1. THE PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL DESIGN

2. We can group all of the basic tenets of design into two categories: PRINCIPLES and ELEMENTS.

3. The PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN represent the basic assumptions of the world that guide design practice to effect the arrangement of objects within a composition. By comparison, the ELEMENTS OF DESIGN are the components of design themselves, the objects to be arranged.

4. Let’s begin by focusing on the principles of design
Let’s begin by focusing on the principles of design. We will be looking at the following : • Balance • Contrast • Rhythm • Proportion • Unity

5. Balance Balance is an equilibrium that results from looking at images and judging them against our ideas of physical structure (such as mass, gravity or the sides of a page). It is the arrangement of the objects in a given design as it relates to their visual weight within a composition. Balance usually comes in two forms: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

6. Symmetrical Balance Symmetrical balance occurs when the weight of a composition is evenly distributed around a central vertical or horizontal axis. Under normal circumstances it assumes identical forms on both sides of the axis. When symmetry occurs with similar, but not identical, forms it is called approximate symmetry. In addition, it is possible to build a composition equally around a central point resulting in radial symmetry. Symmetrical balance is also known as formal balance.

7. Asymmetrical Balance Asymmetrical balance occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around a central axis. It involves the arranging of objects of differing size in a composition such that they balance one another with their respective visual weights. Often there is one dominant form that is offset by many smaller forms. In general, asymmetrical compositions tend to have a greater sense of visual tension. Asymmetrical balance is also known as informal balance.

8. Approximate
Horizontal Symmetry
Horizontal Symmetry
Radial Symmetry
Asymmetry

9. Rhythm Rhythm is the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them. Rhythm can create a sense of movement, and can establish pattern and texture. There are many different kinds of rhythm, often defined by the feeling it evokes when looking at it.

10. Regular Rhythm A regular rhythm occurs when the intervals between the elements, and often the elements themselves, are similar in size or length.

11. Flowing Rhythm A flowing rhythm gives a sense of movement, and is often more organic in nature.

12. Progressive Rhythm A progressive rhythm shows a sequence of forms through a progression of steps.

13. Proportion Proportion is the comparison of dimensions or distribution of forms. It is the relationship in scale between one element and another or between a whole object and one of its parts. Differing proportions within a composition can relate to different kinds of balance or symmetry, and can help establish visual weight and depth. In the below examples, notice how the smaller elements seem to recede into the background while the larger elements come to the front.

14. Proportion refers to the size relationship of parts to the entire work, and each to the other. Very often associated with figural art. (the image shows the Golden Ratio)

15. Proportion also refers to the scale : the real, apparent size of an object seen in relation to other objects, people, its environment, or the proportions of the picture plane.

16. Dominance Dominance relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design
Dominance Dominance relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design. It determines the visual weight of a composition, establishes space and perspective, and often resolves where the eye goes first when looking at a design. There are three stages of dominance, each relating to the weight of a particular object within a composition. Emphasis and subordination establishes centers of interest which focus the viewer’s attention. If all the elements are given relatively equal weight, there will be no emphasis.

17. Dominant : The object given the most visual weight, the element of primary emphasis that advances to the foreground in the composition. Sub-dominant : The element of secondary emphasis, the elements in the middle ground of the composition. Subordinate : The object given the least visual weight, the element of tertiary emphasis that recedes to the background of the composition. In the below example, the trees act as the dominant element, the house and hills as the secondary element, and the mountains as the tertiary element.

18. Directional Forces Both implied and actual, they help guide the eye and mind movement of the viewer. They can also bind the work into a single entity.

19. Unity The concept of unity describes the relationship between the individual parts and the whole of a composition. It investigates the aspects of a given design that are necessary to tie the composition together, to give it a sense of wholeness, or to break it apart and give it a sense of variety. Unity in design is a concept that stems from some of the Gestalt theories of visual perception and psychology, specifically those dealing with how the human brain organizes visual information into categories, or groups. Gestalt theory itself is rather lengthy and complex, dealing in various levels of abstraction and generalization, but some of the basic ideas that come out of this kind of thinking are more universal.

