You could think of visual communication as a language. It has its own vocabulary and syntax. The principles of design guide the designer on how to use the elements to create an effective piece of visual communication. The elements of design are its vocabulary and they serve as tools of a graphic designer’s visual language.
Elements of Design
The elements of design are like the building blocks of your poster. There are many elements of design, but these are the ones that we want to highlight for the purposes of research poster design.
These elements are referenced throughout this LibGuide.
Principles of Design (CARP, like the fish!)
There are many principles of design, but these are the ones that we want to highlight for the purposes of research poster design. These elements are referenced throughout this LibGuide.
Contrast
Make use of contrast to create focal points. This will guide your readers to what is important in the poster or what to read first. To highlight important pieces of information (example title, header and text) we may use colours, different fonts / font sizes / typefaces or space.
Alignment
Make use of alignment to create order and visual connections. Elements in the poster should be visually connected and not appear as though they were randomly placed. The use of a grid layout (refer to Layout) is highly recommended and ensure that headers, sub-headers, text, graphics and images are well- aligned.
Repetition
Repetition creates association and provides a consistent look and feel. What should be repeated? The use of colours (colour theme), choice of fonts and the consistent use font sizes throughout the poster.
Proximity
Make use of proximity to create relationships between elements to achieve organisation and visual connection. What elements to be placed close together? Content that is closely related to the other. For example, the header should be close to the supporting text or the description of a figure is placed just below the figure.
Watch this video for a visual representation of CARP and two other principles of design that you can apply - white space & balance.
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