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Hello,

I'm Jide Benema

Thank you so much for stopping by at BenemaCreativStudios. This design business started in the year 2005 but officially launched in 2010. I am a Professional freelance Graphic Designer and a Creative Director with many years experience. Expertise in Creative Logos, Illustration, Flyer, Posters, Book Cover, Book Layout, Business Cards, Stationery, Brand Design, Packaging, Web design, Social Media Visual Design and Animated Visual Ads.

Basically all your design objectives fulfilled at a corporate level. If you are looking for a Professional and Elegant design feel free to contact me. Cheers!


Experience
Lead Creative Director

Aslove Publishing House, Lekki, Lagos

Creative Brand Developer

Janet Publisher LTD, Ibadan

Front-End Developer

Mosvic Design Studio, Shomolu, Lagos


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Design
Motion Graphic
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Printing

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Graphic Design

If you need to boost your brand and product with creative designs, just drop a message! BenemaStudios pays attention to details with satisfying delivery.

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BenemaStudios loves creating and designing new concepts with a goal for you to get a wonderful design that will showcase your business in a unique way without infringement

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All printed materials should represent and speak more of your brand/product without your presence. BenemaStudios got your back.

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A Visual Guide to the Anatomy of Typography [Infographic]

Although you probably know the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts, typography is actually so much more interesting than that. Did you know that letters can be dissected into parts as if they were a puzzle? Like people, fonts have personalities, moods, styles—and even anatomical features!

In this article, we will look at the different parts that make up letters and their real-life counterparts, visualized in the guide below with some fun analogies.

And last but not least, we will look at how type is manipulated to better fit in a space so that it looks balanced and easy on the eye.

Next time you download a set of fonts with “extra swashes,” you will know exactly what that means.


Type Anatomy

 

Leg

A Visual Guide to the Anatomy of Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-leg

A portion of a letter that extends downwards, attached at one end and free at the other.

 

Arm

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A straight or curved portion of a letter that extends upwards or outwards, attached at one end and free at the other

 

Ear

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-ear

The small stroke that extends outwards from a lowercase g in some typeface styles.

 

Shoulder

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The stroke that curves downwards and to the right of the lowercase h, m and n.

 

Spine

The spine is the main curved stroke inside the upper and lower case S.

 

Tail

The decorative curved descender of a capital Q, R and K. The descenders of the lower case g, j, p, q, and y are also sometimes called tails.

 

Other Kinds of Internal Letter Parts

 

X-height

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The x-height isn’t exactly a part but rather a measurement. It measures the height of all lowercase letters that are part of the same typeface. It’s called x-height because the letter x of each typeface is what determines the measurement.

 

Cap Height

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The cap height is a measurement of all capital letters in the same typeface. The most accurate measurement is found in flat bottomed characters like the letter E.

 

Ascenders

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An ascender is a vertical stroke that extends upwards over the x-height.

 

Descenders

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A descender is a vertical stroke that extends downwards below the x-height.

 

Stem

The stem is the main vertical stroke in upright characters. When a letter has no verticals like a capital A or V, the first diagonal stroke is considered the stem.

 

Stroke

A stroke is the main vertical diagonal line in a letter.

 

Bar

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Bar

A bar is a horizontal stroke in letters like A, H, e and f.

 

Serif

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A serif is a short line at the beginning and the end of strokes. Serifs are what make a typeface a serif or a sans serif. Serifs can have different shapes: hairline, square/slab, wedge. They can all be bracketed or unbracketed, meaning that their connection to the stroke is rounded or perpendicular.

 

Terminal

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Terminal

When a letter doesn’t have a serif, the end of the stroke is called a terminal.

 

Bowl

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Bowl

A bowl is a stroke that creates an enclosed curved space, as in the letters d, b, o, D and B.

 

Counter

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The counter is the enclosed space in letters like o, b, d, and a. Counters are also created by bowls.

 

Link

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Link-and-loop

A link is a stroke connecting the bowl and loop of a two-story lowercase g.

 

Swash

A swash is a fancy or decorative replacement to a terminal or serif in any capital letter used at the beginning of a sentence. Swashes are also used at the end of letters to decorate the composition. Calligraphy is full of swashes of all kinds; at the beginning, at the end and even in the middle, extending from ascenders.

