Basic Elements of Design in Fashion

Art exists in various forms and structures but all of them serve the basic purpose of expressing emotions. Humans are an embodiment of their experiences and require an outlet for their emotions at regular intervals. When this outlet meets with aesthetics, it turns into art. While some people may employ conventional forms such as words or colors to emote, newer forms such as graphic or fashion designing have gained considerable traction in recent times. But what is graphic designing? 

Graphic Design in Fashion

Graphic Design holds a prominent place in the realm of fashion design as it encapsulates the important aspects that go into setting trendy fashion wear apart from the rest. The term "graphic design" was first used by the book designer William Addison Dwiggins in the 1920s to refer to "the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with the visual and textual content" by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Moving a step further away from Oscar Wilde's "art for art's sake" that granted an inherent value to artefacts independent of their socio-political and cultural significance; graphic design deliberately makes use of connotations attached to various images and texts to communicate with the targeted audience and social groups to make their voices heard. Design is a vigorously creative profession that requires one to not only follow the contemporary trends but it demands to be carried out in such a way that the creator's ideas reach their audience in an instant. With time, the art has evolved enough to be broken into further branches ranging from website designer to user experience designer to motion graphics designer; yet, the most interesting one remains the influence it exerts over the field of fashion designing and how the elements of the design have seeped in the fashion industry, making a permanent place there.

Elements and principles of fashion design

Despite the quintessentially chaotic nature of life, everything in human society functions in a structured way. Fashion designing is one of the most vibrant career options and yet, the science behind fashion design is based on structures, elements and principles of design. Art has the potential to have a profound impact on society but it is pertinent that it interacts with its receiver to start any conversation around it. 

Just like God is credited as the artificer and designer of the earth in its natural being, fashion designers manoeuvre to suit the requirements of their clients and create their products by using elements of design such as the following to grab attention in a short span:

• Dots: Usually regarded as the building blocks of all other elements in fashion and design, dots can be used in several interesting manners to add patterns to the dress such as in the 70s Bollywood when the polka dots were high in fashion. 

• Line: Lines may appear like another rudimentary element of fashion and design but they can be used to create optical illusions and give a form to the garment. Horizontal, vertical, curved, zigzag, or diagonal; these lines are used to divide space within the garment and furnish it with a finishing touch. 

• Colour: Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of any outfit, a designer must study and understand the colour palette and the cultural connotations attached to those colours to make it aesthetically pleasing to the audience's eye. For example, the colour white represents peace while red may signify anger in certain cultures. Just a lighter or darker shade and tone of the color can renew the entire outfit, therefore, colors must be handled carefully. 

• Typography: Adding text to a garment's design can be tricky since clothes aren't meant to advertise and are a representation of the designer and wearer's personality and beliefs. Although in the age of late capitalism, a few brands such as Adidas or Levi's have successfully incorporated brand logos in their marketing strategies where the logo represents the brand value as well as the individual's financial status, the art of incorporating images and words congruent with the overall look is a challenge. 

• Shape: The intersection of basic elements such as dots and lines form shapes. Not only shapes are important to provide a structure to a garment, but they are also a fascinating way to fill space on the garment. The silhouette of the garment is used to emphasize the wearer's body shape and enhance the overall look of the garment as well. 

• Texture: Texture is yet another important element of design in fashion & design. It refers to the fabric and material of the garment which may be smooth or coarse, thin or thick, sheer or lace, cotton or wool, etc. While designing any outfit, it is vital to take into account the utility and practicality of the product. For example, woolen clothes are preferred in winters or cooler places. 

• Form: The fashion industry thrives on various levels from mass production to Haute Couture. While the shape is the 2D element, form refers to the 3D element of design i.e, the length, breadth, and height of the garment. If the product is created with a specific individual in mind such as Haute Couture, the form of the garment must be aligned with that of the individual for a more visually pleasing look. 

How is design interlinked with fashion?

