Principles of DesignGuidelines that govern the way artists organize the elements of art.

Can You Name The

Principles of Design?

The Principles of Design• Rhythm• Balance• Scale and

Proportion

• Emphasis• Variety

• Harmony• Unity

Note: This list is one possible list. You will find that every book, every artist has a slightly different list of Principles.

Balance:

Balance is concerned with arranging art elements in an artwork so no one part over powers, or seems heavier than, any other part.

There are three types of balance:- Symmetrical (Formal)- Asymmetrical (Informal)- Radial

Balance

– Symmetry is the arrangement of all identical or similar visual elements so that they are evenly distributed on either side of an imaginary vertical axis, like a mirror image.

– When you arrange dissimilar or unequal elements of equal weight on the page, it is called asymmetry.

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Formal Balance (Symmetrical):Occurs when one half of a work mirrors

or closely resembles the other half.

Informal Balance (Asymmetrical):

Involves a balance of unlike objects or elements.

Radial Balance:Occurs when elements are positioned around a central

point.

Variety:Combining art elements by adding

slight changes to increase visual interest.

Rhythm• Rhythm—a sequence of visual elements at

prescribed intervals—across multiple-page applications and motion graphics, is critical to developing a coherent visual flow from one page to another.

• The repetition of an element to make a work seem active or to suggest visual vibration.

• A strong and consistent repetition, a pattern of elements can set up a rhythm, similar to a beat in music, which causes the viewer’s eyes to move around the page.

• A strong visual rhythm aids in creating stability.• Equally important is incorporating an element of

variance to punctuate, accent, and create visual interest.

• Many factors can contribute to establishing rhythm—color, texture, figure and ground relationships, emphasis, and balance.

Repetition -Rhythm created by duplicating shapes, colors, pattern, line &

texture

Types of Rhythm

Gradation -Rhythm created by a gradual change in size or color

Radiation -Rhythm created by identical objects are balanced and repeated

around a central axis. Ex. Petals on a daisy or chairs around a table

Opposition

Transition -Rhythm created by curved lines that carry your eye across a

straight surface. Often subtle. Ex. An arched doorway, winding path

Transition Continued

Transition Continued

Transition Continued

Multiple RhythmsHow many do you see?

Multiple RhythmsHow many do you see?

Scale and Proportion• In a design, scale is the size of an element or form

seen in relation to other elements or forms within the format.

• Along with utilizing fundamental principles, one must control scale for the following reasons:– Manipulating scale can lend visual variety to a

composition.– Scale adds contrast, dynamism, and positive

tension to relationships between and among shapes and forms.

– Manipulation of scale can create the illusion of three-dimensional space.

• Proportion is the comparative size relationships of parts to one another and to the whole.

• Elements or parts are compared to the whole in terms of magnitude, measure, and/or quantity.

Proportion:The manner in which the parts of a work

relate to each other and to the whole.

Visual Hierarchy

• One of the primary purposes of graphic design is to communicate information, and the principle of visual hierarchy is the primary force for organizing information and clarifying communication.

• To guide the viewer, the designer uses visual hierarchy, the arrangement of all graphic elements according to emphasis.

Emphasis• Emphasis is the arrangement of visual

elements according to importance, stressing some elements over others, making some superordinate (dominant) elements and subordinating other elements.

• Emphasis is directly related to establishing a point of focus— the focal point (the part of a design that is most emphasized or accentuated).

• Position, size, shape, direction, hue, value, saturation, and texture of a graphic element all contribute to making it a focal point.

• Once past the establishment of a focal point, a designer must further guide the viewer.

Emphasis:The principle of design concerned with

making an element or object in an artwork stand out.

Emphasis• There are several

means to achieve emphasis:– Isolation– Placement– Scale– Contrast– Direction and

pointers– Diagrammatic

structures– Nested

structures– Stair

structures

Unity• There are many ways to achieve unity

where all the graphic elements in a design are so interrelated that they form a greater whole– all the graphic elements look as though

they belong together.• An ideal layout might be viewed as a

composition of graphic elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts.

• Most designers would agree viewers are able to best take in (understand and remember) a composition that is a unified whole. 

Unity:The combining of art elements and principles with media

to create a feeling of completeness. Unity is achieved when each element of a design fits in with the overall

concept of the design. It is defined by how those elements relate to the design as a whole.

Harmony:The principle of design concerned with combining similar art

elements to achieve a similar look and feel throughout the design. . Harmony is the idea of using a predictable pattern or giving a

simplistic look to an image No part of the design stands out above the other. Has little-to-no emphasis and a high sense of balance. The sense of blending and unity obtained when all elements of a design fit together to create an orderly, congruous whole. Is defined by how

those same elements relate to each other.

Flow• Elements should be arranged so that the audience

is led from one element to another through the design.

• Flow is also called movement and is connected to the principle of rhythm.

• Rhythm, in part, is about a sense of movement from one element to another.

Principles of Design Assignment 50 points possible

•Requirements:

•␣ 7 pictures — one for each principle • Balance – 1 For Symmetrical, 1 For Asymmetrical, and 1 For Radial

• Rhythm • Scale and Proportion

• Emphasis • Unity

(5 pts. each)

1 Ad, 1 Flyer, 1, Website, 1 Photographic Picture, 2 Paintings, and 1 you can choose

•␣ For each picture write two to three sentences on why it is a good example for that principle. •Total: Pictures and Sentences—35 points

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