Transcribed Notes:
Learning Goals
Learn to Trick the Eye: Use value, contrast, and light to turn flat, 2D lines and shapes into realistic 3D shapes.
Build Texture from Scratch: Create textures and patterns using basic line techniques like hatching and shape repetition.
Design with intent: Select the perfect texture to match a brand’s message and establish clear visual depth between your foreground and background.
What is Texture?
The Concept: Texture is the perceived surface of a work of art.
In design: We can’t feel the surface, but we can add visual texture to trick the brain into feeling with the eyes.
Closed Line = Shape
Shape + Texture = Reality
Physical vs. Visual Texture
The Concept: There are two types of texture a designer deals with: physical and visual.
Physical (tactile): The actual feel of the paper or canvas. For example, a thick watercolor paper feels different than a slick, glossy magazine page.
Visual (Implied): The illusion of texture created by marks. You draw lines and dots to make a flat surface look fuzzy or sharp.
Creating Texture with Line
The Concept: You only need lines to create a texture. There are three different techniques for creating texture with line: hatching, cross-hatching, and scribbling.
Hatching: Drawing parallel lines close together.
Cross-Hatching: Layering lines in opposite directions.
Scribbling: Creating one continuous line in undetermined patterns.
The Rule: The closer the lines the smoother the texture looks. The further apart, the rougher it looks.
Creating Texture with Shape
The Concept: When a shape is repeated over and over, it stops being a shape and starts being a texture.
Example: A thousand tiny circles close together becomes bubbles or pebbles.
The Dot Secret Small, repeated geometric shapes create technical textures. Small, irregular shapes create organic textures.
Texture and Value
The Concept: Texture is invisible without light. We only see texture because of the tiny highlights and shadows created by the bumps on a surface.
High Contrast: Deep shadows and bright highlights make a texture look rough.
Low Contrast: Soft shadows and lowhighlights make a texture look smooth.
The Mood of Texture
The Concept: Just like color, texture carries an emotional weight.
Rough/Gritty Textures suggests earthiness or Toughness. (Think of a weathered wooden sign).
Smooth/Glossy Textures suggests luxury,or the future (Think of a polished iphone).
Soft/Fuzzy: Suggests comfort, or youth like a blanket.
Texture as Visual Interest
The Concept: Texture is the cure for boring design.
The Problem: Sometimes a layout with only flat colors and perfect shapes feels fake.
The Solution: Adding subtle texture makes the design feel tangible and authentic.
The Dot Secret: Less is more. A tiny bit of texture goes a long way. Too much texture makes text hard to read.
Texture and Depth
The Concept: Texture helps us understand distance. You can use texture to create depth.
Foreground Texture: Objects close to use have high detail and sharp texture.
Background Texture: Objects far away lose their texture and look smooth or blurry.
The Dot Secret: If you want an object in your design to stay in the background, keep its texture minimal.
Environmental Texture
The Concept: The background is usually where texture lives. It brings your image to life by adding realistic features into the design.
Examples:
- A Kraft paper background for an organic food brand.
- A brushed metal background for a car company
Why is Works: It sets the stage for your lines and shapes to live on.
Broken Textures
The Concept: Broken textures are Intentionally damaged to give it character.
How to create it: Taking a perfect shape and erasing parts of the edges or adding noise inside of it.
The Result: It tells the viewer, “This wasn’t made by a computer.”
The Dot Secret: Use broken textures for brands that want to feel old or handmade.