ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES

OF DESIGN
Part 2
The Principles
!The ELEMENTS are the ingredients
used to create design; the PRINCIPLES
combine to create your recipe for
good design.
Scale & Proportion
The size of a work of art is important in the
communication of visual ideas
A large scale work
can be seen by many people at once
Often used to communicate ideas shared by many
A small scale work
Can only be experienced by 1-2 people at a time
Communicates intimate ideas & personal
dialogues
Picassos Guernica is over 11 x 25 feet. It tells the
story of the first aerial bombing of a civilian town.
He created this painting in such a large scale to
communicate the importance of this horrible yet
historic event.
Salvador Dalis Persistence of Memory is a good
example of a small scale work expressing more
personal ideas.
Balance
Equivalent visual emphasis on
different sides of the work.
Balance can be
symmetrical,
assymetrical, or
radial.
Imbalance may be used by an
artist to make a viewer uneasy.
Symmetrical Balance
Examples of symmetrical balance
If you drew a line down the center of the design
one side would be the mirror image of
another. Also called formal balance.
Symmetrical Balance
Often used in architecture--imparts a
feeling of permanence, strength &
stability
Often associated with altars & religious
artwork---stability reinforces enduring
values
Formal balance less used in painting--it
is considered monotonous or static
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India; front faade of Notre
Dame in Paris
Asymmetrical Balance

A large shape close to the center can be balanced
by a small shape close to the edge.
A large light-toned shape will be balanced by a small
dark-toned shape
A small, complicated shape balances a larger plain
shape.
A small, textured shape can balance a large plain
shape.
Hokusais Mt. Fuji woodcut--texture and pattern (left)
balance the large simple triangular mountain shape (right.)
Radial Balance
All elements are equidistant from the center.
Rose window-Notre Dame Cathedral Kalachakra Sand Mandala
Unity
The artist arranges
separate elements
to create a whole.
Conceptual unity
uses similarity of
ideas, rather than
visual similarities to
hold a design
together.
Unity of design is
planned by the artist
The elements look
like they belong
together.
Ways to Achieve Unity
Proximity: putting
objects close
together
Repetition: using an
element multiple
times
Continuation: a line
or an edge
continues from one
form to another.
Variety: constant
repetition can be
dull. Varying the
elements adds
excitement &
interest.
Irises by Ogata Korin
Emphasis
The focal point is the center of interest or
emphasis.
Emphasis can be created by using
Bright color
Contrast
Highlighting certain shapes
Directional line
Careful placement of an element
School of Athens--Raphael
Not all artwork has a focal point
This is a
pattern from a
tomb in
Pakistan based
on a common
Islamic design
shape--the
eight pointed
star.
Jackson Pollacks Convergence
Contrast
Effect created
by placing very
different things
next to one
another
Contrast can
define the focal
point
Create contrast by using
Light next to dark
Muted, soft color next
to bold color
A soft shape next to a
hard angular shape
An unexpectedly
large or small object
Etc.
Dancer with a Bouquet of Flowers-- Edgar Degas
Rhythm
Visual rhythms are created with
repetition.
The reuse of a design element can lead
a viewer to a focal point.
Repetition can also control the direction
and speed of a viewers attention.
Intake by Bridget
Riley
We normally
associate rhythm
with music, but
this painting has
a feeling of
rhythm and
movement in its
flowing vertical
forms.
The repeating pattern of
lighter columns against
darker negative spaces is
an alternating rhythm.
The Parthenon of the Acropolis
Athens, Greece
Rhythm in Architecture
Resources
!Hobbs, Jack, and Salome, Richard. The Visual
Experience.
!Gatto, Joseph A., Porter, Albert W., and
Selleck, Jack. Exploring Visual Design.
!Lauer, David A., and Pentak, Stephen. Design
Basics (Multi-Media Edition with CD-ROM).
!And a variety of websites.