Fine arts and Crafts

My goals

By the end of this Unit, I will be able to:

⦿ Explain the basic elements of design.

⦿ Write using calligraphy.

⦿ Design a magazine cover.

⦿ Communicate through designing.

⦿ Share ideas about own work and that of others.

Introduction

In Senior One you studied about letter construction and made

designs with letters. You also learnt that neatness is important

for producing attractive designs. In this unit, we are going

to look at other designs that can be made with letters. Look

at the designs in Figure 3.1 and answer the questions that

follow.

Figure 3.1: Different designs of cards

Activity 1

1. What messages do you read ifrom the four different

cards?

2. Describe the colours that were used in the four different

designs.

3. What type of letters were used in the designs?

The major aspects of a design

I hope you were able to note that letters play a very important

role in bringing out the message for each card. Letters must

be carefully designed to look neat and legible.

Therefore, the key aspects which must be considered while

designing cards, posters and book covers include the following:

·· The layout: this refers to a particular plan or outline acceptable

for a given design. Each design has a particular layout. This

has to be spread out for clarity.

· Message: the design has to communicate to the observer.

· Lettering: the choice and construction of letters in a design.

Letters have to be legible so as to bring out a clear message

to the observer.

· Balance: space has to be wisely distributed throughout the

design.

· Neatness: a design has to be clean and attractive to the

observer.

· Colour choice: the colours used must relate to the

message being communicated. Dull colours tend to kill the

attractiveness of the design. Contrast is often followed when

applying colours in a design.

Activity 2

Discuss how the aspects discussed above were achieved

in the works presented in Figure 3.1

Different letter styles in design

We have already seen that letters play an important role in

conveying a message in many designs. In Senior One you

practiced letter construction and you were introduced to

different letter styles. By now you know the difference between

upper case and lower case. The choice of letters depends on

the nature of the design you want. There are two major types

of letter fonts; i.e. formal letters and fancy letters.

Formal letters are not so decorated. They are easy to read and

are often used to pass on important messages to the viewer.

Look at the fonts in Figure 3.2.

Formal letters are good for designing posters and book covers

which carry formal information. Look at the following examples

in Figure 3.3

On the other hand, there are fancy letters. These look

complicated and more difficult to construct and read. They are

often used to design works which are more decorative such

as cards and fancy magazines. For example look at the letter

fonts in Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.4: Fancy letters

You can use a grid while constructing different letters, for

example look at Figure 3.5.

Activity 3

1. Practice with letter construction by following the guide

lines you learnt in Senior One. These include; the base

line, mid line and cape line for the upper case, and the

ascender, mid line, base line and descender for the lower

case in addition to a grid.

2. Try it out with the formal and fancy letters.

How to design a magazine cover

For any design work, it is important to plan for it by going

through the design process. You must know the proper lay out

and the main features of the work you are going to design.

Activity 4

1. Look at the magazines in Figures 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 and 3.9,

and discuss the features common to all the magazines.

2. Write the title for each magazine.

3. Mention the author for each magazine.

You may have observed that the examples presented have

many words and images. However, in designing you have to

make your work simple and attractive. A magazine has the

following important components;

· A front cover; with a name of the magazine, the different titles

of the articles found inside, and an illustration or illustrations.

Titles can be arranged in any way that is interesting to the

observer as long as balance is achieved.

· A back cover which usually has an image of the author and

publisher.

Look at the layout in Figure 3.10.

Take note:

· Any design you make must fit within the particular

measurements (dimensions).

· The front and back cover of a magazine share the same

dimensions (A × B) where “A” is the length and “B” the

height .

· The choice of colours should match with the message on the

magazine.

· The illustration should add to the meaning of the title of the

magazine. This has to be simplified to avoid confusing the

reader.

Activity 5

1. Design a magazine cover with a title “The Beauty of

wild ld Life” written by Peter Kayibanda. The magazine

should have dimensions 15cm by 20cm. Use only three

colours.

2. Display your work and discuss it with your classmate.

Assessment

Using letters of your preference, design an invitation card for

Senior Two students. The card should invite students for a

nature talk to be held at your school on a date of your choice.

Glossary

Author: an individual who writes a book.

Balance: a state of equal distribution of elements in a

given design.

Design process: the stages of making sketches for a given design

Fancy letters: the type of letters with decorations.

Feature: character of a given work of art.

Formal letters: the type of letters with no decorations. These are

often easy to read and construct.

Illustration: an image or a set of images which accompanies

a design to add to its meaning.

Layout: the spread out or general outline of a design

presented on a flat surface.

Lettering: the art of letter construction regarding type, size

and neatness.

Message: the ability of a design to communicate.

Neatness: the appearance of a design with minimum

mistakes.

Publisher: the organisation which organises, proofreads

and prints out a particular book or magazine.