Graphic design strategies for the instructional designer

Graphic design tips for instructional designers

Instructional designers are jacks of all trades. You'll need to know everything from writing effective learning objectives and assessments to designing and developing attractive and engaging learning experiences. Often the former comes more naturally than the latter.

In this article, we'll give you tips to overcome some of the design and development hurdles so everyone can design user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and accessible learning experiences.

Top 5 Graphic Design Strategies

Branding

First you'll want to start with branding. If your organization or institution has a brand guide, make sure you follow all the standards in this guide. Sometimes brand guides are as simple as using standard colors, while others can include specific fonts and even images.

Either way, you should follow these guidelines and leave out anything that doesn't match the branding.

Color theory

If you don't have a brand guide to follow, some knowledge of color theory is helpful.

Color theory is more than choosing two colors that go well together and knowing that red and green remind people of Christmas. Color theory intersects science and art; in other words, not only the knowledge and application of color, but also the emotional connection that colors can evoke.

In fact, color is based on a person's perception, which can vary from person to person. That's why in a famous image on social media in 2020, some people saw a black and blue dress, and others saw a gold and white dress. There have been other similar phenomena that have gone viral. Color perception is based on the light reflected from an object and how our brains receive these combinations of light.

However, some colors seem universal. Warm colors such as yellow, orange and red energize, while cool colors such as purple, blue and green calm.

So how do you choose a combination? Think back to when you were in elementary school and learned the color wheel.

Two colors that are opposite each other on the wheel, such as red and green, purple and yellow, and blue and orange, are complementary colors and can make your logos and text really stand out. Three colors next to each other are analogous colors; these colors can indicate progress or action in a specific direction. Finally, triadic colors are three colors equally spaced around the wheel. Used together, triadic colors are contrasting yet harmonizing.

Once you've selected your colors, you should also keep in mind that some people experience color blindness, which results in distorted perception of colors or the inability to perceive them at all. Students with visual impairment benefit from highly contrasting colors. A very useful tool to have in your kit is the Color contrast control, which allows you to enter two colors and then get a rating. Poor contrast is difficult to read and should be avoided when using text. Good contrast will result in a better overall experience for the student.

Typography

Typography is the art or procedure of arranging letters (letters and characters) or processing data and printing it. This can include font size, line length (tracking), and letter spacing (spacing) on ​​a single line of text or across the entire document.

Typography plays an important role in the way a message is conveyed and received. Let's look at some examples:

You see, just one word rearranged can have a big impact on how you perceive the message. Am I shocked or very excited? You don't actually know it, but you get a feeling of it How excited I'm just running out of images of these few characters.

Some details are even more subtle. Can you tell the difference between these two fonts?

They both contain the same letters, words, spaces and characters. However, you may find that the second line is easier to read than the first line. Do you know why? It is the difference between Serif and Sans Serif fonts. Serif fonts have small strokes or lines at the ends of larger strokes, while Sans (French for “without”) Serif fonts do not have these extra accents, making them easier to read for the average reader and also for the visually impaired and those who rely on screen readers. Using sans-serif fonts makes your text more accessible to everyone! If you're looking for free fonts to add to your collection, try GraphicPear.

It's not just the Look of the type that is important. Alignment can also have an effect on the overall message. In typography, rivers occur when the distance is not equal. Some words at the end of a paragraph are called orphans; single words or lines at the top of a paragraph are called widows. Take these sentences as an example:

Rivers, orphans and widows should be avoided in typography for a number of reasons. First, the uneven spacing of words and phrases can be visually distracting to the audience. Second, when words or phrases are removed from the context of the sentence or paragraph, the meaning can be affected. This can be especially apparent if your student uses a screen reader for accessibility. Screen readers perceive commas, periods, and even line and paragraph breaks differently, and their interpretation can change the meaning for these students. Finally, evenly spaced words and phrases are more aesthetically pleasing.

To avoid these typographical problems, read your work carefully, remove any double spaces, and adjust line spacing. If you're having trouble finding these typographical missteps, print your work and view it upside down. This will trick your brain into focusing on the form rather than the words. You can also hire a reviewer. Some post-secondary institutions offer affordable solutions, and there are many freelancers and companies that offer this service.

Images, icons and GIFs

Text without supporting images can reduce audience engagement. Fortunately, there are plenty of free images and icons available on the Internet. You can even make your own GIFs!

Here are a few places to look if you need free stock photos:

• www.pexels.com
• www.freepik.com
• www.Rawpixel.com

The Let's Enhance Ai editor helps with image resolution. DesignStripe.com allows you to create your own GIF by adding your own SVG or using an example from their library. And if you're just looking for an icon, Unblast.com is the place for you.

When it comes to using images, icons, and GIFs, remember that images of any kind should have a clear purpose in the document and assist the student with a visual representation of the written or spoken content.

Take these two images as an example. You've been tasked with creating an eLearning course that will teach new baristas how to properly brew coffee. Sure, the background of the coffee beans is nice aesthetically, but it doesn't add any value to the training. The image to the right of the barista filling the espresso cup visually demonstrates the process. In combination with on-screen text and/or voice-over, you can tell the full story to your students.

Layout design

Once you've picked out images, fonts, and colors, you can start putting together the actual design. This is a bit like putting together pieces of a puzzle: all the pieces have a place and each piece contributes to the overall picture. Layout design refers to the visual arrangement of design elements as students will see them.

Good layout design conveys a specific message to the audience using text and images arranged in a logical, user-friendly manner. An easy-to-read design will be both useful and aesthetically pleasing. If you do this correctly, your students may not have to read every word on the screen to understand the message. Images, colors, lines, shapes, balance, and white space increase engagement and interest and increase the likelihood that your students will remember what they learned. .

There are a few keywords when it comes to layout design that can be helpful:

• Alignment (or lack thereof) can be in the center or on the edge and can refer to images or text that are in one line. You can create visual interest and draw attention to part of the design by misaligning it.
• Close proximity means group as design elements together. This not only maintains visual interest, but also reduces cognitive load by allowing the student's brain to process these elements simultaneously.
• The rule of thirds suggests that dividing your design into nine equal quadrants with two equally spaced vertical lines and two equally spaced horizontal lines and placing points of interest where the lines intersect (also called power points) creates interest .

You may be thinking to yourself, “This all sounds great, but I feel limited working in a document.” This is an obstacle that many instructional designers find difficult to overcome. We are used to working in documents to create text, but these documents are often not enough to add graphic and aesthetic effects. Don't be afraid! There are wonderful design sites that can take any type of training to the next level.

Figma.com is an online design platform. After creating a free account, you can start with Design with Figma (design, prototype, and developer handoff) or Whiteboard in FigJam (collaborative brainstorming and diagramming).

Canva.com is a little more user-friendly, especially for the beginner, and it's also free. However, there is a Canva Pro that gives you more access to templates, fonts and features. You can create documents, whiteboards, presentations, social media, videos, print projects, websites and more. There are tons of free templates (helping you with design elements like The Rule of Thirds) available that you can fully customize, or you can create your own. You can then download and share your creation wherever you want.

Using these layout design strategies can help your students stay engaged with the content and remember it later.

You can design!

With just a little bit of knowledge, you can design beautiful, effective content for your students, whoever they are!