C.R.A.P Principles (College Work)

Explanation of C.R.A.P;
Not exactly the crap you may be thinking of but C.R.A.P basically is abbreviated for Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity. Each of these things are used mainly in design, and must be used frequently to ensure great work is produced. Graphic designers need to ensure this sort of rule is assessed in their own works to make far better work then you would do if you never bothered to follow it. Each point is simple, and easy to understand and you really see it every day for advertisements or even graphical artworks them selves can attract the eye. So, lets explain these four points of Graphic design (And website design!) in detail;




C is for Contrast;
Contrast is an expression of colour or sharpness, it's all about difference. Understanding that there's a yellow ball next to black balls on a grey background, the thing you would see mostly is the bright yellow ball which sits in between. This is a way to give some sort of design some energy or boost to give an impression of atmosphere or idea. This is the most powerful attribute to designing because any piece of work can be put against or contrasted with another, to show "Difference", which is the whole point of Contrast. Also, it's a great way to explain the use of space in an image, which Contrast needs to make the eye follow the correct path it conveys. So in this piece, beside the text, we see strobe lights in which contrast very brightly against the silhouette of a person holding onto a umbrella. What stands out more is the different coloured lights brightly shining. But you can also see the person, quite clearly, with the umbrella. This is a way to make your eyes travel and to understand the image better. All this is achieved by just using contrast and difference.

More examples of Contrast.

R is for Repetition;
Repetition is a repeat of a certain object, text block or image in a formal fashion. Doing this for an image gives it a sort of sense of alignment and unity, being a whole, should be viewed as a whole, not about difference or picking out the obvious which the rule of contrast does. This is a difficult rule to express in Graphical works, but when used, it can gift real detail into pieces because unity can place a big impact on the design, but using too much of this unity could cause a result in over usage and lack of interest when the viewer's eye gazes away from it. The example beside this text is a great example of what Repetition should convey. The word, Repetition, is repeated and has used the same type or text face, although there is one difference, there is a texture like these letters or words have been made by an ink stamp to give the text character. This is a way repetition should be shown.

More examples of Repetition.

 

A is for Alignment;

Alignment is common in most day to day things, you don't want anything looking skewwhiff/not straight. In any sort of text area or image area, these things in a program or even in real life, down on a piece of paper, is all attacked or straightened with an invisable line. Alignment focuses on one basic line of unity, either that could be text or an image. When a element is tilted to the side, or is out of the lines original structure, that's a disalignment, and many people who are not fermilier with alignment them selves are quite capable to miss this important rule. When that rule is broken, elements of products seem less professional, or pretty much less cared for in a sence of direction. It needs to be keen, and understanding to the eye, and never all over the place in an unorderly fashion. The example beside this text shows different sorts of alignment (mostly for text, but it can be used for images also!) which you can get both on Digital program databases and clean traditional paper. Flush left directs the text/image to the left hand edge of the page, Flush right directs the text/image to the right. Center Alignment can very much get mixed up with Justified Alignment, the difference is Center Alignment makes the text/image centered, as for Justified (Really used just for text) spaces the text out, which gives it a clean and even outlook. 

More examples of Alignment:

P is for Proximity;

Proxy normally means "Small" or "Short", but Proximity can suggest the distance between two objects. Like a base, a proximity would mean how far around is the surrounding area which this base occupies. Same goes for images and text, but this is to ensure the texts/images look; Making sure it looks organized. Proximity is usefull if you were to place a quote of text onto an image, it's basic common sence to not place the text some where over the subject which the quote is based upon, you have to place it where it will subject the image, as well as its self as a message. So, looking back at the Base idea, the text would be the base, and the whole image is the areas Proximity in which the base is placed in. In the image beside this text shows a common yet effective way of proximity usage. The image is bold, and up top of the text, the text illustrates the point in which the image is trying to make.  

More examples of Proximity: