f you’re familiar with Smashing Magazine and what it offers in the world of web design and development, you’ll appreciate the true value of Smashing Book #2. Recognizing this value, which we “as Arab designers” need more than others to enrich Arabic content and enhance our websites, ideas, and work principles, I will attempt, God willing, to provide a summary of this book from time to time. I pray for success in delivering this to the best of my ability.
Introduction
Smashing Book 2 is a true source of inspiration for designers. I’ll start with something that really amazed me as I began browsing through it: at the beginning of each chapter, you’ll find an expressive artwork by Yiying Lu, the artist behind the famous Twitter “Fail Whale” design. This artistic touch adds extra value to the book. Don’t worry, this book covers a broader range of topics beyond just web design and usability, making it beneficial to a wide audience, including designers, web developers, art enthusiasts, and anyone interested in modern trends in graphic design.
The book covers various areas such as (planning techniques, color theories, user interface design, mobile design, graphic design as psychology, and more).
A remarkable and well-selected group of writers and contributors in the field have participated in this book. Each author has their own style and way of expressing themselves, giving the book a unique and credible character. However, this could also be seen as a drawback since you might not get accustomed to a single pattern throughout the entire book.
Chapter One: Principles of Graphic Design
This chapter revolves around the meaning of graphic design and the difference between good design and great “long-lasting” design. Some designs have a short lifespan, relying on trends or modern styles that are short-lived. There’s a simple truth: graphic design and web design are not synonymous or similar. Of course, they are connected and intersect in many areas, but they are separate in certain aspects. For instance, in web design, simplicity may be overly emphasized, such as with white spaces, or empty spaces, unlike graphic design, where color methodologies and theories, and their relation to the concept, are highly emphasized.
What Is Graphic Design?
To fully understand the role of graphic design in the world of web design, we must first understand what it means. We can define it as an art, a science, a craft, or a creative work that serves advertising to sell a product. However, the most important and accurate definition is: communication.
Design in any form is a visual practice. To convey this message, we use techniques like typography, color, illustration, and shapes, but the main goal remains: to effectively communicate the information to the viewer in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.
The Language of Design
The term “design” encompasses much more than lines, shapes, and colors. It is a rich visual language, filled with theories, tests, and precise conclusions that help you as a designer when working on a project to make appropriate choices for your work, communicate ideas, and make them easy to use for all audiences, whether they are experts or beginners, and not just from an aesthetic standpoint.
Timeless Design vs. Momentary Design
To understand timeless design, we must first understand its opposite, “momentary design,” which focuses on current trends and short-lived styles to capitalize on the prevailing mood of the audience now. Of course, the strength of this design style is also its downfall, as it appeals to a specific audience at a specific time. However, if we move forward in time, we’ll see that this idea will fade away, and its charm will dissipate, forcing you to start over.
How to Make Your Work Fall Under the Concept of “Timeless Design”
Starting with the idea, moving to the content, and through to the design concepts you work on, there are several points and ideas that can make your design fall under the concept of timeless design. Here are some of the most important ideas:
• Achieving Elegant Design Concepts: The fewer elements you use to convey a message, the simpler the ideas, and the clearer and easier to understand your message is, the more you can call your work elegant design.
• Simplicity: The basic concepts “form, color, white space, illustration” are all elements that stand the test of time. There’s a reason for that: they guide the eye in terms of distribution and balance, making the user feel very comfortable while reading the content, and at the same time, allow them to absorb any additional value the designer has placed in the work.
• Avoiding Ornamental Decoration: Decoration is anything added just for embellishment and visual filling; it’s unnecessary. For example, if an element you add doesn’t help convey a specific message, you probably don’t need to use it.
• Astonish Me!: Using new and unique elements and ideas in the design doesn’t mean your work is inappropriate or short-lived. On the contrary, unique ideas might be what catches the eye and impresses users.