 

Spur

A spur is a small projection that veers off the main stroke on many capital G’s

 

How Type is Styled to Better Suit a Purpose

 

Bold and Italic

There are ways to style typography to more effectively get your message across. The most common typography styles are italic and bold. Regular typefaces can be turned into bold or italic in any graphic design editor. Bold styles are great for headlines and highlighting important parts of text. Using bold styles for links makes them more prominent and easy to see. Italics are used mainly for words in a different language or reference links.

 

Typeface Families

Some typefaces have more options. A typeface family can have as many as 20 styles or more. Futura, a very versatile typeface family, has 22 styles. Some of the most memorable Futura styles are light, condensed, semi-bold, extra bold, bold condensed and book italic.

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Typeface-Families

 

Novelty Styles

Apart from the styles covered above that work for all sorts of text and designs, there are also hundreds of other styles! Novelty fonts have all sorts of different styles, from whimsical and hand drawn, to culturally inspired. These novelty fonts cannot be turned into bold or italics because they only exist in the style they were designed in.

For example, inline is a style in which there is a white line inside each letter:

A-Visual-Guide-to-the-Anatomy-of-Typography-How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-Inline

Ink is a style that resembles letters written with an Asian brush and black ink:

Script (or cursive) is a style of font that resembles letters written by hand; script fonts vary from classic calligraphy to freestyle handwriting.

Novelty styles are great for designs that need a special je ne sais quois, but should still be used with caution since they can become overwhelming quite easily.

 

Cultural Styles

There are other fonts that are purely cultural in fashion. For example, the fonts that look like Japanese characters but aren’t. The ones that look Chinese but are not Chinese characters. Other cultural styles are ones like the Disney font or the Coca-Cola font. Cultural styles are even more limited than novelty styles. They carry so many messages that using them will instantly give your design a preconceived meaning, so be mindful when using these types of fonts.

coca-cola

 

How Type is Manipulated to Fit in a Space

Sometimes letters need to be adjusted to fit in a certain space. There are three different ways in which type can be moved around in a space so that it looks better. These three measurements are called kerning, tracking and leading.

 

Kerning

How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-kerning

Kerning is the space between two individual letters. It’s used when you need to move only one letter because it is too far or too close to its companions. Some typefaces have a strange spacing between the capital letter and the rest of the word. Kerning helps create a better balance between letters.

When designers create wordmark logos, they usually control the kerning from letter to letter, making sure the the entire word is perfectly balanced and polished.

 

Tracking

How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-tracking

Tracking is the proportional space between all the letters in a body of text. Being able to change the tracking helps fit more letters in a small space or spread out letters if they are too tight. Script fonts cannot undergo too much tracking due to how the ligatures separate and create unbalanced spaces.

Designers manipulate the tracking when they want to accomplish a look that has even edges for all the words. By spreading out the tracking or making it tighter, they can make all the text look unified and justified.

 

Leading

How-the-internal-parts-of-type-are-classified-leading

Leading is the space between baselines. This means that when we manipulate the leading, we are changing the way a paragraph looks.

Leading and x-height have a direct effect on how text will look in a paragraph. There is another measurement we should mention called the baseline, which is the line on which letters sit horizontally. The bottom of the x-height of each letter sits on a baseline.

The lower the x-height compared to the cap height, the more white space there will be between lines. When letters have a higher x-height in comparison to the cap height, the leading looks more balanced and ordered.

 

Your Turn

Visme has recently launched a brand kit and now you can upload fonts to use in your designs. Not all fonts are the same and not all fonts work well in the body of a document. Knowing the anatomy of a typeface and its possible styles can help you understand why some fonts work and others don’t.

Designer lingo might not be something you need to know in order to create infographics and presentations. In spite of that, we believe that knowing these terms will help you make better decisions when choosing a font for your graphics or even your entire brand.

The Different Types of Fonts: When to Use Each Font Type and When Not


The Different Types of Fonts: When to Use Each Font Type and When Not

Final product image

Typefaces come in all different shapes and sizes and can be categorized depending on their characteristics. Fonts can be based in different eras—most type forms were influenced by history. 

