Graphic Design Principles

1. Balance around the optical center:
The optical center is the place where the viewer's eye spends the most time which is achieved through equal "weights" in all directions from the optical center.

2. Balance the Weight of Graphic Elements:
The "weight" of a graphic element is determined to it's size and density. Basically darker colors add more weight like-wise lighter colors make it look less heavy.

3. Balance Positive and Negative Space:
Positive space refers to places where visual information is, and negative space refers to where it isn't. A design that contains more negative space than positive space is sometimes desired by people because it balances their work better.

4. Balance Color:
Schemes are based on color wheels which you can use for balancing colors in your graphic design.

5. Beware of Individual Color Idiosyncrasies:
Colors of high value "bleed" into into surround regions, which can make your design blurry. The color red is very sensitive and you should be careful with it.

6. Use Color to Create Memorable Moods:
If you want to create a pleasant mood in your design the best colors to use are warm colors such as yellow, orange, or red. If you want a quieter mood you should use colors such as green, blue, or purple.

7. Save Bright or Saturated Colors for Special Uses:
Bright colors such as red tend to draw the viewers attention immediately. They are especially useful for an error message, annotations, or urgent commands.

8. Blue is for Backgrounds:
It is very difficult to distinguish details (such as typed words) that are outlined in shades of pure blue. For this reason, blue text, thin blue lines, and small blue things generally should be avoided.

9. Red & Green for Central Elements:
When you want people to focus on the optical center of your piece then reds and greens provide additional perceptual cues.

10. Consider Perceptual Disabilities:
Among the colors and color distinctions that individuals may find difficult or impossible to perceive are: red, green, and blue (total color blindness). Males are ten times more likely to be color blind than females.

11. Use Italics Sparingly:
Using italics often make something you're typing harder to read which have tiring effects and and just may look bad in general.

12. Use Typefaces Consistently:
Typefaces requires the eye to focus differently, requiring the brain to use different processing capabilities. This could be tiring and reduce reader energy.

13.  Shape of Type Affects Cognition:
The way you shape words affects the cognition as much as what you choose as your typeface. For example IF YOU USE ALL CAPITAL IT PROVIDES FEWER VISUAL CUES.

14. Density of Type Affects Reader Attention:
If you're typing in densly-packed, small letters it usually tells the viewer than it's serious business. If it's more spread out it will tell the reader it's a more friendly set of words.

15. Create a Rhythm:
Repetitions of similar graphic elements can create a visual rhythm that a reader will understand as a sense of organization and unity in your work.

16. Maintain Visual Consistency:
While creating rhythms and variations from page to page, you must also remember to maintain an overall aesthetic integrity. The purpose of graphic design is to communicate, not to dazzle.

17. Use Graphics To Supplement Non-Visual Information:
New material is processed and understood most effectively when it is given a number of different representations. Graphics can be used to add mental dimensions.

18. Don't Let Graphics Distract:
Graphics are unnecessary if the text itself prompts the formation of mental images.

19. Use Icons for Recognizable Concepts:
In general, recognizing is takes less brain power than remembering. Use icons that can quickly stimulate necessary recollections of familiar material.
20. Consider the Gestalt of Perceptual Organization:
Understanding gestaltic organized principles can be of considerable aid when designing the layout of visual information.