Study Task 05 - Canons

After further establishing the definition of a Canon, we were tasked to identify some rules of graphic design of our own. 

Don't centralise text nor justify it - We should not be centralising nor justifying text due to the difficulty it creates for our eyes to re-adjust after every line. This reduces readability thus lowering the visual quality of the body copy. This rule should be followed for almost all publications and forms of design, however exceptions can be made based on the context and tone of voice considered for example a food menu.

Always use a grid - The grid helps us to align body copy, images and it creates a form of hierarchy. A hierarchy allows for a sense of rhythm to be created when following text across a page. This is essential to graphic design as it creates a visually appealing and balanced layouts. There are 3 main grids that were identified, Van De Graaf, Golden Canon and Octavo by Tschichold. 

Try and avoid orphans and widows - Avoiding orphans and widows will help create a better looking body copy and reduce the need for the reader to read an extra unnecessary line. This can avoided through the adjustment of the rag and slight tracking of the words. 

Try not to use more than 3 different typefaces - Simplicity is key in graphic design and the use of multiple typefaces should always be kept to a minimum of 2 and maximum of 3. By doing so it also creates a hierarchy, establishing what font is used for headings, display and for body copy. The limitation of using two typefaces also creates uniformity and a clear legibility within the piece of design. 

As a whole the rules of graphic design are meant to guide the designer in creating a piece of work that successfully communicates the intended message towards the reader. The designer can also work within these constraints to create a visually appealing piece of graphic art. However these rules can definitely be limiting and frustrating to work within. The more rules you follow the more limiting the final outcome may become. Thus when creating a piece of design it is beneficial to follow the rules however sometimes it may necessary to break them to help push the boundaries and experiment a little more. If every designer stuck to the rules of graphic design, it will become insular and repetitive.