Classifying fonts can help you decide which style to choose and what combinations to use for your next project. Building a good font collection is like having a closet. You need to have a range of different font types and to know how and when to use them.

There’s no single classification system; many have been proposed. With so many variables, it's difficult to classify fonts in specific groups. In the last few years, we’ve experienced an explosion of fonts, and many of them blur the lines of type. 

In this article, I’ll give you an overview of the different types of font classifications that have emerged through history. This hybrid list is sure to help you find the right font type for your next project. To understand better the differences and how to spot a specific font style, check out Typography: The Anatomy of a Letter. Melody Nieves’s article will come in handy when we point out key parts of the type anatomy. 

Along with each category, you'll find some font type examples that you can use as inspiration. Envato Elements has a great font library, and I'll link to some fonts from there so you can check them out! 


Video Source: Envato

Serifs are the small feet at the end of a stroke on a letter. These feet emerged in the past, when there was a different method of creating type. Characters used to be created by chiselling on stone. The chisel created small, square serifs at the end of each character. Within the serif group, there are subclassifications that are named after their origin. 

With the exception of Slab Serifs, these serifs can be used as body copy. They are easy to read and comfortable for the reader's eyes. Let’s take a look: 

The Old Style serif font style was developed between the 15th and 18th centuries. Most of these typefaces were created as metal type for early printing processes. Some of the main features are:

  1. The characters have a diagonal stress rather than vertical to emulate a calligraphic feel.
  2. The Old Style form is characterized by letters with serifs that have a slight incline.
  3. The end of the serif can range from straight to rounded and have prominent brackets.
  4. There is a low contrast between the thick and thin strokes of the letterform. 
  5. Serifs can also be straight or slightly cupped. 
  6. The crossbar on the lowercase "e" is usually angled—this characteristic is borrowed from the angle at which a writer holds a pen. 

As far as height goes, the x-height on the lowercase letterforms is tall compared to the cap height. The ascenders are slightly taller than the cap height. 

Some examples of Old Style font types are Garamond, Adobe Jenson, Caslon, etc.

Transitional font styles came into play in the 18th century. As the name explains, it was a transition period between the Old Style and Modern letterforms. The printing process was more refined and allowed for elegant details. Let's look at the main characteristics:

  1. The serifs during this period were sharper and with smaller brackets—almost flat.
  2. Compared to the Old Style characters, Transitional typefaces have a nearly if not completely vertical stress. 
  3. The contrast between thick and thin strokes is even higher. 
  4. Transitional fonts had less serif incline, and the ascenders were slightly flatter. 

This style maintained the tall x-height and ascenders height compared to the cap height that was seen on the Old Style.

Some Transitional font types are Times New Roman, Bookman, and Mrs. Eaves.

Transitional fonts

As printing processes improved in the late 18th and early 19th century, the presses became more accurate. Better paper and ink allowed for finer details on the font styles. Let's look at the details:

  1. At this point, serifs are completely straight and flat. 
  2. The brackets disappeared or were very small. 
  3. The stress is now completely vertical, and the contrast between thick and thins is exaggerated. 
  4. The terminals were near, if not completely rounded. 

The x-height is between medium to tall compared to the cap height. 

Some Modern font types are Bodoni, Didot, Modern No. 20, and Mona Lisa.

Modern fonts

The easiest category to identify is Slab Serif because of its chunky look. With their obvious appearance, Slab Serif fonts set themselves aside from the serif sub-category. Refined printing processes allowed for more ink coverage on paper. This allowed Slab Serifs to be created for advertising as a form of display type. Take a look at some of the characteristics:

  1. The shape of the serif is square compared to the previous categories.
  2. Serifs get a major revamp—thick, heavy, and with little to no bracket connection to the strokes. 
  3. More often than not, the serifs are the same thickness as the strokes on the letterforms.
  4. The characters now include a complete vertical stress.

The x-height tends to be very tall in relation to the cap height. 

Some Slab Serif font types are Clarendon, Playbill, Museo Slab, Bw Glenn SlabMartini Thai Neue Slab, and Arkibal Serif.

