Picture
A Beginners Guide to Graphic Design




​​​How do we learn?
​Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
People learn more from words & pictures than from words alone
Picture

While not the most professional sounding acronym, C.R.A.P is used far and wide as set of principles in visual web design. C.R.A.P stands for contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity and these are the four principles of design that graphic and visual designers use all the time for websites. As teachers, we might not realize it, but we use many of these principles in our day-to-day classroom work as well.
Contrast: Making things stand out or be muted depending on their importance. 
  • Size, color, font, line thickness, space between elements (text or pictures), shapes are all examples of contrast
  • In our classrooms we use bolded, underlined, or italicized text to show importance or focus
  • Keep it simple - use fonts, colors, & shapes sparingly. Don't  use a wall of text!
Picture
Repetition: Repeating sizes, colors, etc. to give a sense of organization.
Repeating design elements for templates that can be reused for multiple subject or content areas.
Alignment: Creating clean, clear, sophisticated images that have a visual flow - connecting everything together
  • Keep labels close to their parts to help manage attention & focus
Picture
image courtesy of Ashleigh Lutz
Picture
image courtesy of Ashleigh Lutz
Picture
​
​Proximity: We group and place related elements closer to each other to organize information, reduce clutter and give your learner visual clues to help them understand the meaning of what’s being conveyed. 

Even More Tips & Tricks

Resources​
Sources
Kitschke, Zach. “5 Graphic Design Tips for Social Media (By: Zach Kitschke).” Mona A. El-Hinnawi, monaelhinnawi.weebly.com/blog/5-graphic-design-tips-for-social-media-by-zach-kitschke.
Lutz, Ashleigh. “Graphic Design Tips for Teachers.” Where Learning Clicks, 18 Mar. 2018, blog.edgenuity.com/graphic-design-tips-for-teachers/.
Whybrow, Li. “Using C.R.A.P Web Design For ELearning.” ELearning Industry, 21 May 2015, elearningindustry.com/using-crap-web-design-for-elearning.