20. Unity The force operating within a work of art which can give it the appearance of oneness or resolution. The consistency of the concept. When any variety of these principles are combined a design becomes very successful and hard to ignore. That design commands your attention, it guides your eye through and keeps you visually entertained. Combining these principles together is referred to as Gestalt – a configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole.

21. Closure Closure is the idea that the brain tends to fill in missing information when it perceives an object is missing some of its pieces. Objects can be deconstructed into groups of smaller parts, and when some of these parts are missing the brain tends to add information about an object to achieve closure. In the below examples, we compulsively fill in the missing information to create shape.

22. Continuance Continuance is the idea that once you begin looking in one direction, you will continue to do so until something more significant catches your attention. Perspective, or the use of dominant directional lines, tends to successfully direct the viewers eye in a given direction. In addition, the eye direction of any subjects in the design itself can cause a similar effect. In the below example, the eye immediately goes down the direction of the road ending up in the upper right corner of the frame of reference. There is no other dominant object to catch and redirect the attention.

23. Similarity, Proximity and Alignment Items of similar size, shape and color tend to be grouped together by the brain, and a semantic relationship between the items is formed. In addition, items in close proximity to or aligned with one another tend to be grouped in a similar way. In the below example, notice how much easier it is to group and define the shape of the objects in the upper left than the lower right.

24. Related concepts There are many additional concepts that are related to the principles of design. These can include specific terms and/or techniques that are in some way based on one or more of the above tenets. In they end, they add to the collection of compositional tools available for use by the designer.

25. Contrast or Opposition Contrast addresses the notion of dynamic tension - the degree of conflict that exists within a given design between the visual elements in the composition.

26. Positive and Negative Space Positive and negative space refers to the juxtaposition of figure and ground in a composition. The objects in the environment represent the positive space, and the environment itself is the negative space.

27. Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds is a compositional tool that makes use of the notion that the most interesting compositions are those in which the primary element is off center. Basically, take any frame of reference and divide it into thirds placing the elements of the composition on the lines in between.

28. Visual Center The visual center of any page is just slightly above and to the right of the actual (mathematical) center. This tends to be the natural placement of visual focus, and is also sometimes referred to as museum height.

29. In design it is too easy to get engrossed in the many unique constraints of the different mediums and completely forget some of the underlying concepts that can strengthen any design. To better discuss such concepts, we need to step back from our specific discipline and look to the history of the field. It is here we find the axioms of our profession. The principles of design form the basic concepts of core ideas. Successful use of these core ideas insures a solid foundation upon which any design can thrive.

30. The principles of design represent the basic assumptions of the world that guide the design practice, and deal with the arrangements of objects in any given composition. Now, we investigate the other half of the tenets, the elements of design, in an effort to bring together a solid foundation on which we can base all future investigations.

31. What are Elements of Design
What are Elements of Design? The elements of design are the basic components used as part of any composition. They are the objects to be arranged, the constituent parts used to create the composition itself. In most situations the elements of design build upon one another, the former element helping to create the latter, and the elements described in this column are arranged as such. We will be focusing on the elements of point, line, form (shape), texture and color.

32. Point A point is an element that has position, but no extension
Point A point is an element that has position, but no extension. It is a single mark in space with a precise, but limited, location. Alone it can provide a powerful relation between negative and positive space, but when grouped with other points the Gestalt grouping principal of closure tends to kick in and the brain compulsively connects the points together. Line or form is a natural result of multiple points in space.
Point
Multiple Points
Closure

33. Line A line is an element characterized by length and direction
Line A line is an element characterized by length and direction. Lines create contours and form, and are often used to convey a specific kind of feeling or point to an important feature in a design. Lines are also used to create perspective, and dominant directional lines are often adopted to create a sense of continuance in a composition. In addition, lines that are grouped together often create a sense of value, density or texture.
Organic
Rigid
Varying Weights

34. Form (Shape) The simplest definition of shape is a closed contour, an element defined by its perimeter. The three basic shapes are: circle, rectangle (square) and triangle. Form is the shape and structure of a dimensional element within a given composition. Form can be both two-dimensional and three-dimensional and can be realistic, abstract or somewhere in between. The terms form and shape are often used synonymously, which is why they are both included here. In reality, form is derived from the combination of point, line and shape..
Contour
Dimensional

