Kayla Washington

Reflective Writing Portfolio

Professor Hampton

April 5, 2018

Graphic Design Resource Guide

Short Description

Graphic design is a type of art; thus, anyone seeking to pursue this needs an understanding of

visual aesthetics and an open-mind. Although design can be about visual appeal, there is

importance in its relation to marketing and advertising, since the goal of design is to appeal to a

larger audience and/or client. In this field, one should expect and be accepting of differing

opinions, criticism, and tedious revisions. Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop,

AfterEffects, and InDesign would be helpful if pursuing this field.

Key Terms

1. Typography- the style and appearance of printed matter; the art or procedure of arranging

type or processing data and printing from it.

2. Negative space- the space around and between objects; helps define the boundaries of

positive space and brings balance to the composition.

3. Tone- the lightness or darkness of a design element (color); creates the contrast between

light and dark to draw attention to a design.

4. Vector- an image made up of paths and curves rather than a grid of pixels; able to be

enlarged without losing image quality.

5. Hierarchy- a method of grouping type based on its order of importance.

 6. CMYK- stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black); refers to the four inks used in

color printing.

7. RGB- stands for red, blue, and green; the color mode for all images shown through an

electronic display (television, computer, or smart phone).

8. Kerning- the process of adjusting the space between letters in a font to help create

proportional and balanced typography.

Academic Journals

 International Journal of Design is a peer reviewed journal that publishes research

papers in all variations of design (animation and game design, visual communication

design, industrial design, and other design related fields). This journal aims to create a

platform for discourse from researchers and designers around the globe to understand the

impact factors of culture can have on design theory and practice.

 Eye: The International Review of Graphic Design is a quarterly print magazine on

visual culture and graphic design based in London, England. The journal is targeted

towards professional designers, students, and all others interested in critical and informed

writing about design.

 Graphic Arts Monthly is a magazine featuring commercial printing and graphic arts.

They seek to highlight trends, new technology and products, software, design, sales

strategies, and etc. This magazine maintains a strong relationship with Ryerson

University’s School of Graphic Communications Management, one of Canada’s top

educational institutions, whose staffers write for them on a consist basis.

Undergraduate Organizations
  American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is one of the oldest and largest

professional membership organizations for design. AIGA seeks to enhance the value and

deepen the impact of design across all disciplines on society and business. Members of

AIGA range from all backgrounds and levels of experience and are able to have access to

exclusive events and opportunities in the world of design.

 Graphic Artists Guild encompasses professionals and those seeking to become

professionals in design. This organization helps its members build successful careers,

along with being committed to improving conditions for all graphic designers and raising

the standards for the entire industry.

Career Paths

 Creative Director- the creative leaders at advertising and marketing companies that

work with designers, artists, marketers, and sales teams to produce a vision for the

product(s) being sold.

 Web Designer- designers that create the layout, look, and functionality of a website,

which requires knowledge in graphic design, but computer programming as well.

 Marketing Manager- the leaders responsible for developing, implementing, and

executing strategic marketing plans for an organization or brand in hopes to attract more

customers and retain the existing ones.