Why Learn Design Theory?

Design theory gives students a better understanding of how the different elements of an image work together to influence the viewer. In short, designers who know design theory can produce better designs. Have you ever explored all of the things design theory can do? Knowledge of design theory turns a technician into a true designer. It also arms designers with the skills to solve design problems, the confidence to get noticed by clients, and the ability to avoid common design mistakes. Here, you’ll learn more about the types of careers that benefit from design theory and how understanding this topic can enhance your professional life. Regardless of your goals, learning design theory is a valuable and impressive skill to add to your resume.

What is Design Theory?

Design theory is a system that explains how a design works and why it works that way. Every choice that a designer makes has a specific effect on the audience. For instance, a design can communicate, direct, invite, entice, or excite the viewer. Design theory is a way to understand how and why this happens. It gives designers a deeper understanding of how various design choices work together to communicate a specific message. 

When studying design theory, users will learn about design's key elements, including alignment, repetition, contrast, hierarchy, and balance. These elements all have a specific effect on an audience and are an important part of communicating a message in any design. For instance, contrast emphasizes particular aspects of a design or evokes certain feelings in the viewer. Balance can create a feeling of tension or stability, both of which affect the viewer in different ways.

Designers who understand design theory can make better creative choices because they know how these choices will affect an audience. They combine a knowledge of design elements with the specific purpose a design intends to achieve. Thanks to understanding how design works, designers can create a finished product that looks the way they want it to and does what they intend.

Read more about what design theory is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Design Theory?

Design-related careers exist in different industries, and design theory is an essential foundation for many jobs. Designers work in fields like advertising, video editing, magazine publishing, and website creation. They create an array of different products, including advertisements, website graphics, and product packaging. Some designers work on digital designs, such as social media graphics, while others design for non-digital products, like books or business cards.

Almost every industry needs designers, so there will likely be a design job to match every interest. Web design is one popular field that involves creating and maintaining websites. Motion design is another popular design career. In this job, designers apply graphic design principles to filmmaking and video production. Augmented reality design is a newer design field. Designers who work in augmented reality enhance the real-world environment with virtual content, helping to improve the way people interact with the world.

Common Professional Uses for Design Theory

Design is a part of every industry since everything created or produced must first be designed by somebody. Some industries use design to communicate information, while many companies develop websites and social media pages to keep consumers informed about their products. Design also persuades audiences to react a certain way, such as in advertising. Another way design theory functions is by companies that create entertainment content, such as filmmakers or app developers. Overall, designers who understand design theory are vast and found almost everywhere.

Since design is a part of so many professions, tens of thousands of design job openings are in the United States every year. Officials predict this trend to continue. For instance, according to projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the next decade, there will be almost 25,000 openings for graphic designers each year. For web development and digital design, the agency also predicts that there will be a significant number of job openings each year, with overall employment expected to increase by 23 percent in the next ten years.

Be a True Designer, Not Just a Technician

Many of the strongest designers know both theory and technique. They understand that learning how and why designs work can be just as important as knowing how to create them. The job of a designer is to produce designs. To be able to do so, designers usually need to understand how to use various design tools. Some standard design tools include Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop. Strong designers will typically be able to use at least some of these tools.

However, design is about more than just physically creating a design. The designers who stand out in their fields often understand how and why a design works the way it does. These designers have the power to create robust designs that communicate a variety of messages and affect their audiences in many different ways. This more profound understanding of design comes from an education in design theory. By understanding design theory, a designer can move beyond being a simple technician and become a true designer.

Become More Attractive to Clients

An employer might be more likely to want to work with a designer who knows design theory than one who doesn't. Designers with education in design theory are attractive because they know how to create designs that do exactly what the client has requested. In addition, they have the versatility to make changes to those designs according to the client's needs. Further, these designers understand how to talk about their work confidently and knowledgeably, which can further increase their appeal.

In many design classes, instructors coach students on improving their interactions with clients and potential clients. For instance, Noble Desktop's Video Editing Certificate includes one-on-one mentoring sessions where students can get help with resumes, prepare for interviews, or receive other career-related support. Several other Noble classes also include career support.

