Over the last few months we have discussed the elements of graphic design and what it takes to build a successful piece of visual communication - strong typography, visual hierarchy, and C.R.A.P. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. We are going to end 2025, the inaugural year of Off the Grid, by discussing color. You may be wondering why I left color for the end. Often times in the design process color is implemented into your design in the ending stages. After y

"I lowkey don't have any more questions, Professor Christopher. Thank you so much for the help!" This comment from one of my students last week made me smile. If you've known me for awhile or have spoken to me for 5 minutes you know that finishing my master's and pursuing teaching has been my goal for a very long time. I am incredibly grateful that the Lord answered both of these prayers in the same year. In August of 2024 I earned my Master of Fine Arts with a concentration

Not in a bad way. A good way! Let me explain... C = Contrast R = Repetition A = Alignment P = Proximity C.R.A.P. The four main design principles of Graphic Design. The C.R.A.P. acronym was coined by Robin Williams. No, not Mrs. Doubtfire. The other Robin Williams - the one who authored The Non-Designer's Design Book. She developed the terminology to help visual communicators remember these important design principles. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity - paired

When you first hear the term hierarchy you may think about organizational hierarchy or ranking, who reports to whom, job titles,...

When you think about typography, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? In my experience, when I talk about typography, I am often...

It has been said that learning is an internal process — a process that takes place professionally and socially within a community (Bryan...

Albert Shanker, the late president of the American Federation of Teachers, describes mentoring as “chancy as a blind date” (Evans, p....

In my experience, my mentors have all shared one valuable characteristic, they listen well. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, when I’m...

Throughout my career, I have observed a decline in mentorship within the community, specifically in the Graphic Design community. Perhaps...