Salb serif fonts

"Sans" comes from the French "without", and that is exactly what this category is—typefaces without serifs. Roman lettering that was cut into marble and stone was not only found as serifs but also as informal sans serifs. That’s right, sans serifs are not a late invention—in fact, the very first form of sans serif was used in the 5th century BC as inscriptions. The first sans serif printing type was developed in the early 18th century by William Caslon and included only an uppercase version. Sans serifs stripped away all of the handwritten features that serifs wanted to emulate. 

These modern letterforms aimed for high legibility at long distances. Twenty years ago, using sans serif for body copy was a no-no. We've come a long way from then. Nowadays you can find magazines using sans serif as body copy. If you want to get a message across clearly, use sans serifs as display fonts. Let’s take a look at the sub-categories:

This style was the first commercially popular sans serif in the early 1900s. All around, the designs of grotesque typefaces were irregular compared to the more sleek Neo-Grotesque (Helvetica). Therefore, grotesque typefaces were less polished and had more personality and quirkiness. Some of the features are:

  1. The uppercase "G" usually has a spur. The uppercase letters have similar width—except for the uppercase "M", which was nearly square-shaped. 
  2. There’s a slight contrast between the thin and thick strokes. 
  3. The cap-height and ascenders are usually at the same level. 
  4. The most common characteristic is the ‘bowl and loop’ on the lowercase "g". Another distinct feature of the letter "g" is the double-story—this came from the serif category.

Some Grotesque font types are Franklin Gothic, Monotype Grotesque, Akzidenz Grotesque, and Bw Glenn Sans.

Grotesque fonts

Neo-Grotesque typefaces are a refined version of grotesques in the later 1900s. The aim of the designers was legibility and neutrality. Therefore, all personality was stripped down from the typeface. Some of the distinctive characteristics are:

  • The traditional characteristics of sans serifs are left behind, and the letterforms become simpler, minimal, and neutral. 
  • The stroke is uniform throughout the letterform. 
  • The terminals are usually perfectly straight, making them appear geometric. 
  • Neo-Grotesque fonts closed the aperture gap in the letters "e" and "a".
  • The most notable feature of Neo-Grotesque forms is the single-story "g".

Neue Haas Unica was developed in the 1980s, but it is a great example of the Neo-Grotesque style beside the ubiquitous Helvetica. 

Some Neo-Grotesque font types are Univers, Arial, RNS Sanz, and RNS Sisma.

New-grotesque fonts

Humanist sans serifs were based on the proportions of Roman style capitals. Typographers were looking to add a calligraphic influence to the letterforms. Let's look at some of the details:

  1. Based on Roman style proportions.
  2. The contrast between thick and thin strokes is more apparent. 
  3. As in the Old Style category, Humanist Sans Serif fonts sometimes include a slight stress on the vertical axis. 
  4. The aperture on the letters "a" and "s" is wider for improved legibility. 
  5. The letter "g" includes the double-story "g" to mimic the old style serif. 

Some Humanist font types are Verdana, Lucida Grande, Optima, Myriad, Trebuchet, and Calibri.

Humanist fonts

Contrary to the Humanist style, the Geometric style is based on geometric forms. The characters were intended to be legible, but their structure makes them the opposite. This style was popular in the 1920s and originated in Germany. Due to the clean, modern design, they became popular as body copy. Unfortunately, long-form copy doesn't read well in this style because of the awkward rhythmic shapes. Some of the main features are:

  1. The characters have a uniform stroke thickness and optically circular bowls. 
  2. There's a strong emphasis on straight lines. Therefore, the stroke has a uniform thickness. 
  3. This category features a single-story lowercase "a" and "g".

Some Geometric font types are Avant Garde, Avenir, Nista Geometric, RNS Miles, and Bergen Sans.

Geometric fonts

Script fonts are based on the flow of cursive handwriting and are divided into two categories: formal and casual. Scripts generally have cursive and fluid letterforms. These fonts are not suitable for body copy as they can become very illegible. Use these fonts for display use—headlines, titles, or very short copy. Take a look at these:

As the name implies, Formal scripts are the fanciest. These elegant typefaces are used on wedding invitations and diplomas. Some of the main characteristics are:

  1. Inspired by handwriting from the 17th and 18th century, scripts are cursive.
  2. All the characters include a connecting end tail for fluidity. 
  3. Flourishes and swashes are a big part of cursive fonts to adorn the characters. 
  4. Use formal script typefaces in historical-themed books, wedding invitations, or romance book covers. 