The term, design or fashion design might have been relatively new but the concept goes back to 38,000 BCE when cave paintings became the stepping stone for what has evolved into graphic and fashion design today. From cave painting to chromolithography in 1837 to adobe photoshop in 1990, graphic design has gone through various phases of evolution. In today's world, it has found various other usages and has expanded across various disciplines such as fashion. By the virtue of being a social being, humans possess the internal desire to be recognised as viable members of society. Fashion and clothing are powerful statements in the process of conferring this recognition and design is a firm attribute of fashion. 

Fashion is a highly subjective aspect that paradoxically, prospers on a few basic principles such as the following:

• Balance: Balance refers to the visual weight of the finished product. The overall visual must be balanced either symmetrically or asymmetrically. It can be achieved through basic elements such as lines or shapes or details such as sleeves or pockets. Asymmetrical balance requires a vision and graphic designing is an easier medium to materialise the visual on a screen. 

• Variety: An industry like fashion that follows fleeting trends requires imagination to seek something new out of the same elements every other day and what else is a greater medium to achieve that variety than graphic design. 

• Rhythm: Every art possesses a rhythm of its own. This principle of design in fashion is brought to life via basic elements in such a way that clothes become pleasing to the human eye. 

• Harmony: In fashion, harmony refers to the unity of the dress. The unity of hues, tints, shades, and colours; are all used in order to create harmony in the garment. For example, pastel colours make up for a soft harmonious look. 

• Proportions: Last but not the least, this principle of fashion design refers to spices one adds while cooking. Just the right amount of lines, dots, zippers, and shapes will do the trick. 

Innovation in fashion through design?

In an age where the mind is unceasingly cannonaded with images without giving it any time to process their underlying meanings, it is surely a challenging task for a creator to bespeak through images. Envisioning and materializing these images can be a tedious task. Design or Graphic design can prove to be an asset in such a situation where instead of devoting hours and hours worth of labor and money to creating a physical dress, a fashion designer can easily sketch it via graphic design. 

The human mind is capable of great things and yet technology has somehow surpassed us when it comes to saving energy and doing tasks such as this. Interestingly, evolution brings in alternative ways to complete a task and the mind rejects them as unauthentic. We must understand that innovation can strike an individual anytime and design or technology should only be treated as means to achieve it, not the endpoint to innovation.

Learning graphic design?

The irresistible Indian urge to become a doctor or engineer has only created a market of unemployed skilled individuals and a gross underestimation of the creative abilities of youth in our country. However, it is high time that we break away from this conventionality and explore the creative sides of our personhood. Compared to earlier times, numerous universities and colleges are offering courses in design and the field is gaining popularity among the youth looking to showcase their knack for creativity in the domain. But it becomes imperative to look at what is on offer when you choose a course and how strong are the career prospects. Before you choose a course in design, certain aspects that you need to consider are:

• Ranking of the course and institution
• Curriculum
• Faculty
• Internship and networking opportunities
• Placement record

A few tips and tricks while learning graphic design are as follows: 

• Do not follow trends blindly and create your signature style.
• It is a medium for you to express yourself, do not let the market value decide your next creation.
• Experiment, practice and perseverance are the way to go. 
• Follow market trends to create your design but value your perspective over the controversial or rudimentary beliefs in society.

Career prospects in fashion design

Fashion design is an emerging field with abundant career prospects. Hierarchy is the order of this world and the fashion industry is no exception. Thus, the following are some of the impressive career options in this field in a hierarchical order:

• Strategic or Corporate Level Jobs in Fashion: Includes jobs such as Creativity Manager, Art Director, Fashion Director, or Designing & Crafting Manager.
• Tactical or Mid Level Jobs: This includes jobs such as Design Director, Brand Design Manager, Production Manager, or Marketing Manager. 
• Operational or Lowest Level Jobs: Includes jobs such as Knit Designer, Merchandiser, Crafting Manager, or Textile Specialist.