Design is the foundation of every object we interact with as humans. Think about the design of the chair you are sitting on, the computer you are working on, the products you love to buy. What do they look like? How do they make you feel? Design is crucial in the technical world and will be an important piece of any pathway you choose to explore in Maker Foundations (or beyond).
In this session, we will begin to explore the very basics of graphic design and learn a little about using a tool called Gimp to create artwork to meet our design needs.
Graphic Design is the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, or books. Watch the following video to gain a better understanding of what graphic design is. Graphic Design is also called visual communication.
What is Graphic Design?
What is Graphic Design? from Steve Quinn on Vimeo.
This introduction to graphic design is focused on creating characters and sprites for video games, however, there are other applications as well. Several of the skills that you’ll develop are used by animators, 3d designers, and art cartoonists as well. One common use of Gimp is for creating Pixel Art. Pixel Art has seen a huge boost in popularity due to the success of games such as Minecraft.
Move forward to the next section to begin learning to use Gimp!