Design Dictionary

As a designer I have to begin somewhere. I cannot jump into things knowing everything. Learning the basics is essential to everything that I do from now on. My Design Dictionary shows my understanding of the Elements and Principles of Design. It gives me something to refer back to as a quick refresher when my brain cannot recall something.

To create the Design Dictionary, I had to first study the Elements and Principles of Design. The next step was go out and photograph the things in the world that showcase these Elements and Principles of Design. This was my favorite part of the project because one of my favorite hobbies is photography. The next step was to design the dictionary using the images I had gathered, the reason why each image fit each term, a definition of the term and a sentence using the term.

With all the trouble and technical difficulties of designing my dictionary, I was very pleased with the way that it turned out. My first idea was to use a gray background and white lettering. Those colors made sense to me because it would allow the images to stand out. I did not want to use any colors for the background or text because colors would alter the image's color to the viewer's eye. I soon found out that it is not possible to print in white ink, so I had to put that idea to the side until someone makes it possible to print in white ink. With that little set back, I decided to just make the design very basic, black lettering with a white background. Once I saw the finished project I realized the white background made more sense anyway. It really allowed the images to breathe and say a lot.

While the final product was printed and bound, I have created an image of all my Design Dictionary for everyone's viewing. Here it is. Click on image to view the full size. Enjoy!