Elements of Design

What are they? Formal design elements that are the basic building blocks of design.

They include Line Shape Color Texture Value And format

These physical elements of design are YOUR communication tools as the person trying to convey a message.

Lines and Shapes Lines can be: straight, curved or angular drawn in numerous directions to convey ideas such as motion Thick or thin

Lines and Shapes Shapes are closed forms or outlines that can be drawn in many ways to give it a specific quality.

Texture Surface quality such as sandpaper, glass, marble or rust. There are two types of texture, tactile and visual.

Tactile texture is the actual feeling of a surface like glass, marble, or nerf footballs.

Visual texture helps the designer to create an illusion of texture within their work by using other aspect of the design elements such as value, shapes or lines.

Value The use of shading, tonality or tint of a color to determine depth and dimension by the range between darkness and lightness. Using value helps to create the focal point.

Value Contrast The use of contrast and balance in an image to create perception in the viewer.

Value Contrast A person’s eye is drawn to light areas first, value contrast allows you to use this to provoke emotional responses.

Color A designer needs to know which colors are appropriate to complement the message they are attempting to convey to the audience.

Color It is one of the most powerful design elements Wide spectrum of differences and contrasts in the color wheel

Color The shading, tonality, and tint of a color comes from it’s Value. The name of a color (red, blue, etc.) is it’s Hue The intensity of a color derives from it’s Saturation

Color Color is represented by the Color Wheel which displays the 3 traditional primary colors – red, yellow and blue and the 3 secondary colors – orange, green and violet All of which can be mixed for a vast amount of colors

Color Colors that are found across from each other are called Complimentary colors. This stems from the fact that when placed next to each other, complimentary colors are intensified.

Design Principles

Design Principles When designing for a client, you have to understand, and fulfill the clients needs. This means successfully taking their idea or message and representing it in a design. Design Principles are followed to create the unified final product.

Balance The arrangement of elements within a design to create harmony in the product. By placing objects in certain positions on the page, you can convey an idea.

Balance Formal balance (symmetrical balance) – elements within the design are equally positioned Informal balance (asymmetrical balance) – makes use of counterbalancing elements against one another within a composition

Balance Negative space – absence of visual elements within the design which can be used for balance. Positive space – uses content to fill up space to identify or explain something within that design.

Emphasis Helps to convey the concept or message of the design to the audience by providing direction to elements with the composition. Emphasis typically leads to the focal point in a design Can be determined by size, shape, color texture, position or contrast

Emphasis The Rule of Thirds – Visibly dividing an image into thirds for the placement of elements within the design

Rhythm Visual pattern of repeating elements that creates a sense of movement You can use size, shape, color spacing or position of elements to create rhythm or change it

Unity Organizing elements in a design to create harmony Taking all components and making them into one, complete and unified composition

Unity Combines all principles, elements, and aspects of design involved in making the composition to convey and create emotion to the viewer