Some types of Formal Script cursive fonts are Kuenstler, Snell Roundhand, Roseville, and Bigshine Script.

Formal script fonts

Casual scripts developed in the 20th century and were inspired by wet brush strokes. The letterforms don’t necessarily have to be connected, but sometimes they are. Let's look at a couple of details:

  1. Casual scripts mimic wet brush strokes or pen.
  2. They tend to be more relaxed and friendly compared to formal scripts.

Some types of Script fonts include CastinosSebastrian, and Bettina Script.

Casual script fonts

Calligraphic fonts have become more and more popular in the last few years. The high-tech world has pushed us to crave the human touch in type design. Compared to the script category, calligraphic fonts tend to have a modern spin. Check out some of the features:

  1. While still trying to mimic brush and nib strokes, the letterforms are quite contemporary.
  2. The contrast between thick and thin strokes adds texture to the font. 

Some Calligraphic font type examples are BillowBold InkHolyhand, and Crushine.

Calligraphic fonts

Handwritten fonts are fairly new—just a few years ago, they were difficult to come by. We’ve experienced an explosion of available fonts, and we can find them anywhere now. These fonts work really well as display type—for instance, for headlines, book covers, or logo design—as they can evoke very specific feelings. Let's look at the main details:

  1. Handwritten fonts lack the structure and definition that fonts in the Script category have. 
  2. Handwritten fonts are much more informal, laid back, and try to mimic modern-day handwriting.

Some Handwriting font type examples are Cest LavieWatcherDeepo, and Summer.

Handwriting fonts

Blackletter or Gothic dates back to the 1400s and is based on medieval calligraphy. This style evolved from illuminated manuscripts. Some type classification systems include Blackletter as a script font. Mainly used in Germany, Blackletter was the lettering style used for the Gutenberg 42-line Bible—the first book ever printed in movable type. The main characteristic of this category is the highly ornamental capitals. A design using Blackletter typeface can result in a very dense and textured page. Some of the main features are:

  1. Blackletter typefaces were drawn with a flat nib held at an angle, mainly using horizontal, vertical, and angled strokes. 
  2. The letterforms have a vertical stress.
  3. Due to the nib pen, there's a high contrast between the thick and thin strokes. 

Some Blackletter font type examples are Fraktur and Engravers Old English.

Blackletter fonts

The Display category is the largest and most diverse category. The main characteristic these fonts have is that they are not suitable for body copy as they become illegible. Letterforms can often be experimental or distressed. Different types of tattoo fonts, graffiti style fonts, and many more can be included in this category. These typefaces are best used for headlines, logos, very short copy, or for emphasis only. Most of these typefaces are developed with a specific use in mind. 

Some Display font type examples are Morning GloryBurnoutCarter Layered, and Pittsbrook.

Decorative fonts

Now that we’ve got an overview of the different font classifications, let’s talk about how to find the right font. As we’ve seen, letterforms come in all different shapes and sizes, but each one has its own characteristics. 

Fonts can evoke specific moods based on the form or the era they were inspired by. Depending on the project, you’ll want to convey and communicate a feeling through the design. Let’s look at what some of these categories mean:

  • Serif: often seen as formal fonts that can evoke an older vibe. Use serifs for long-form copy, like books, blogs, or magazines. The serifs help the reader’s eyes follow the letterforms easily. 
  • Sans Serif: one of the most versatile categories. You can use them as display or long-form copy. These letterforms are clean, minimal, and modern-looking. Some fonts in this category can be neutral, while others can have just a touch of personality that can add some zing to your design.
  • Script: whether you use a formal or informal script font, you’ll hands down communicate an old-world vibe. Use these fonts on historical pieces, wedding invitations, and book covers.
  • Handwriting and Calligraphic: if you want to evoke a personal feel, this is the font for your project. Mostly informal, this font can vary in styles. Do be careful when choosing one for your project as depending on the style you can add a certain mood that can range from cute to grunge.
  • Blackletter: if you are looking for a moody and dark font, this gothic-inspired category is perfect. They can be ornamental, heavy, and definitely hard to read as long-form text. Use this style for headlines or display copy. 
  • Display/Decorative: like the last few examples, use display as display. These fonts are usually designed with a very specific purpose in mind—to call for attention. Don’t use these fonts at a small scale as some decorations can make them difficult to read.

