Laurel Higginbotham ENGL 3115 Dr.

Newberry 1 May 2013 Design Philosophy I have learned so much this semester in terms of design. One definition of design is to conceive or fashion in the mind; invent. There are so many things that must be considered when fashioning something others will see. There are 5 variables: Learnability, efficiency, memorability, error avoidance, and subjective satisfaction. A designer must appeal to the ethos, pathos, and logos. The four principles of design should be remembered as well: Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Finally font should complement the overall look of the design. Learnability is how easy it is to navigate through a document. Efficiency is the ease and speed to which the reader is able to use the document. Memorability is how well the reader is able to use the document after they become accustomed to its design. Error avoidance is how well the document is designed in terms of navigational deference. Subjective satisfaction is convincing the reader of the utility of the document. Design will be different for everything that is created. The audience and subject matter should be considered first because I believe they are most important. Pathos deals with appeal to emotion and shared values. Logos is appeal to logic, and ethos is appeal to trust. To make a difference in the mind of a viewer all three must work together in a positive way.

Contrast occurs when elements in design are different. Repetition transpires when a component of design is seen throughout the entire work. Alignment is how things line up. Proximity is closeness of items on a page. A font style could be described as the specific style, width, and weight of a typeface. A typeface is the design or shape of a specific set of letters, numbers, and symbols. There are six categories of type: Oldstyle, Modern, Slab serif, Sans serif, Script, and decorative. Not only should a designer be ready and able to use all these as a guide to creating a great document, but I have also learned through this class that there isnt one specific way to create something worth looking at. Everyone has a different eye for design and we must all appreciate each others work. In saying this however, it is ok to positively critique one another because others may see things that the designer themselves may not have noticed that can be improved upon. When it comes to the happiness of the client all a designer must do is listen. Ask the consumer questions and get to know them and their personal style. With a little investigation and a lot of patience and hard work a terrific design can be created that will make all parties involved proud. I named my website Glitter & Glam because I feel that title reflects me as a person. I love to dress up, have fun, and because of Ke$ha glitter has become a new obsession. I chose a script font called Play Ball, for my website name to reflect the nature of the words. My paragraph headings are in a decorative font called Lilly, and a san serif font was used called Playfair Display for my paragraph text. I decided to put the headers and the text in two separate font types to better break up the page. I liked the fading lavender background because I thought it had

a classy feel and was age appropriate. I also liked the graphic at the top because of the brightness of the lights that come from the picture. I have truly enjoyed this class because my eyes have been opened to so many new programs as well as design ideas that will help me to improve my own skills as a designer.