Chapter 3: Visual Design Solutions

This chapter was very useful for me because before that I could not understand the differences
among file formats and the size of the pictures.
This chapter gave a full idea how to gather ideas, some of them I have been already practicing
for several years. I usually have a small notebook which I carry everywhere I go, in order to
make notes or sketches when I see new ideas or some interesting design things. In fact,
nowadays all people have their smartphones so we can just take a picture and note when we see
interesting ideas that we like.
Important thing I have noticed so far, there are certain people who have born with the sense of
style in designing whereas there is other type of people who have not that innate sense. So those
people who do not have that sense, they can develop it by looking at others work, collecting
them and creating their own. I saw one interesting picture about how new ideas born:
“someone’s idea, another person’s idea and in the middle yours, something creative” and I
definitely agree with that.

Chapter 7: Use color with a purpose

One of the most important topics was discussed in chapter 7- colors. From my own experience
colors play a huge role in designing. As I noticed I usually end up buying thing if I like its color,
how it was branded. Not only because of selling, but also for other purposes choosing right color
plays a huge role.
I really liked the fact that the book gave a real examples how designers can use colors with the
help of color wheel, especially, in the beginning you as a designer does not know or understand
what colors will look harmonies in one design piece, so as a part you can always look at the
color wheel and choose the one that will be best, but at the beginning it is enough to use only 3
colors, they might be monochromatic pallete colors, which is one color but different shades of it,
or one can choose three neighbor or opposite colors.
One more interesting fact that I did not know is when you are doing branding for particular
business or project, it is better to analyze its audience and choose the colors based on that
audience. I guess it is the most difficult part.

Chapter 8: Establish a visual Hierarchy

It is very important to have a visual hierarchy, which is something that creates a kind of
structure in design, it gives a clue for audience what is the purpose of the flyer, for example. It is
very important to plan your hierarchy, in order to make your project understandable to people.
While planning, the designer, have to respond to several questions, such as what information is
very important to use and what the audience needs to see and know first, what is the purpose of it
etc. Then based on them one can decide creating emphasis. It was so useful to find out why I pay
attention to emphasis, and how they are created. Some of them are so obvious, that are maybe
known but not noticed by me like using numbers, or colors, position and many others.
Another, the most important thing I have learned that I do not plan any my projects I just start
doing them and sometimes because of that I have to redo it. So from now, I will try to plan first,
read about particular project, plan visual hierarchy and then do it.