Fundamentals of Design: How to Think Like a Designer

Most of us know great design when we see it. If you've ever held an iPhone, seen the inside of a Tesla S or walked through a building designed by Frank Gehry, then you know how important design is. The emotion it brings out of us as we interact with great design is indescribable.

What You'll Learn

• Intro to Design. The subtle differences between design and aesthetics.
• The Power of Grids. Grids create order out of chaos. You'll learn how to build the structure that lives underneath your design.
• Establishing Visual Heiarchy. 5 ways to establish visual hierarchy: color, space, alignment, implicit, and explicit. 
• Choose and Combine Typefaces. You'll identify different fonts, then adjust their size and kearning.
• Personality and Context in Color.  You'll choose an appropriate palette based on understanding of color theory

What You'll Make

By the end of this class you'll understand how the design process works, how to think like a designer and how to put all the elements of design together to create something amazing. You'll finish with a home page for your portfolio that speaks to your unique design sensibilities. 

You may or may not want to be a designer, but learning to think like one is crucial.

• Trailer
• What is Design?
• Intro to Grids
• Screencast: Using a Grid in Practice
• Grids and the Golden Section
• Intro to Visual Hierarchy
• Screencast: Using Visual Hierarchy in Practice
• Types of Hierarchy: Color
• Types of Hierarchy: Space
• Types of Hierarchy: Alignment
• Types of Hierarchy: Implicit and Explicit
• Intro To Typography
• Combining Typefaces
• Picking a Font Size
• Typography Crimes!
• Screencast: Using Fonts in Practice
• Intro to Color
• Color Theory Basics
• The Von Restorff Effect
• Screencast: Using Color in Practice