INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTER
GRAPHICS
BY

Muhammad Omer Khan

 WHAT IS GRAPHIC DESIGN?
 Graphic design is the process and art of combining text and graphics and communicating an
effective message through a type of visual communication.
 This communication may be done in the form of logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters,
signs, billboards, books, menus, packages, posters, etc

In graphic design, right & wrong do not exist. There is only effective and non-effective
communication.
 What Is Computer Graphic Design?
 Graphic designs created by the aid of a computer as
a tool is know as computer graphic design.

 In order to understand how to make the optimum

use of the computer we need to first learn the basic
of graphic design.

The computer is just a ‘tool’ for designing, it can

not generate the design , that must come out
from our own creativity
 The How of Graphic Design

 Through the arrangement of typography and

images and take any form from photography to
3D design.
 Graphic design can incorporate the use of
illustration, iconography, and branding, though it
is not just limited to these devices.
TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN
Graphic Design Theory

 The visual excitement of a work of design is a result

of how the composition of the design elements create
mood, style, message, and a look.

 The Design Process, takes you towards a design

solution through research, exploration, re-
evaluation, and revision of a design problem.

 Other aspects of visual communication involve

usability, sociology and linguistics.
TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN
Graphic Design History
The Birth:
 The paintings in the caves of Lascaux around 14,000 BC.
 Birth of written language in the third or fourth millennium BC

The Growth:
 The Old Style (especially the typefaces which these early typographers
used), or Humanist, after the predominant philosophical school of the time.
 Gradual evolution in the late 19th century.
 The Arts and Crafts movement.
 Modern design of the early 20th century:
Reaction against the decadence of typography and design of late 19th
century. The hallmark: sans-serif typeface
 Gained popularity and usage in booming post-World War II American
economy, in the fields of: advertising and packaging.
 Mid 1980’s: Arrival of desktop publishing and introduction of soft wares such
as Adobe Illustrator, etc.
 Computer graphic design enabled designers to instantly seeing the effects
of layout or typography changes.
 Demand in the Market
 Graphic design is practiced in numerous fields and media, the
most common are:
 Print - Magazines, newspapers, posters, periodicals, business
collateral materials, print advertisements
 World wide web and software user interfaces
 Film, videos, CDs, DVDs - title design, motion graphics,
promotional materials
 Identity systems, environmental graphic design including
signage, wayfinding, and retail environments
 Products, packaging, point-of-purchase displays
TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN
The Form & The Function
The Form:
 The simplest way is to look around. At home, at work and at play,
design shapes the way many things look.

Designers achieve their goals by utilizing the

elements and principles of graphic design.

The Function:
 To “tell” something is to communicate: the cornerstone of graphic
design.
 The function is established when we set out to communicate “buy
this product,” “attend this event,” “trust this company” or “understand
this idea.”

Effective design may usually draws its form from its function.
 Elements & Principles of Graphic Design.
Design elements are the basic tools of every design discipline

Alignment
shapes
Repetition /
White Space
Consistency
texture lines Principles
Elements
Balance Contrast

color mass Proximity

 Elements of Graphic Design
Line & Line direction
 A line is ‘ a point that has gone for a walk’
 It has length, width & height but no depth
 The direction of a line can convey mood.

Horizontal lines represent calm, quiet, Curved Lines convey movement,

stability, rest. show a dynamic quality, potential for
change

Vertical lines suggest potential for Diagonal lines suggest movement,

movement, strength, action. vitality.
 Contour vs. Gesture
Gesture
Contour
Below is a gesture drawing Lines used to follow the edges of forms
These combination of lines are depicting are called contour drawings
movement.

Line as a Value
Note how the areas of darker shading inside
a figure, called areas of value, can give a
more three-dimensional feeling to the face
 Assignment # 1: Lines

 Create 4 boxes of equal sizes and convey 4

different moods of your choice using only
different type of lines.
 Element of design : SPACE
 A shape is an enclosed
object. Shapes can be
created by line, by color or
value changes which define
their edges
 Shape is considered to be a
two-dimensional element,
while three-dimensional
elements have volume or
mass. Therefore, a painting
has shapes, while a
sculpture has volume and
mass.

Positive/Negative shapes
 Assignment # 2: Shapes

 Create a pattern in a 6” x 6” box, where a

pattern in created by positive and negative
spaces.
 TEXTURE

 Texture is the surface quality of

an object.
 We experience texture when we
touch objects and feel their
roughness, smoothness or
patterns. Created by varying the
pattern of light and dark areas
on an object. Notice how the
areas of light and dark give the
impression of depth to the image
below.
 Assignment # 3: Texture

 Take a white A4 size paper and using a soft

lead pencil transfer the impression of 4
different textures around you on it.
 VALUE & COLOR
Value
 refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a
certain area.
 used for emphasis and to create a focal point.
 For eg. A light figure on a dark background will
be immediately recognized as the center of
attention.
 Areas of light and dark can give a three-
dimensional impression, such as when shading
areas of a person's face. 

Color 
 Color occurs when light in different wavelengths
strikes our eye. Observe how the
same red cube
 It varies in different circumstances. For seems to have
example, grass can appear gray in the morning different shades
or evening or bright green at noon. Colors also of red owing to
change according to their surroundings. its placement in
varying colors
 Properties of Color 

Hue 
 Refers to the color itself.
Each different hue is a
different reflected
wavelength of light.
 White light broken in a
prism has seven hues: red,
orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo and violet.
 Black light occurs when no
light is reflected to your eye.
This is the physics of light.
Computer Colors
 Computer colors are produced
by combining the three colors of
red, green and blue together.

