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Elements & Principles of Graphic Design College of the Canyons

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Page 1: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Elements & Principles of Graphic Design

College of the Canyons

Page 2: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Basic Elements

In addition to the obvious elements—images

and type—graphic design elements include

lines, shapes, texture, value, size, and color.

Graphic designers for print and web pages use

some or all of these elements to generate

effective designs. The goal is usually to attract

the viewers’ attention, sometimes to motivate

them to take a specific action.

Page 3: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Lines

Lines are the most basic of the design elements. Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, solid and not- solid. They are used to connect two points, separate sections of a design or focus the user's eye on an element.

● A jagged line conveys emotion

● a line that ends in arrow forces the viewer's eye to look in a

specific direction

● A line that meanders among several elements guides the viewer

from one element to the next and on to the next.

Page 4: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Shapes

The basic geometric shapes are squares, circles, and triangles. They are used as boxes or borders on a design or as solid shapes for decorative purposes. Shapes are also icons, symbols, and dingbats. Shapes add interest to a design.

Page 5: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

TextureVisual texture is created with certain graphics techniques to draw attention to an element on a page or to serve as a background on a web design. Texture increases the overall visual appearance and draws attention. Texture can be added to a type, images, and other elements.

Page 6: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

ColorColor is an obvious element that is used to attract attention and to represent emotion and mood. Red presents strength, anger or passion, for example, while blue invokes peace and security.

Page 7: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

ValueValue refers to how dark or light an area of the design looks. Value creates contrast and emphasis.

Page 8: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

SizeThe size of an element in a graphic design is an indication of its importance. A large size indicates the most important information and draws the viewer's attention.

Page 9: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Basic Principles

The elements of graphic design combine with the

principles of alignment, balance, repetition,

proximity, contrast, and space to create effective

page compositions.

Principles of graphic design address ways in which

a graphic designer can assemble the individual

elements into a cohesive whole. Designers draw the

viewer's attention to an important element by

placing the important element in the place where

the eye naturally falls.

Page 10: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Balance

Most good graphic designs achieve visual balance by using symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial symmetry about a visual center.

● Symmetrical Balance: Both sides of a page layout are the same in weight,

shape, lines and other elements.

● Asymmetrical Balance: This occurs when the two sides of a design aren't the

same but they have similar elements.

● Radial Symmetry: This places elements in a circular pattern. Although it is

popular in print layouts, radial symmetry isn't seen n much on websites because

the circular placements are difficult to achieve.

Page 11: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Symmetrical Asymmetrical Radial

Page 12: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

AlignmentAlignment refers to lining up the elements of a design along the top, bottom, center or

sides of the elements. The aligned elements aren't necessarily of the same type. They

are frequently aligned along the left edge of the layout. Different size photos appear

as a unit when they are aligned across the top or the bottom.

Page 13: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Repetition Repetition duplicates the characteristics of similar elements to contribute to design

consistency. Repetition can also create rhythm in a design. A series of bulleted points

of interest in the same color, type and size for a complete unit.

Page 14: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Proximity

Proximity maintains a relationship between items that go together. The elements don't

have to be positioned closely together but they should be connected visually.

Page 15: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,
Page 16: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

ContrastContrast occurs with the juxtaposition of opposing elements—big versus small or

dark versus light, for example. Using contrast can highlight important elements of

the design. Contrast is easily achieved with color, but it can also occur with

texture, type, and graphic elements.

Page 17: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,
Page 18: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Space

Space is the part of a design that is left blank. It includes empty space that is

intentionally placed within the design and also margins and gutters between

other elements, which are usually referred to as passive space. Space in a design

adds emphasis to an area of the design because the eye is strongly drawn to the

part of the design that is not empty. Both positive and negative space should be

considered in the graphic design.

Page 19: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,
Page 20: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Bad Space

Page 21: Elements & Principles of Graphic Design - 7efex · Basic Principles The elements of graphic design combine with the principles of alignment, balance, repetition, proximity, contrast,

Bad Space