Margins/Alignment, Rule of Thirds

Principles of Design

If the elements of art are your ingredients, then the principles of design are your recipes for how to use those elements of art.

Unity (same)

Repetition
Alignment/Margins
Balance:
- Formal/Symmetrical
- Informal/Asymmetrical

Variety (different)

Contrast
Rule of Thirds
Emphasis
Hierarchy/Movement

Margins

The space between elements and the edge of the paper, an invisible line.

Give eyes a place to rest, create white/negative space.

Recommendations:

Printed: ¼ inch margins (minimum)
8.5x11 (Letter): ½ inch margins (at least)
11x17 (Tabloid): 1 inch margins (at least)

Inside or Outside margins?

Text: Inside
Logos: Inside
Photos/Illustrations: Either
Background: Outside

Alignment

(put in a line)

Arrange your design so all the different elements look united.

Text alignment: left aligned, right aligned, center aligned, justified
Object alignment: horizontal or vertical, left/center/right

Rule of Thirds

(3 columns / 3 rows)

Invisible guides
The lines meet at four “intersections” (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right)
The human eye naturally lands on these points more

Find Template in Shared Drive

Open Finder
On the left side, scroll down to "Location" and click "Google Drive" (NOT "My Drive")
Click "Shared drives" > "Graphic Design 1 Templates"
Double-Click "Margins, ROT, Align.ai" to open.

Save as A Creative Cloud File

Go to "File" > "Save As..."
Click "Save to Creative Cloud"
Name it "Last Name, Margins, ROT, Align"
Click "Save"

Margins

Fix Posters

Use the "Selection Tool" to move the text and logos on the 3 posters so they are inside the margins. The photos and backgrounds can extend beyond the margins.

For example, on the McDonald's poster, the text needs to be moved to the right and the logo needs to be moved down and to the left.

Use a Rectangle to Make 1/2 Inch Margins

Click on the last blank artboard (a slim black border will show up)
Select the Rectangle Tool
Click on the artboard to bring up the "Rectangle" pop-up
Adjust:
- Width: 7.5 in
- Height: 10 in
Click OK
In the "Properties" tab, under Align, click the third and sixth icon to "Horizontal Align Center" and "Vertical Align Center"
Right-click on the rectangle and lcikc "Make Guides"

Rule of Thirds

Identify Focal Points on Intersections

Use the "Paintbrush Tool" to circle the rule of thirds intersections on the 3 movie posters that have aligned focal points.
- For example, on the Harry Potter poster, Harry and Hermoine's face are on the top tow rule of thirds intersections.

Use a Rectangle to Make a Rule of Thirds Grid

Click on the last blank artboard (a slim black border will show up)
Use the Rectangle Tool to create a rectangle to fill your whole artboard.
With the rectangle selected, click "Object" > "Path" > "Split Into Grid..."
Change:
- Rows
  - Number: 3
- Columns:
  - Number: 3
Click "OK"
Right-click on the grid and click "Make Guides"

Alignment

Align Text

In Illustrator, text is automatically aligned left (like Google Docs).

Click on the first paragraph on the left under "1. Alight Right"
In the right toolbar you will now see a "Paragraph" section.
The first row of buttons are different alignment options. The first three are:
- Align Left (automatic)
- Alight Center
- Alight Right
Align each paragraph according to the directions.

How to Select Multiple Objects

In Illustrator there are multiple ways to select multiple objects.

Click and hold in a blank spot, drag to create a rectangle around all the objects you want to select. Let go.
Hold down the "shift" key on your keyboard and select each object. Let go.

Align Objects

Text, images, paths, and shapes are all objects you can have in your design in Illustrator.

Select the objects in
In the right toolbar you will now see an "Align" section. The first row of buttons are different alignment options:
- Horizontal Align Left
- Horizontal Align Center
- Horizontal Align Right
- Vertical Align Top
- Vertical Align Center
- Vertical Align Bottom
Complete each set of objects according to the directions.

Save as a PDF File

Go to "File" > "Save As..."
Click "Save on your computer"
Click the down arrow to the right of "Where"
Choose "My Drive" > "Graphic Design" > "5 - Principles"
Change the Format to "Adobe PDF (pdf)"
Click "Save"
Click "Save PDF"

Submit Google Drive Link to Canvas

In Finder:

Right-click on "Graphic Design" and click "Copy link to clipboard"
Paste the link in Canvas.

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