There are thousands of readily available font styles on the internet. Due to this boom, it is difficult to make a specific classification of the different types of fonts. This is an ever-evolving list, and I’ve highlighted the most basic styles that can definitely help you narrow down your search. Do you have a new typographic trend you are following? Let us know in the comments below! 

If you are looking for some quality fonts, take a look at the Envato Elements Font section or DaFont. The ever-evolving library has a great variety of fonts for your next project! 

The Basic Elements of Design

The Basic Elements of Design

Design is made up of basic elements built into a structure that communicates a message. These elements are the building blocks you need to construct your design. These objects can be arranged in any way as part of your composition; we call this the principles of design. These principles are important concepts that can help you organise the basic structural elements on a page. 

In this first article, we’ll dive into seven of the most basic elements in design that can help you improve your content creation skills and ability to communicate through design. Don’t forget to follow this article series on the principles of design to learn how to successfully arrange the basic elements of design. 

Think of the elements of design as the ingredients you need for a recipe. These basic components are essential in art and design and how you can visually construct pieces. Each element is a crucial part of a visual message, and the combination of these has an impact on how the design is perceived. You can use these elements alone or in combination with each other, depending on what you're looking to achieve.

The main elements are:

  • Line
  • Colour
  • Shape
  • Form
  • Value
  • Space
  • Texture 

A solid understanding of these concepts gives you the ability to understand your design pieces and others you come across. You’ll be able to dissect a design piece and see the behind-the-scenes process. Let’s take a closer look at each element to have a better understanding of how they work and how to use them. 

Elements of Design Line

Lines are the most basic elements of design. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Once you start noticing them, you’ll see grids all around you. Lines have direction; they can be visible or invisible and can help direct the eye to a specific spot. The thickness of a line can also communicate certain cues. Bold and thick lines can draw attention, while thin lines are the opposite. 

Lines don't necessarily have to be solid. Dashed and dotted lines can also be used and have a friendlier feel than a solid line. Straight lines usually come across as a steady and static element. On the other hand, curved lines are dynamic and give energy to your design.

Hand illustrated patterns

Elements of Design Shape

A shape is the result of enclosed lines to form a boundary. Shapes are two-dimensional and can be described as geometric, organic, and abstract. 

  • Geometric shapes have structure and are often mathematical and precise (squares, circles, triangles). Shapes can add emphasis to a layout.
  • Organic shapes lack well-defined edges and often feel natural and smooth. 
  • Abstract shapes are a minimalist representation of reality. For instance, a stick figure of a person is an abstract shape. Logos are mostly represented by abstract figures to show the type of business. The icon pack below is a great example of abstract shapes conveying real-life objects and situations.
Transport Icons Pack

Depending on the color, form, and size of shapes, we can determine particular moods and send messages. For instance, triangles direct the eyes to a specific point and can also represent stability.

We are surrounded by shapes that we may not think about much; we usually think of shapes as the main geometric structures. For designers, shape is one of the most important elements when it comes to branding development. These figures are at the root of logos and illustrations. 

Elements of Design Form positive space

On a page, form is the positive element over the space, the negative element. A dot, line, or shape is a form when placed on a page. Unfortunately, form and shape are mostly used interchangeably. A form can be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Many also believe that form is a shape that acquires three-dimensional values, but the correct term is volume. 

Form and shape are mutually dependent because changing one would affect the other. The spatial relationship between form and space can create tension and add 3D qualities to your design. Form and space will lend the design lots of visual activity that can help keep viewers engaged. To create a 3D effect in your design, you can add shadows, stack multiple elements, or play with color. 

Elements of Design Space Negative Space

Space is the area that surrounds a shape; it creates a form within the space. Think of it as music: space is the silence between the notes of a song. If all the notes were played together, that would turn into noise.