35. Texture Texture is used to create surface appearance, and relates to the physical make-up of a given form. Texture often refers to the material that something is made of, and can be created using any of the elements previously discussed. Texture is both a visual and a tactile phenomenon.
Rough Texture
Organic Texture

36. Color Color is the response of the eye to differing wavelengths of radiation within the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is what we perceive as light. It is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see. The typical human eye will respond to wavelengths between nanometers (nm), with red being at one end (700 nm), violet at the other (400 nm) and every other color in between these two. There are many different kinds of color systems, and many different theories on color. For now we will focus on the basics, using a color wheel for illustration purposes.

37. There are three main components of color : Hue : Where the color is positioned on the color wheel. Terms such as red, blue-green, and mauve all define the hue of a given color. Value : The general lightness or darkness of a color. In general, how close to black or white a given color is. Saturation : The intensity, or level of chroma, of a color. The more gray a color has in it, the less chroma it has.

38. Color harmonies Color harmonies serve to describe the relationships certain colors have to one another, and how they can be combined to create a palette of color.

39. Complementary: A complementary relationship is a harmony of two colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. When complementary colors are placed side-by-side they tend to enhance the intensity (chroma) of each other, and when they are blended together they tend to decrease the intensity of each other.

40. Analogous An analogous relationship is a harmony of colors whose hues are adjacent to one another on the color wheel. Analogous colors tend to be families of colors such as blues (blue, blue-violet, blue-green) and yellows (yellow, yellow-orange, yellow-green).

41. Triadic A triadic relationship is a harmony of three colors equidistant from one another on the color wheel. Primary colors and secondary colors are examples of color triads.

42. Color spaces Color is typically organized in a hierarchal fashion, based on how colors are mixed. A color space helps to define how the colors are mixed, based on the medium in which the colors are used. There are two different kinds of color spaces. Subtractive and Additive.

43. Subtractive A subtractive color space is the traditional color space that most people refer to when they talk about color. It is pigment-based color, as in the mixing of paint. In a subtractive color space, the pigments manipulate the wavelengths that our eyes see. The absence of any pigment produces white, and all pigments blended together produces black. •Primary colors: Red, yellow, blue •Secondary colors: Orange, green, violet

44. Additive An additive color space is an electronic color space
Additive An additive color space is an electronic color space. It is light-based color, as in the mixing of color on the computer. In an additive color space, light is added to the screen in differing amounts to produce color. The absence of any light is black, the presence of all light, or light at full intensity, is white. •Primary colors: Red, green, blue •Secondary colors: Yellow, magenta, cyan

45. Typography Typography is the art of arranging typefaces, selecting style, line spacing, layout and design as a means of solidifying language. There are many facets to typography, as we have seen and touched upon in the typography course. We will go over some of the terms, again, in brief.

46. Pattern Pattern is the repetition of shape or form
Pattern Pattern is the repetition of shape or form. It can also reflect the underlying structure of a design by organizing the surfaces or objects in the composition. There are many different kinds of patterns: •Flowing: A flowing pattern is based on the repetition of an undulating line, and reflects a natural meandering through a composition. •Branching: A branching pattern is the repetition of forking lines, or patterns of deviation. These kinds of patterns can be found in almost all plants, and in many other places in the natural world. •Spiraling: A circular pattern, or a pattern that winds in and around itself.

47. Movement Movement can be defined as motion of objects in space over time, and is often described in one of two ways: •Literal: Literal movement is physical movement. Examples of literal movement include: Products such as the automobile, motion pictures and dance. •Compositional: Compositional movement is the movement of the viewer’s eye through a given composition. Compositional movement can be either static or dynamic. Static movement jumps between isolated parts of a composition. Dynamic movement flows smoothly from one part of the composition to another.

48. We have thoroughly explored the fundamental concepts in design
We have thoroughly explored the fundamental concepts in design. The principles of design give us a way of looking at the world. These affect the designer universally, and provide guidance for any composition. The elements of design discuss the components of the composition itself, and provide the designer with a basic set of tools to begin working with. 