Understand How to Solve Design Problems

Most designers will need to solve design problems, and some of these problems can be difficult and frustrating. When armed with a knowledge of design theory, designers can solve any problem that comes their way. This is because, by understanding design theory, designers know precisely how all design elements work together to affect the audience. They can use this knowledge to solve many different types of design problems.

Designers who understand design theory can incorporate elements such as alignment, repetition, contrast, hierarchy, and balance to solve design problems and create designs that achieve their intended purpose. Every design component has a specific effect on the audience, and the various aspects also have a different impact when combined in a particular way. For example, colors can be combined or contrasted in different ways to create certain feelings in the audience.

Avoid Common Design Mistakes

By having a solid understanding of how all design elements work together, designers can avoid design mistakes that detract from their goals. Every part of a design influences the audience in some way. For instance, alignment can draw a viewer's eye to certain things, and balance can elicit different emotions. By choosing what to include in a design and how to include it, designers can communicate specific messages and influence an audience in particular ways.

However, because every design choice has an effect, designers must be careful not to communicate something they didn't intend. For instance, a poorly-chosen word or image can detract from the message that a designer is trying to convey. By understanding design theory well, the designer can avoid unintentional mistakes.

How to Start Learning Design Theory

There are numerous ways to learn design theory. For most students, the most effective type of design theory education comes from a live class, where they can receive real-time instructor feedback and have the opportunity to collaborate and network with other students. Live instruction doesn’t work for everyone, though. Some people aren’t able to commute to a class, while others can’t fit a live course into their schedules. Those who don’t have in-person training options near them can still enjoy the benefits of live instruction by opting for a live online class. This type of instruction still allows live interaction while providing the flexibility to learn from any location.

Students who need a more flexible option can choose an on-demand design theory class. Participants typically need to be more self-motivated in an on-demand course since these classes let them work at their own pace. However, many find this flexible schedule more compatible with a busy schedule.

Noble Desktop offers a number of free resources on the topic for students who want to get a basic understanding of design theory before committing to any class. Its official YouTube page has free design seminars, such as How to Get Started in Graphic Design, and free tutorials on other design-related topics, including its Intro to Type Classifications.

Read the full guide on how to learn design theory.

Learn Design Theory with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

No matter your schedule or learning style, you can find a design theory course at Noble Desktop. The school runs many different in-person classes at its Manhattan campus, as well as a variety of online courses. Whether online or in-person, all class groups are small and feature instructors who are experts in their fields. In addition, Noble offers a free retake option, where students can choose to retake a course once within a year. Students who opt for the free retake can gain additional design skills without paying for another class.

Design classes come in many different forms. Design bootcamps are one popular way to learn design theory and other design skills and can be a good way for students to master new skills quickly. Graphic Design Portfolio Bootcamp is just one of many different design bootcamps offered by Noble Desktop. In this class, students learn graphic design theory and techniques. For students interested in other types of design, Noble provides a long list of different bootcamps, including a Sketch Bootcamp and a UI Design Bootcamp.

A design certificate can be a good option for those who want more in-depth training. These courses generally run longer than bootcamps and provide a deeper level of design education. Digital Design Certificate is one of Noble’s many certificate classes in the design field. This course is intended to create well-rounded Digital Designers and includes vital design concepts and theory. Like many other bootcamps, it also provides job support.

Key Insights

No matter what type of design you are interested in, learning design theory will give you a better understanding of exactly how and why your methods work. Well-rounded designers can successfully work in many different types of jobs across a wide array of industries. A good understanding of design theory will allow you to

• Go beyond being a simple technician and become a true designer who knows how to create powerful designs.
• Become more attractive to clients because you can create many different types of designs and discuss your work confidently.
• Understand how to use the principles of design to solve any design problem.
• Avoid unintentional mistakes that detract from your design.
  
  

There are many different ways to use design, but regardless of what you choose to do, a knowledge of design theory is a valuable addition to your resume. Noble Desktop offers a wide range of comprehensive design training classes, in-person at its New York City campus or live online.