If you look at a design piece, the negative space is the area that is not occupied by any elements. In essence, it is the background color that you are able to see. For instance, abundant negative space in a layout results in an open, airy, and light background. The lack of negative space can result in a cluttered design. Visually speaking, a layout needs space to achieve a level of clarity within the design. Negative space is a very important element to consider as you are designing a piece. 

Below, we have an example of negative space. The geometric forms on the first plane have an identical duplicate as a second plane. This helps add a three-dimensional effect over the negative space. You'll notice the elements are evenly scattered over the background—the negative space.


Elements of Design Color

We can apply color to any of the elements we mentioned before this point. Colors create moods and can say something different depending on the connotations associated with it. Color can create an emphasis on specific areas of your design layout.

This element contains multiple characteristics: 

  • Hue is the name of a color in its purest form. For instance, cyan, magenta, and green are pure colors. 
  • Shade is the addition of black to a hue in order to make a darker version. 
  • Tint is the addition of white to a color to make a lighter version.
  • Tone is the addition of grey to make a color muted. 
  • Saturation refers to the purity of a color. A specific color is most intense when it is not mixed with white or black. 

In design, there are two color systems, RGB and CMYK. RGB is a system dedicated to digital design. This additive system stands for red, green, and blue. The colours are produced by adding primary colours together to create various combinations. This mode should be used for designs that will only be used on a screen. 

If you want to output your design as a printed piece, you need to use the CMYK system. This subtractive system stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (key). CMYK reduces the light that would be reflected on a white background to create color. It is extremely important to start a file using the right color system. Converting colors between the systems can result in muted and inaccurate colors.

Elements of Design Value

Value refers to the degree of lightness and darkness of a specific hue. Yellow has a higher value than purple because it is closer to white. Value changes create contrast on a page. The reason you can read this text is that the black content contrasts with the white background. 

In design, use different tonal values to create emphasis in your design. Create the illusion of movement by overlapping multiple elements with different values. Value is also important in photography. You’ll notice that high-value images have a light and airy feel to them, while dark value images feel heavy and dramatic.

Value also defines the spatial relationship between elements. If color values are close between the elements and space, then the design will look flat. If there is a strong contrast between the elements, then the form will be extremely noticeable. The example below features multiple colors with multiple values, which helps add a sense of depth to the design.

Abstract Sharp Background

Elements of Design Texture

Texture adds a tactile appearance to a design layout. Imagine how a design piece would feel if you touched it. The goal of texture is to add depth to a 2D surface. Texture can be applied graphically through patterns, either digitally created or an image mimicking the desired pattern. Below is an example of an abstract geometric pattern made up of basic geometric elements. 

Abstract geometric patterns

To achieve an authentic vintage feel, you may try a rough effect as a background or a natural pattern like the wood pattern below. Highly texturized patterns like this can translate the feel of wood grains visually. Textures can also be physical—for example, laser cutters give you the ability to stack multiple shapes and intensify a tactile response.

Add real tactile texture to your design by embossing a texture to paper. This way, you have the chance to create a memorable piece that will certainly stand out from the crowd. Stylistically, it is not ideal to blend multiple textures in a design (unless necessary) as it can be overwhelming for the viewer.

Wood grain textures

In graphic design, texture can also refer to the elements placed on a page. Multiple layers of text placed on top of each other can lend a unique texture that can’t be mimicked by anything organic. 

Different textures give off a different vibration—try thinking of different materials if you work with physical shapes. For instance, try using soft surfaces like felt for children’s books. Art book designs are the most forgiving for thinking outside the box.

In this article, we showed you the basic elements you need to build up your design. These building blocks are essential to understand in order to create a successful design piece. Not only that—as a professional working designer, you’ll need to know how to describe design pieces for client presentations and higher-ups. Training your eyes can help you grow as a designer and achieve a higher level of design sensibility. Sometimes even the most seasoned designers need a little refresher to remember these concepts. 

Now that we have a good understanding of the basic elements of design, it's time to head over to the Universal principles of design, if you haven't read it. There, we’ll explain concepts you can apply to the elements in a design layout. These concepts are essential to making your design piece work effectively. 

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