My Favorite Elements of Design

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Hello friends!
If you follow my social media accounts, or if you've peeked at my blog before, you might already know that I'm a Graphic Designer.

   In 2019, I graduated from Sinclair with a degree in visual communications. Besides the fact that it's an associate's degree, the program is accredited by NASAD (​National Association of Schools of Art and Design), and I have certifications both in design processes and print production. Beyond that, I've done freelance projects since 2019, have done pro-bono projects for Gem City Kitties for about a year, and have worked professionally in prepress and graphic design for over a year. That's my long-winded way of saying--don't judge a designer by the level of their degree. It's all about the skillset, experience, and execution. I'm always looking to gain more experience.

   There are a few areas of design that truly make me feel excited. The positive of attending college for a degree that covers a wide array of specialties means there's a lot of room for test-driving the different areas of design. There's areas like graphic design, interior design, environmental design, architectural design, etc., and then they all have even more categories under them. For example, with interior design, you're also potentially capturing areas like interior decorating, furniture design, so on and so forth. As a side note, I love interior decorating. I made a hypothetical office space for Danny Gonzalez and he featured it in one of his reddit videos.

   Anyways, for today's post, I wanted to give a shoutout to the specific aspects of design that excite me the most. I hope you enjoy my little tangents today.
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The Biophilia Effect

   I've highlighted this notion in plenty of my design-related posts in the past, but it remains one of my favorite concepts to date. The biophilia effect is the phenomenon that refers to the correlation between the visualization of plants/other environmental associations with mood fluctuations. So basically, when plant life and nature scenes are incorporated in things like décor or branding, it can potentially influence a more positive mood in that space.

   I'm somewhat of a sucker for plants. I used to work in a greenhouse and I bonded so much with the tropicals. But greenery hits me the hardest. Any touch of green feels refreshing and fantastic, whether out in the world, or contained within a space. With that said, adding planty aspects to your home or branding, or if you incorporate botanical color concepts into your color schemes can create a similar effect. It's the main reason I keep plants in nearly every corner of my room. It makes everything feel more alive.

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​Environmental Design // Landscaping

   I never dove into environmental design while I went to school, but one of my favorite things to see is a coordinated landscape. A couple summers ago, I helped my grandma pick out different plants to decorate the front of her house. She and I took our time and talked about color concepts that would pair well, balancing taller plants and shorter plants, and how we could place greens between the more vibrant flowers to create a nice flow of the botanicals. We worked really hard on it, and I remember us both being so proud of our choices and placements.

   Like I said earlier, I worked in a greenhouse for a little while. In my final weeks, as the springtime transformed into summer, I was sent outside by my employers to help landscape. It was a nice change of pace, after consistently transplanting flowers and tending to the tropicals. I remember listening to Alt-J's Relaxer album on repeat since it was freshly released at that time, and having a tray of begonias by my side, ready to be placed into the soil. We spaced our plants evenly apart, spread far enough to fill up our sections of mulch by the roadside--a way to welcome in customers, new and old. It was like a big, colorful hug. Those days went by so quickly, but I remember feeling so fulfilled after each day, being able to exit the lot and seeing the many different varieties of plants we added since the previous day. Seeing the color schemes go together, seeing the annuals mesh with the perennials. Seeing the flowers alongside the shrubs. That energy has a last effect on me, and it was so fun learning to create a hierarchy with plants. 

The Rule of Thirds

   Symmetry comes with a lot of risk. There's always the chance of your subject matter being off-center, maybe making things feel awkward to look at. It might even make you feel anxious. You see, we humans strive for perfection--but there's always that risk, that underlying risk that something will be slightly off. That there will be a flaw, even the smallest inkling of a flaw. That's where The Rule of Thirds comes into play.

   When you use The Rule of Thirds, you feel at ease--everything feels like it's in its place. Everything feels comfortable. The hierarchy is clearly established. Because The Rule of Thirds is the idea that placing your subject matter a third or two thirds of the way into the photo, creating a purposeful imbalance, can help create a more interesting interaction between the foreground and the background. When you do this, nothing feels staged. Things feel more realistic, more genuine. So not only does this technique grab your focus in an incredible and effortless way, but you might find everything to feel more relaxing. The pressure of perfection is dropped.

   I feel like this rule is excellent at showcasing how artforms like design, photography, and videography can manipulate your emotions, either positively or negatively. Concepts like this make you appreciate when symmetry can be done well, like when Wes Anderson gets his hands on any project ever. His sets are noticeably and jarringly symmetrical. It's not meant to feel super real. You're being pulled into a new realm. It feels daring when symmetry is done right. So whether you go with symmetry or the Rule of Thirds, you'll probably make something beautiful.

Bringing Ideas to Life

   Nothing beats the second-hand joy I feel upon seeing someone so excited and so passionate about a personal project or a business endeavor. That's where I find the most drive to be a designer, and it's why I love making brand identity guides. It gives me chills when someone has so many ideas and is so thrilled to make the first steps in creating a visual identity for their business, making their ideas come to life.

   Whether it's a style guide, a print, or a custom portrait, bringing projects like these from paper into the real world is so rewarding, and it makes me feel so proud and so satisfied to do what I do.

Thank you guys for tuning in to today's post! I hope you enjoyed my joyous rant about design.

Want to see my portfolio? Check it out here.

Keep on grinning!
Lydia