Printer Colors
 Printing uses the CYMK
convention which takes cyan
(light blue), yellow, magenta
(pinky red) and black inks and
tries to recreate the color that
your computer created with red,
green and blue light. 
Color Value 

 Refers to the lightness or darkness of the hue.

 Adding white to a hue produces a high-value color = TINT.
 Adding black to a hue produces a low-value color = SHADE.

Intensity 

 Also called chroma or saturation, refers to the brightness of a color.

 Color at full intensity when in - a pure hue.
 To change intensity of a color (duller or more neutral) add gray.
 When adding its complementary color, the color produced is called
a TONE.
 Mixing complementary colors= dull tone.
 Complementary colors side by side = brighter intensity.

This effect is called simultaneous contrast - each color simultaneously

intensifies the visual brightness of the other color. 
Optical Color Mixing 
 When small dots of color are placed adjacent
to each other, your eye will combine the
colors into a blended color.
 This is the principle used when printing color
in magazines.
 Dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black are
distributed in a pattern on the paper, and
depending on the quantity of a certain dot,
you will see a specific color on the page.
Color & Space 

 Certain colors have an advancing or receding

quality, based on how our eye has to adjust to see
them.
 Warm colors such as red, orange or yellow seem to
come forward while cool colors such as blue and
green seem to recede slightly.
 In the atmosphere, distant objects appear bluish and
the further away an object appears, the less colorful
and distinct it becomes.
 Artists use this to give an illusion of depth, by using
more neutral and grayish colors in the background. 
 Assignment # 4: Color

 Select 2 colors, warm and cool, of pure hue from

the color wheel.
 Create a sample of each of the following from the
same color:
1. Tint
2. Shade
3. Bright hue
4. Dull hue
5. Simultaneous contrast
 Color Schemes

Monochromatic 
 Involves the use of only one hue.
The hue can vary in value, and
black or white may be added to
create various shades or tints.
Analogous 
 involves the use of colors that are
located adjacent on the color
wheel. The hues may vary in
value. The color scheme for this
site is analogous, with the colors
varying only slightly from each
other.
 Color Schemes
Complementary 
 involves use of colors that are located opposite on the
color wheel.

 produce a very exciting, dynamic pattern. 

Triadic 
 involves use of colors equally spaced on the color
wheel.

Color Discord
 Discordant colors are visually disturbing - we say they
clash.
 Colors that are widely separated on the color wheel
(but not complementary or triadic) are considered to be
discordant.
 Discordant colors can be eye-catching and are often
used for attention-getting devices in advertising.
 Assignment # 5: Color

 Using any 2 of the afore mentioned color

scheme, create 2 compositions using basic
shapes that would be eye catching.
 Consider them being used in an
advertisement, as a logo or a signage
targeted for the public.
 Illusion of Space and Depth

 We live in a three-dimensional world of depth. When

we look around us, some things seem closer, some
further away. The artist can also show the illusion of
depth by using the following means:
 Size & Vertical Location
 Overlapping
 Detail (Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective)
 Linear Perspective
 Size & Vertical
Overlapping 
Location

Linear Perspective (Converging Lines)

Detail (Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective) 

 MOVEMENT
1. Anticipated Movement : Live figures portrayed in unstable body
positions cause us to feel that motion is imminent. We know from
past experience that some kind of movement will occur.

2. Fuzzy Outlines: When figures move past us at very high speeds, we

perceive that figure as somewhat blurry.

3.  Multiple Image : Multiple overlapping images gives us the

impression of motion. Seems figure has moved through a series of
poses

4. Optical Movement: Eye is forced to move around the picture

dynamically in order to see all the different elements. Optical
movement can be enhanced by curved forms.

5. Optical Illusions : Certain optical illusions based on the repetition of

geometric forms will cause your eye to produce motion where none
is present.
Anticipated Movement  Fuzzy Outlines

Optical Illusions

Multiple Image Optical Movement

 Rhythm and Movement

Rhythm refers to the way your eye moves

throughout a picture. Some pictures move you
throughout in a connected, flowing way much
like a slow, stately rhythm in music. Other
pictures move you
u from one place to another in an abrupt,
dynamic way much like a fast, staccato rhythm
in music will give you the impression of
movement. Rhythm in art is created by the
repetition of elements.
Similarity of elements, or flowing, circular
elements will give a more connected flowing
rhythm to a picture, while jagged, or unrelated
elements will create a more unsettling, dynamic
picture. 
 BALANCE
 Think of the balance beam. When objects are of
equal weight, they are in balance. If you have
several small items on one side, they can be
balanced by a large object on the other side.

 Visual balance works in much the same way. It

can be affected not only by the size of objects,
but also their value (ie. lightness or darkness,
termed visual weight). 
 Asymmetrical (Informal) Balance 

Symmetrical (Formal) Balance

by value  by shape
by position by eye direction 

by texture  Radial Balance 

 EMPHASIS

 One method used to attract attention in the

design of a page or work of art is the use of a
focal point.
 A focal point draws your attention to the most
important element on the page.
 Ways to Create a Focal Point

by Isolation 
by Contrast 

by Placement 
 UNITY

 unity discusses the need to tie the various

elements of a work of art together.
 Unity is a measure of how the elements of a
page seem to fit together - to belong
together.
 A unified work of art represents first a whole,
then the sum of its parts.
 Ways to Achieve Unity 

Repetition
Proximity

Continuation
 Home Assignment

 Select an idea/object, that you wish to create an

awareness about, or sell, etc as your focal point
and use any 1 of the mentioned methods to make
it look like the focal point of the composition, also
use any 1 of the mentioned concepts of unity in it
as well.
 The use of all the other the various Elements of
Design that we have discussed today should also
be apparent in your composition.
 Min size of composition is 12” x 12”
 CONTACT

 Send your home assignments electronically

at mokhan.08@gmail.com
THANK YOU!