The Principles of Design Delivered by Mohammad Zikky, M.T Multimedia Creative Department, EEPIS

If we use the Burger example…We have the ingredients to make our burger… how do we prepare the ingredients??? …Grill the hamburger, sauté the onions, shred the lettuce, melt the cheese…etc. These are words we use to ANALYLZE a work of art. Specifically, how the artist uses line, shape, form, color, value, space, texture (or the Elements of Design).

Final Exam Tip: When analyzing a work you are studying how the artists used the Element of Design…so try to include that word. On each slide I included a model and additional describing words. The ELEMENT will be in black, the PRINCIPLE will be in in red and the additional describing words will be in green.

B a l a n c e Arranging the parts of the artwork equally or near equally in terms of “visual weight" on each side.

Words you need to know!  Symmetrical balance: where the art elements in a composition are balanced in a mirror-like fashion (it does not have to be exact but close).  Asymmetrical balance: the opposite of symmetrical Element of Design– WHITE Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother (commonly known as Whistler’s Mother), by James Whistler Oriental Poppies, by Georgia O’Keefe Rose Window

The artist, Frangelico, balanced the small group of people in the foreground with the larger, simpler building and wall shapes in the background. Symmetrical balance is achieved because of the way the subjects are arranged on either side. Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word, BALANCE Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

RHYTHM and PATTERN Repeating the Elements of Design (line, color, shape, form, texture, space) to create movement or texture

This work by Pablo Picasso uses diagonal lines, patches of colors, and varying spaces between shapes, a “dynamic” rhythm is set by the artist, creating a sense of activity. Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word, RHYTHM Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Here is an example of a cut paper tessellation design. What is used to create the appearance of rhythm in this work?

Unity and Harmony - Unity and Harmony occurs when all the elements you put in your artwork work well together and look like they belong there. All parts of the design must agree in a feeling or mood.

What do you think Cezanne used to keep this painting, Mt. Victoria, unified or working together?

Cézanne used blues, yellows and greens. By using related colors (remember blue and yellow make green), the piece appears to be unified. Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word UNITY: Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

MOVEMENTMOVEMENTMOVEMENTMOVEMENT Movement is the art principle that uses some of the elements of art to produce the look of action or to cause the viewer’s eye to sweep over the art work in a certain manner.

In Starry Night, famed artist Vincent Van Gogh creates movement in his sky. How does he show us this? Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Look at the painting and concentrate on how your eyes bounce from one star to another. This is an example of how an artist can create movement in a work of art. Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word MOVEMENT: The swirling lines created by brushstrokes of colors in the sky shows the movement of wind. Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Contrast and Variety using different types and sizes of lines, shapes, spaces, textures values and colors to bring interest to your design.

Colors – warm vs. cool, complementary, intense vs. dull Textures – smooth vs. rough Line Direction – horizontal vs. vertical/diagonal/curved Some of the most common ways of creating Contrast are by creating differences in: Sizes – large vs. small Shapes – geometric vs. organic/free Form- real vs. abstract Values – light vs. dark and Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Kandinsky used a variety of overlapping lines, shapes and colors to give this painting interest. Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word VARIETY: Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

The contrast in the illustration to the left is quite obvious. Notice the contrast of the light background (wall) with dark foreground (table cloth) and the contrast of the dark shadows on the tea pot and cup against the wall and with the lights of the same objects against a dark window. Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Emphasis creates a disruption to the eye’s movement in an artwork and develops a center of interest, or focal point.

Where is the focal point in Wassily Kandinsky’s, Composition VII ? Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

Kandinsky emphasized the large black circle (which is a shape) in the upper left corner of his work. The object is different from everything else in the painting and therefore it "stands out". Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green

References and Sources  Alan Hashimoto and Mike Clayton, Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach, 3 rd Edition, Course Technology USA, 2009  