The Coat of Arms originated from the ancient traditions of the United Kingdom. It was recognized as a sign of authority and power. Since Nigeria was colonized by the British Empire, it’s no surprise why they have adopted the same tradition and designed an emblematic Coat of Arms that encompasses all of Nigeria’s most important features.

In addition to the national flag, the Nigeria Coat of Arms is a globally recognized symbol of the country and it is accorded that same regard as the Nigeria flag.

Nigeria National Flag & Coat of Arms Illustration by Yusuf Odukoya of Branditechture.

The Nigeria Coat of Arms was designed and created in accordance to the National Flag and Coat of Arms Ordinance, No. 48 of 1960. Despite the fact that it has been designed since May 20, 1960, it was not officially adopted by the Nigerian government until 1975, after a series of revisions to the initial designs.

Before the official adoption of the Coat of Arms, each of Nigeria’s political regions; including the Eastern, Northern, Western, and Mid-western region used to have their own Coat of Arms. This was totally acceptable as component states were allowed to have their own flag, anthem, and Coat of Arms under the federal system law. They even had their own Police Force, known as the Regional Police Force, although the FG maintained a general oversight with the NPF. The only exception to this is printing of currency.

Sadly, because of the role of the Northern Police forces in the infamous riot of 1966 (a.k.a the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom), the Gowon regime disbanded the regional police forces. The process of disbandment started in October 1966 and was complete by the end of 1972.

Who Designed The Nigeria Coat of Arms?

The Nigeria national flag was designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi OFR (born 10 May 1936) as an entry to the competition for the design of the national flag in 1959. However, it may shock you to find out that the originator and designer of the Nigeria Coat of Arms was not officially documented and is unknown to this day.

Nonetheless, there are two popular albeit unconfirmed reports narrating how the design of the Nigerian Coat of Arms came to be; The first report traces the designer of the Nigerian Coat of Arms to a Bahamian clergyman and artist who was identified as Rev. Dr. Hervis L. Bain Jr ( who also designed the National Coat of Arms of The Bahamas). According to this report, the Nigerian national Coat of Arms was designed just about the same time the national flag was designed. After which, it was approved on December 7, 1971 by Queen Elizabeth II.

The second report stems from a research carried out by Dr Raphael James, the DG of the Center For Research, Information and Media Development (CRIMMD), in collaboration with the United Kingdom Representative Mr. John Redhead in an article published on Authorityngr.com in 2020. According to him, the Nigerian Coat of Arms was designed by Messrs Beverley Pick Associated, London. He said the first Coat of Arms draft, which had the motto: ‘Unity and Faith’, was used in Nigeria for its Independence day on October 1, 1960. 

After some time, the motto was changed to “Peace, Unity, and Freedom” , but in 1978, a new motto; “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress” became officially approved. Till today, the motto of the Nigeria National Coat of Arms remains “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”.

Unfortunately, this subject seems to be masked by uncertainties, no thanks to the lack of official documentation. For this reason, the designer of the Nigerian Coat of Arms is said to be unknown.

While you may have read somewhere that the Coat of Arms was also designed by the same Taiwo Akinkunmi in another competition, I can categorically tell you to disregard such reports. Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi who is still very much alive as at the time of writing this piece, had confirmed to researchers that he only designed the Nigeria flag and DID NOT design the Nigeria Coat of Arms.

Notable Features Of The Nigerian Coat of Arms

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In this guide, I am going to show you how to change this default setting so that you can apply outlines in CorelDRAW with just a single right-click on the color palette.

Follow these 5 easy steps;

1. Press Ctrl+J
2. Click the Customization tab on the top right corner
3. Click Color Palette 
4. Click the Set Outline Color radio menu item
5. Click OK

Done!

Henceforth, right-clicking on the color palette would automatically set the outline color for the selected vector object.

The post Right-Click To Set Outline Color In CorelDRAW appeared first on Branditechture.

Some very basic characteristics, such as line, shape, form, texture, and balance, are present in all of these examples.

They may not appear to be much on their own, but they are a component of practically everything we see and make when put together. The fundamentals can be scary, especially if you don’t consider yourself an artist, but they can teach you a lot about interpreting various elements and producing simple visual designs from scratch.

