a design,\u201d <\/span><\/i>writes design expert John Lovett.. <\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201cIt is something often overlooked, but making a conscious decision about the dominant direction in a painting can have a noticeable effect on the atmosphere of the work. Sometimes the subject will dictate the dominant direction. Sometimes the subject will allow you to impose a direction on it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Shapes <\/b>like circles, squares, and triangles are an essential part of most visual design. These geometric shapes are precise and uniform, generally requiring a guiding tool like a ruler to draw. They aren\u2019t the only shapes at your disposal, however. <\/span><\/p>\n A lot of the best designs make use of organic shapes; free-form shapes that are associated with things in nature. <\/span>They generally lack a clearly-defined form<\/span>, without straight lines or uniformity. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Texture <\/b>is a shape\u2019s surface quality – rough, smooth, hard, soft, or glossy. It can be either tactile or visual. Particularly where clothing is concerned, <\/span>there are two types of texture<\/span><\/a>. Physical texture is what you can actually feel with your hand, whereas visual texture is the illusion of physical texture – for example, the appearance of the heart on the shirt we designed in our previous guide. <\/span><\/p>\n Size <\/b>is relatively self-explanatory: it\u2019s how much surface area a shape or visual element occupies. <\/span><\/p>\n Also known as hue, <\/span>Colour <\/b>is, believe it or not, one of the more complex visual elements you\u2019ll be dealing with. We\u2019ll discuss some of the deeper principles behind it later on in this guide, but for the time being, <\/span>here\u2019s what you need to know<\/span><\/a>: <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn order to mix pigments into clean saturated colours it is necessary to include a warm and cool of each of the primaries in your palette,\u201d <\/span>writes Lovett.<\/span><\/a> \u201cThere is no such thing as a pure primary pigment, so when mixing green for example, choosing a cool blue such as phthalo and a cool yellow such as lemon ensures there is no trace of red in the green. Using a warm yellow like cadmium or a warm blue such as ultramarine would introduce a slight trace of red into the green resulting in a compound colour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Typography<\/b> is related to your font type, size, alignment, colour, and spacing. <\/span><\/p>\n Form <\/b>describes the volume and mass of three-dimensional objects. It\u2019s one of the most complex visual elements in your arsenal. You can give the illusion of form by combining two or more shapes and enhanced through tone, texture, and colour. <\/span><\/p>\n Next, let\u2019s talk about the four major principles of visual design. Although there are a great many others (which we\u2019ll discuss at length in a moment), these four serve as the foundation. It\u2019s imperative that you form a solid understanding of them. <\/span><\/p>\n Contrast is the art of putting distinct elements next to one another to emphasize what makes them different – size, colour, direction, shape, et-cetera. \u00a0It\u2019s one of the best ways to make a design \u2018pop,\u2019 and one of the core ideas behind what makes something visually appealing.The contrast between red, yellow, and blue is what makes Superman\u2019s outfit so visually striking, for example. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cContrast is one of the most effective ways to add visual interest and to create an organizational hierarchy among different elements,\u201d <\/span>reads a lecture on visual design.<\/span><\/a> \u201cThe important \u201crule\u201d to remember is that for contrast to be effective, it must be strong…it is created when two elements are different. The principle of contrast states that if two items are not the same, then make them different. Really different.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Both repetition and contrast serve to draw attention to particular elements of a design, though repetition works in a slightly different fashion. While contrast emphasizes differences, repetition highlights similarities, tying together individual elements for consistency and unification. Anything can be repeated in a design – for example, this article makes use of repetition in the uniformity of its headlines. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRepetition helps organize information; it helps guide the viewer; it helps unify disparate parts of the design,\u201d <\/span>the lecture continues<\/span><\/a>. \u201cSometimes the repeated items are not exactly the same objects, but objects so closely related that their connection is very clear.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Proximity is a bit of a confusing term, in that it\u2019s closely connected to both contrast and repetition. Generally speaking, the idea behind it is that if distinct visual elements are grouped closely enough with one another, the viewer ends up treating them as part of a whole. Superman\u2019s logo is an excellent demonstration of this theory in practice. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe basic theory of proximity is concerned with the arrangement or categorisation of elements that relate to one another,\u201d <\/span>reads a blog post by visual designer Tomato Soup.<\/span><\/a> \u201cTo understand why, when elements of a similar nature are grouped together the information becomes a visual unit. This provides a viewer with a visual clue as to the concept you are communicating rather than being confronted with a scattering of unrelated graphical elements. When a number of graphic elements are close in proximity a relationship is implied. If elements are logically positioned they connect to form a structure to your design, this is also known as Visual Hierarchy.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Finally, alignment is a principle that maintains that no component of a design should be present arbitrarily. Every single element should have some visual connection with another element, and every single component should have its own role to play. Let\u2019s refer back to the T-shirt we designed in the previous post – the heart, the art splatter, and the texturization were all visually connected to one another; when we added elements that seemed disconnected or out of place (like the emote on the shirt\u2019s back), the design started to look cluttered and garish. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUnity is an important concept in design,\u201d <\/span>explains the lecture<\/span><\/a>. \u201cTo make all the elements on the page appear to be unified, connected, and interrelated, there needs to be some visual tie between the separate elements. Even if the separate elements are not physically close on the page, they can appear connected, related, unified with the other information simply by their placement.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Next, let\u2019s take a look at a few additional design principles, all of which are closely related to the \u201cBig Four.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Positive Space <\/b>is the areas in a visual design that are meant to draw the attention of the viewer. <\/span>Negative Space, <\/b>meanwhile, refers to the regions of a visual piece that aren\u2019t the subject of interest – generally speaking, Negative Space can also be referred to as \u201cBlank Space\u201d or \u201cWhite Space.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Neither can exist without the other – for every positive element in a design, there is negative space surrounding it. Without Negative Space, your design <\/span>will <\/b>start to look extremely cluttered.<\/span><\/p>\n Hierarchy <\/b>is a broad term, used to refer to the significance of different components in a design. The objects, images, or words that you want the viewer to notice first are at the top of your design\u2019s visual hierarchy, while those that you don\u2019t want attracting notice are at the bottom. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStudy your design concept and take note of what attracts your eye first, where you look next, and how your eye moves along the visual elements of your design,\u201d <\/span>advises Tomato Soup<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIs a relationship implied in the ordering, grouping, and placements of your graphical elements?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Balance <\/b>is a design tactic that causes the viewer to perceive equal distribution of visual elements. It\u2019s important to note that balance can be achieved through both symmetry and asymmetry. One can create the illusion of balance, for example, <\/span>by using a small shape at a design\u2019s edge to offset a large one at its center.<\/span><\/p>\n Unity <\/b>and <\/span>Variety <\/b>are exactly what they sound like. Unified elements are similar to one another, while varied elements are distinct. In order for a design to be visually appealing, there must be a proper balance between the two. <\/span><\/p>\n Scale <\/b>is a fairly simple term used to refer to size. It\u2019s closely related to contrast, and can be used to create depth or draw the eye by positioning components of different sizes near one another. <\/span><\/p>\nStep One: Choosing Your Clothing<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"fashion-918446_960_720\"](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/fashion-918446_960_720.jpg\")
<\/p>\nStep Two: Understanding The Elements Of Visual Composition<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Step Three: The \u201cBig Four\u201d Design Principles<\/span><\/h2>\n
Contrast<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"805968_953a9934b1_z](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/805968_953a9934b1_z-2.jpg\")
Repetition<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/640px-Floral_art.jpg\")
Proximity<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"superman-466610_640\"](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/superman-466610_640.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAlignment<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"640px-Carnac_megalith_alignment_1\"](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/640px-Carnac_megalith_alignment_1.jpg\")
Step Four: Other Design Principles<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/640px-Rule_of_thirds_photo.jpg\")
Image Credit: John R. Daily<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/5990712328_ef90a6fd97_z.jpg\")