This is a book i rented from the MMU library to help readers gather a better understanding of the basics of design and aesthetics in design.
Review:
This book shows an introduction to the key elements of creative process in design (not specifically motion design although it does touch on design in motion as well) Each Subject matter is explains the underlying principles through diagrams, associated theories, historical references etc and so the book gives a nice well rounded explanation to broaden the readers knowledge. The book also shows lots of designers examples helping readers see how techniques are applied and also to find new inspirations, it offers a unique insight into the working methods of professionals.
some example subjects the book focuses on is layout, where the book discusses how grid structures work and are used and how this fundamental can also be challenged and broken with examples from designers. The book also shows an insight into the development of typography along with other topics such as Formats, Image and colour usage.
The working processes in the book are illustrated in detail and accompanied by explanations from the designers involved in the creation. The work is described in terms of brief, process and final result in order to contextualise the projects.
This is a nice example from the book of using type in a unique way to display a point (theres not much difference from advertising and design)
Colouring Images:
The book explains that a colour image is produced using three trichromantic colours - cyan, yellow, magenta - and black and these are utilised in four colour printing and nearly all colors can be printed using this. It explains how these colours are placed and aligned on top of each other in a colour image and are each small dots too small to see and when aligned over each other create various colours. But it also explains how the designer does not have to settle for the original colours of an image in order to create a different nature and feeling to the same image. The book shows nice examples of how image colours can be manipulated to change there original meaning and visual quality and in some cases even take its visual stance to a completely different level. One example shows various manipulations of an image that is fairly average looking portrait shot of a woman some examples of colour manipulation take the picture from seeming normal and nice even to that of a more gothic and even horror style image.
The book also shows nice examples of how when placed next to each other in various ways the appearance of a colour can appear different due to the perception of the human eye.
Specials:
The book explains that aside from the CMYK process of printed there is ways of printing of colours called specials in which metallic, fluorescent and pantone colours are applied using additional plates (PMS). The specials colours are instead of being made up of lots of dots of colours to make a colour it uses only one block colour. One common usage of special colours is for corporate logos and this is a more expensive process.
This image shows an example comparing the block of text of the left printed in CMYK and the colour of the page of the right printed as a special colour to compare the difference.
Image manipulation:
The book talks about how photo manipulation has taken the creative potentials of the utiliser to a broader level in which the designer would be able to more closely achieve their visual goals. However it also discusses how the software skills are only as important as the creative idea. This shows how design is more of a thought process / problem solving to a project or idea and it is the idea and even visual message that is to be portrayed that is more important.
The book also explains how image manipulation is not just restricted to still image and gives an example of a video in which a show morphs into the shape of a wrench to connect the two objects through this evolution of its shape. This relates to my area of study but still the same idea remains that it is the creative process goal that is more important than software skills.
Moving image:
The book explains that the increasing power and growth of technology and made it so that designers are being increasingly asked to create moving image media (be it for video use or web use) and this presents the designer with the additional aspect of movement to use and think about within their work. Movement gives added dynamism to design through physical movements of elements through their relation with each other etc. However the book explains that even though this new aspect is present the same principles apple for example with moving typography in a projects. Sometimes the traditional rules need to be broken or stuck to in order to create what the pice is trying to portray
"some designs will call for clarity while others will harness abstraction through movement"
Conclusion:
The subjects in the book highlight the use of basic design fundamentals and techniques. The book also displays how important the fundamentals are to equipping a designer with the tools to create and with these fundamentals they can be applied to all aspects of media (still image photography graphic design moving image etc) the books main theme seems to be that inspiration is the heart of creative activity and output and over all the book was inspiring in this fact.
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