1. The Line

Geometric Lines forming a seamless pattern

Let’s start with one of the most basic parts of all: the line. A line is a geometric shape that joins two or more points together. It might be thick, thin, wavy, or jagged in appearance. Every option gives the line a distinct personality. Lines can be found in a variety of places in graphic design, including but not limited to drawings, illustrations, and graphic elements such as textures and patterns.

Some Examples of Hand-drawn lines

They’re also commonly seen in text compositions, where they can be used to emphasise points, split content, organise it, or even direct the viewer’s eye. Consider some properties such as weight, colour, texture, and style when dealing with lines. All these small details can have a major impact on how people perceive your design.

Look for places in text, for example, where lines are hidden in plain sight. Experimenting with different line qualities can produce extremely varying results.

2. Shape

Geometric Shapes

Any two-dimensional area having an identifiable boundary is referred to as a shape. Circles, squares, triangles, polygons, and other shapes fall within this category. Shapes occur in one of two categories: Geometric or regular shapes, and Organic shapes, which are more free form.

Shapes have an important role in visually transmitting information; they give images more meaning and make them recognised. Shapes help us to grasp street signs, symbols, and even abstract art. Shapes may help you organise or separate text, make basic graphics, or simply make your work look more interesting, and they have a surprising amount of use-cases in everyday design.

Shapes are crucial because they form the basis for so many things. Learn to search for them in other patterns, and you’ll quickly notice them all over the place.

3. Form

Pseudo D Shapes Illustrating Form in Graphic Design

When a shape becomes 3 Dimensional (or 3D), it becomes what we call “form”.   Forms can be three-dimensional and exist in the real world, or they can be implied in a two-dimensional design by employing techniques such as light, shadow, and perspective, with the goal of creating a sense of depth to an otherwise flat shape.

Form allows for realism. A bouncing rubber ball is simply a circle without it, a three-dimensional building is just a collection of rectangles without it, and even flat designs use subtle techniques to imply form and depth in daily compositions. The goal of form is the same, but on a smaller scale. For example, a single shadow can give an object a sense of place, or create the illusion of a floating object. In a few words, basic forms can give your work a more realistic feel.

4. Texture

Crumpled Paper texture

Texture is a powerful property when applied in moderation. A surface’s texture is its physical quality. It can be three-dimensional (something you can see and touch), or it can be suggested, implying that if it existed in real life, it would have texture.  In Graphic design,  texture gives depth and texture to otherwise flat images or shapes. Depending on the components at play, objects can appear smooth, rough, hard, or soft.

Textures make wonderful background images for beginners and can add a lot of detail to your work. Texture can be found in unexpected areas, such as rough fonts and smooth glossy icons. However, be wary of using too much texture in a single design because it may rapidly become overwhelming.

5. Balance

The Cover Image of this post is being used to illustrate Balance

Balance is the equal distribution of visual “weight” (or impact) — in other words, how much an element captures the viewer’s attention in comparison to others.

Balance can be influenced by many factors, including colour, size, number, and negative space.

If a composition is balanced, it calls attention to the right things.

For beginners, mastering balance might be difficult because it requires some intuition. Fortunately, there are plenty of examples in the design field to help you grasp its various iterations.

6. Symmetry

Symmetrical Multiline Clover

Symmetry is the quality of looking exactly the same or similar on both sides of an axis. A design is symmetrical if each side is effectively the same or identical. Asymmetry is the opposite of Symmetry. Asymmetrical designs are different on each side, but the weight is ideally evenly distributed.

7. Rule of Thirds

Application of the “Rule of Thirds” principle in photography.

Many professional graphic designers, UI/UX Designers and artists use a technique known as “The rule of thirds.” This concept imagines your work area divided into a 3×3 grid. The focal point of the image is placed on or near one of these lines, thereby creating visual balance with the rest of the space.

We find this type of composition appealing because according to studies, the human eye naturally follows this path when scanning a design.

The fundamentals of design are all there in the bigger picture, in other words, learning to appreciate the many tiny details that make up every design or composition. This insight can be applied to almost any type of project — whether you’re creating your own graphics or just looking for simple ways to enhance your work.

Thanks for reading this piece. Feel free to use the comment section below to ask any questions, and please, check out the rest of our design topics.

The post Getting Started With Graphic Design: The Principles appeared first on Branditechture.

Now that another year has come to an end, many interesting creative design trends have emerged in 2021, including the meteoric rise of 3D design, the resurrection of retro designs, and more social awareness and responsibility.

