Graphic Design Manual by Armin Hofmann is a foundational text that defines modern graphic design through clarity, discipline, and visual logic. Rooted in the Swiss design tradition, the book emphasizes structure, contrast, rhythm, and the expressive power of typography and form. Hofmann presents design not as decoration, but as a problem-solving process driven by balance andContinue reading “Book Review: Graphic Design Manual by Armin Hofmann”
Author Archives: Al-Madar
Design Effective Course
Information vs. Performance What Makes Training Courses Different? Training courses fall into two categories: information-based and performance-based. Information courses focus on knowledge, while performance courses drive behaviour change and skill development at work. Neither approach is better the key is understanding what learners must do, then designing the course around those actions. Clear goals shapeContinue reading “Design Effective Course”
Concept Development in Communication Design
Concept development is the foundation of effective communication design, transforming ideas into purposeful visual strategies. The process involves research, brainstorming, sketching, prototyping, and refinement to align design solutions with client objectives and audience needs. Key elements in my concept development include visual storytelling, clarity, while essential process of balance, contrast, hierarchy and unity to ensureContinue reading “Concept Development in Communication Design”
Data Visualisation
Introduction The spark of accumulated massive collections of data excels a quick and effective way to communicate abstract information in a manageable manner using data visualisation (Reas, McWilliams & Barendse, 2010, p.119). In his TED Talk, Koblin argues that “An interface can be a powerful narrative device by which, we are able to enhance ourContinue reading “Data Visualisation”
Promoting Design for Development
Map Kibera Nairobi presents the largest slum settlement in Africa, and one of the biggest slum populations in the world. In 200 settlements, homogenously named Kibera, there are approximately 2.5 million people. The people of Kibera inhabit 6 % of the land but consist of 60 % of Nairobi’s population (Kibera Facts & Information,2018). FigureContinue reading “Promoting Design for Development”
Staging Tricks and Effects of Gondry and Berkeley
An award-winning director of music videos, screenwriting, commercials and films, Michel Gondry is celebrated for manipulation of visual elements and innovative staging effects (IvyPand, 2021). His imaginative realm exists between the state of unconscious and conscious, defying any realistic senses (Hirschberg, 2006). Gondry conceptualises pop-music with an intuitive commodity of unique and colourful dream-world imagery.Continue reading “Staging Tricks and Effects of Gondry and Berkeley”
21st Century Place Branding
Using an abstract mark that depicts a sense of place of a historical city ‘Ballarat’, or a city of nature as Hobart has recently been debated. Glickfeld argues that “Organisations usually choose to redesign their visual identities to indicate a new era” (2010, p.26) and, able to communicate in a fast paced “global marketplace” (GlickfeldContinue reading “21st Century Place Branding”
Design for Development
Design for Development Analysis Figure 1. The Winter Warmer by NotOnSunday, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2022. Retrieved from https://thedieline.com/blog/2017/12/12/winter-warmer? The stigma behind long-lasting or better-quality tools is linked to the brand loyalty, as consumers must be motivated toward the brand (Cooper, 2012). Therefore, products with high performance specify more durability or adaptability to match theContinue reading “Design for Development”
Handcraft and Design Analysis
By emphasising human creativity over base profit motives, handmade things beg us to like them and their creators – which is why art, design, fashion, mass-manufactured goods and even pop culture are pitching themselves to consumers with a thick, reassuring dollop of the handmade. In an uncertain economic climate, handmade things have acquired virtuous newContinue reading “Handcraft and Design Analysis”
The Spirit of Progress
Spirit of Progress – Deco poster in Australia Wood (2008, p.254) describes, during the 1920s and 1930s, Australia embraced a unique form of modernism; Art Deco swept across the genres of creativity, industry, advertising, household appliances and domestic architecture. It had an ideal for design, and became a notable phenomenon of modern influence (Wood 2008,Continue reading “The Spirit of Progress”