Title: Design Principles & Elements
Course: TAACCCT - Found. of Design - ART 126 > Section: Course Content

YCCC_ART 126FoundDesign_DesignPrinciples_Elements.docx

*As we begin our exploration of the elements and principles of design, one fact must be thoroughly understood.  No element or principle works alone. We separate them purely for purposes of identification and analysis, in order to understand exactly what is meant by each and what its potential is for creating a design.

Unity/Variety

Unity and variety are inevitably interdependent, relying upon each other for the balance between chaos (from excessive variety) and monotony (from extreme unity). Variety is the most obvious of the design principles in nature, where its essence is contrast. In works of art, variety results from the originality of the artist, who may achieve it in many ways, including the use of diverse elements in the structure of a work. No work of art or design can function aesthetically without unity. Unity is often achieved by opposing forces brought into harmony by means of a transition. Unity can also be achieved through color, value, line, shape, and repetition of any of the elements of design throughout a work. Unity is achieved as well by the illusion of motion in a composition, and the overall spirit of a work, which imbues it with innate harmony, can attain symbolic unity.

Emphasis

Emphasis in design is usually interpreted as a feature that predominates, allowing the rest of the design to work around it. Such emphasis can be achieved in many ways: by location, through drama, by light, by use of shape, and through contrast.  Emphasis can also be achieved by the use of compositional Lines directing the viewer to a crucial point, or by the isolation of a feature that the artist wants to emphasize. In the broader sense, emphasis may vary widely. Even subtle allover designs have their points of emphasis, often subdued but still contributing to the design quality.

Scale and Proportion

Proportion is a matter of relationships between parts. The Greeks expressed proportion in the Golden Mean (or Golden Section), by means of which they developed the Mean and the Extreme Rectangle that is the basis for many of their works of art and architecture. The Greeks also saw universal importance in the form of the spiral. Scale refers to relative size as gauged against some constant, such as the human figure.

Balance

Balance is necessary for survival; in fact, it is balance that creates much of the rhythm in human life. Every intake of breath must be balanced by exhalation; periods of activity must be balanced by periods of rest. In design, imagine a scale upon which the sides of your composition will be balanced. Different kinds of balance include: horizontal and vertical symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, and radial balance.

Rhythm

Rhythm is the underlying principle of the universe, manifesting itself not only in the tides and constellations but also in the human heartbeat and other natural rhythms of human life. Rhythm cannot be added to any composition; it must be implicit in the process of creation and in the experience of the artist or designer during that process.

Texture/Pattern

Texture involves the tactile sense, the sense of touch. As infants we touch what we see, and through the years the role of texture in our lives remains a vital one. People react to textures in different ways and much of the interest and livability of our environment results from its variety of texture. Texture and pattern are inevitably intertwined. A pinecone has a distinct pattern and also a texture that feels rough to the hand. A patterned fabric gives us a visual sense of texture, making us “feel” surface variations even when none exist to the touch. In a design sense, pattern is created when a unit is repeated, whether the unit is felt or seen. A unit thus repeated as a thematic element becomes a motif.

Line

Line is the most fundamental of design elements. Anytime there is more than one point, or a point set in motion, there is a line. Lines joined together form shapes and at the same time they delineate the space around the shapes.

Shape/Mass/Form

In design, shape and mass are inseparable, for mass is the three-dimensional manifestation of shape. For purposes of 2-d design, we will focus on shape and form. Shape is actually a carving of space. This creates positive shape and negative shape, which together may result in figure-ground ambiguity. There are abstract, curvilinear, and rectangular shapes to name a few.

Space

Other than being “the final frontier,” for the visual designer, space is not only the vehicle in which shapes and masses exist; it is also a determining element in their aesthetic form. In many cases, space working in and through a design establishes its essential character. There are several kinds of space and pictorial devices to create illusion of space within a design; space can be implied in many ways.

Motion/Movement

The illusion of movement is created by designers often, and is a potent tool in many visual art media. There are many ways to suggest movement or stillness within a composition.

Value

Value is the art and design term for light and dark. Contrast is the relationship between areas of dark and light. Value variation is used to suggest space, create focal points, suggest space, and influence the overall function of a design.

Color

Of all the design elements, color undoubtedly elicits the greatest emotional response. Although it is not necessary for the creation of a great work of art, color suggests a mood and depth of experience that cannot be achieved in any other way. We speak of the color wheel in the visual arts in much the same way that we speak of the tonal scale in music. Like the basic notes of the musical scale that can be expanded into symphonies, colors can be combined in an unlimited number of ways and have great capacity to manipulate our emotions. Undoubtedly, color is one of the most powerful tools of the designer.

*A portion of this document was taken from Marjorie Bevlin’s Design Through Discovery, which I had the pleasure to work on with the author back in 1988.

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