With 2022 rapidly approaching, we’re once again considering what the future holds.

As is customary, we’ve gathered our specialists and asked them to anticipate what trends, styles, and themes will affect the creative industries in the coming year. So, what will be the most popular trends in 2022?

Here are the top graphic design trends our experts forecast for 2022 and beyond.

Design Trend Forecasts

Design trends are constantly developing and evolving in one of the most imaginative creative sectors — Graphic Design. Here are some of the top graphic design trends to look out for in the coming year, ranging from dreamy gradients and simple logos to abstract surrealism and maximalism.

1. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)

Over the previous few years, crypto art has gotten a lot of attention, and with some buyers spending millions of US Dollars on memes, artworks, and other NFT collectibles on Opensea.io, the NFT trend is certain to continue.

The image below is an NFT titled “Daft Punk Toy Face II” by Amrit Pal Design. Guess what? It sold for 8.00 ETH, which was $32,954.32 at the time of sale (Feb 24, 2021 at 7:13pm)

Daft Punk Toy Face II NFT by Amrit Pal on Foundation

Non-fungible tokens are one-of-a-kind digital files that are published directly onto a blockchain, allowing only one person to claim ownership.

Collectors and designers alike are drawn to NFTs because they may buy and sell work without fear of it being copied without permission.

Amrit Pal Design, a 3D designer has offered his Toy Faces series as a series of NFTs, which have been bought by high profile celebrities and collectors all around the world.

“NFTs are probably the best way to monetise digital art at the moment,” Amrit says. “You make money on the sale of your NFT, and the fascinating part is you also get a percentage on the secondary sale of the artwork. This is a great way to sell your personal projects or create something new and thrive as an artist.”

While not everyone is a fan of NFTs – primarily because of their environmental impact and copyright concerns – we predict this market to rise in 2022 as more artists and purchasers seek to participate in the NFT craze.

2. 3D Modeling

3D Illustration and 3D typography are on the rise, thanks to the advancement of new design software and technology, and we expect 3D to continue to grow in 2022.

It’s all about embracing innovation and giving Visual Design a sense of depth and dimension.

Designers are already incorporating 3D animation, images, and hyperrealism into their UI Designs, resulting in some eye-catching works like this 3D Web UI prototype by Phenomenon Studio for Range Rover, and this 3D IKEA typography by designer Eslam Mohamed.

IKEA 3D Typography by Eslam Mohamed

3D design is ideal for web design, branding, and social media assets, ranging from the very lifelike to the compellingly abstract.

While 3D has been around for a while, it’s now being integrated more effortlessly into designs. From bright, colourful elements to hyper-realistic abstract designs, 3D is here to stay, and it’s making things pop!

3. Retro Minimalism

Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran Retro-themed Album Art for Peru Remix. December 2021.

Retro minimalism is back! This design is reminiscent of retro 1970s publication cover designs, with old-school fonts, warm tones, organic colour palettes, and natural textures.

As seen in the design for Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran’s Peru Remix, the album art is as stylish as it is functional.

“Think serif typefaces, warm dusty tones, gentle shadows, and natural textures,” Envato Graphics Specialist, Kate McKinnes advises that the approach is especially effective when it comes to product mockups and visual layouts.

In 2022, we predict retro minimalism to become more ubiquitous, particularly in the realm of branding.

30-Page Retro Magazine/Lookbook Template 

If you are a graphic designer, check out this 30-page Minimal Retro Editorial Magazine Template to try this minimalist vintage in one of your upcoming projects. And if you aren’t a graphic designer, you could still recommend this to your graphic designer to draw inspiration from.

4. Dreamy Gradients

Dreamy gradients are projected to be the next big thing in graphic design, with their glamorous look and feel.

Soft pastels and gritty textures are common in dreamy gradients, which provide a dreamy feel to anything from presentation design to branding and social media posts.

Technically, gradients have come a long way in terms of what’s feasible. In the artistic world, this has led to intriguing discoveries, with irregular and multicolour blends gaining more popularity in the graphic design community.

Firefox and Microsoft Edge New Logos

As evident in the rebranding of Microsoft Edge, and more recently, Firefox, more and more designers are beginning to experiment with this captivating aesthetic, which evokes a relaxing vibe.

The post Here’s A Forecast of Top Graphic Design Trends for 2022 appeared first on Branditechture.