What Is Graphic Design? Pictures That Talk
Look at a STOP sign. It is a red shape with eight sides and one big white word. You do not have to read fast. The red color and the fat white letters shout STOP before your car even gets close. Somebody chose that red. Somebody chose that shape. That person was a graphic designer. Graphic design is putting pictures, colors, and words together so they tell you something in one quick look.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson you will be able to: 1. Say what a graphic designer does. 2. Name two jobs that color can do (like warn you or make you happy). 3. Tell why some words on a sign are BIG and some are small. 4. Make your own picture-word sign that tells people something.
Words and Pictures Are a Team
A picture of a slice of pizza on a door tells you: food is here! You did not need any words at all. Now add the word OPEN under it. Together the picture and the word tell you even more: food is here AND you can come in right now. A graphic designer picks the picture and the words so they work together like teammates.
Cereal boxes, your toothpaste tube, and the sign on a school bus were all made by graphic designers. Pick one thing in your room and find the picture and the words working together.
Colors Have Jobs
Colors are not just pretty. They have jobs. Red can mean STOP or DANGER, like a fire truck. Green can mean GO or safe, like a green traffic light. Yellow is bright and says LOOK AT ME, like a school bus. A graphic designer picks a color on purpose to give you a feeling or a warning.
Big Means Important
On a poster for a party, the word PARTY is usually the biggest word. The time and place are smaller. Why? Because the biggest words are the ones the designer wants you to see first. Making one thing big and other things small helps your eyes know where to look. Big equals important.
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Match each color to a job it often does.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
A stop sign is red with big white letters. Why did the designer use red?
On a birthday poster, which word would a designer usually make the BIGGEST?
Make a Picture-Word Sign
1. Think of a message for your bedroom door, like 'Come In' or 'Quiet, I'm Reading'. 2. On paper, draw one simple picture that matches your message (a smiley face for Come In, a finger on lips for Quiet). 3. Write your message in BIG fat letters next to the picture. 4. Color your most important word in a bright color. 5. Tape it to your door. You just did the job of a graphic designer! Show a grown-up and tell them why you picked that color.
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