Graphic design is concerned with controlling a viewer's eye by emphasizing the visual impact of specific elements in the design field and diminishing others. The designer is compelled to consider how the visual symbols are scaled, colored, and positioned for emphasis.

Tone and color relationships also create visual hierarchies. Brighter, more intense colors have a tendency to be emphasized over more subdued color values. Another important factor that effects the visual gestalt of a design field is the position of elements relative to each other on the page. A static composition rests the eye in a central location and prevents it from wandering. A dynamic composition forces the eye to move and to emphasize specific visual elements. This can have a profound effect on the viewer's perception.

Most designers work within a grid. A grid enables the designer to align the extremities of text and images to contain the content so that the viewer's eye does not wander aimlessly around the page or off into the margins. Grids can be very creative, employing sub-grids and diagonals to align the edges of elements on the page.

However, even the most creative grid structure is no substitute for the designer's sensitive eye for unity and balance. The grid provides a framework but the designer must still make decisions about the scale and location of the graphic elements and their relationship to each other. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator both offer the ability to display non-printable grids that are used as a convenient layout tool. The grids can be configured with grid-lines and subdivided to any dimension, and are editable in the Preferences function.

Design is such and important aspect of production that it can make or break the message of a printed piece, especially where type and images are combined. With a strong, well-balanced design that contains texts and images that work in harmony, the concept will be enhanced for maximum effect. What follows are a couple nuts-and-bolts software techniques that combine words and pictures. These operations are relatively simple tricks that can be used under a variety of circumstances.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!