Design Blog Journal : ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

DIRECTION

All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquility. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action

Direction is about how our eyes move around the artwork.

Direction can be horizontal, vertical, curved, sloped or straight.

Direction can suggest movement by the speed at which it is changed.

Direction can be balanced to give stability or imbalanced to give tension.

Direction can have an emotional impact.

LINE

The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet.

Line is a mark made by a moving point.

The variations in direction and weight give it a psychological impact.

It is a useful and versatile graphic device made to work visually and verbally.

Its direction and character can communicate emotion and act as a symbolic language.

Lines can form Calligraphy, Maps, Floor plans and Graphs

Line is not necessarily created by a artist or designer.

It also exists in nature as a structural features.

It can function independently to suggest forms that can be recognized, even when the lines are limited in extent. This can be seen in drawings such as the Saul Steinberg illustration shown here.

Lines can be with other lines to create textures and patterns. This is common in engravings and pen and ink drawings. The use of line in combination results in the development of

Line can exist by implication, as the edge of forms. Color changes define the edges of shapes, creating implicit lines.

Types of Lines : Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal

Line also communicates emotion and states of mind through its character and direction

Horizontal lines suggests a feeling of rest or repose. Objects parallel to the earth are at rest in relation to gravity. Therefore compositions in which horizontal lines dominate tend to be quiet and restful in feeling.

Vertical lines communicate a feeling of loftiness and spirituality. Erect lines seem to extend upwards beyond human reach, toward the sky. Extended perpendicular lines suggest an overpowering grandeur, beyond ordinary human measure.

Diagonal lines suggest a feeling of movement or direction. Since objects in a diagonal position are unstable in relation to gravity, being neither vertical nor horizontal, they are either about to fall, or are already in motion. In a two dimensional composition diagonal lines are also used to indicate depth, an illusion of perspective that pulls the viewer into the picture-creating an illusion of a space that one could move about within. Thus if a feeling of movement or speed is desired, or a feeling of activity, diagonal lines can be used.

Horizontal and vertical lines in combination communicate stability and solidity. Rectilinear forms stay put in relation to gravity, and are not likely to tip over. This stability suggests permanence, reliability and safety.

Deep, acute curves suggest confusion, turbulence, even frenzy. Curved lines do vary in meaning, however.

Soft, shallow curves suggest comfort, safety, familiarity, relaxation. They recall the curves of the human body, and therefore have a pleasing, sensual quality.

Contour and gesture

Lines used to follow the edges of forms are called contour drawings.

Drawings which seem to depict more movement than actual outline are called gesture drawings.

Line as Value

Lines or crosshatching can also be used to create areas of grey inside a drawing. These areas of darker shading inside a figure, called areas of value, can give a more three-dimensional feeling to an object.

Pic:Marguerite Smith drawing-crosshatching

SHAPES

A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape.

A shape is defined as an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences of value, color, or texture.

A shape is formed when a line encloses an area.

Shapes can vary endlessly and can suggest physical form and direct eye movement.

Simple shapes are remembered and understood more easily than complex shapes.

Shape is a two dimensional area confined by a actual line or implied line (an edge for example). In drawing shapes are created when the ends of lines are joined to enclose areas.

Types of Shapes

There are two general categories that are use to describe shapes. Geometric and Free-Form or Organic Shapes

Geometric Shapes

Can be described using mathematical terms

They are very regular or precise

They are more often found in man-made things because they are easier to reproduce and make things with

Examples of geometric shapes are: squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, oval, pentagons and so on

Free-form or Organic Shapes

are difficult to describe using definitions

are irregular or uneven

are more often found in nature

example could include the shape of clouds, puddles, trees, leaves, rocks and so on.

Positive shapes are usually those which are the subject matter within a work of art.

Negative shapes (or space) are those in the background or around the positive shapes. By viewing images as silohouettes, it is easier to understand what the positive shapes and the negative shapes are.

TONE

Tone is light and dark.

Tone can give solidity, volume and weight to an image.

Tone gives the impression of distance.

Darker tones come forward and lighter tones go back into the image.

Tone can give emotion to an image.

Tone can create rhythm.

Tone is the property of colour.

There are several terms in Tone SHADE:   A colour (hue) with black added. This is why using a (black) pencil on paper(the 'colour') for rendering is referred to as SHADING
TINT:      A colour (hue) with white added
TONE:     A colour (hue) with grey added

VALUE:    The degree of lightness or darkness in colours. This is easier to see if the colours are translated into greyscale (see below) and is the reason why the terms TONE and VALUE are similar.

TEXTURE

Texture is the part of the surface that can be felt or seen.

Texture is concerned with touch, how something feels.

Texture can be rough/ smooth/ soft/ regular or irregular.

Texture can suggest emotions by linking with the memory of how things feel.

Texture can be real.

Texture can be physical or visual

Texture is defined as the surface characteristics of a material that can be experienced through the sense of touch or the illusion of touch.

In visual images, actual textures can be used, such as cloth, boxes, small objects, and natural items.

This billboard in Indianapolis, Indiana, is made of discarded materials normally found in a junkyard.

Texture can be used to accent an area so that it becomes more dominant than another.

COLOUR

Color is the part of light that is reflected by the object we see.

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.

They are called primary because they are not mixtures of other colors.

Mixing any two primary colors results in a secondary color.

The color wheel is created when the primary and secondary colors are placed in a circle.

Colors directly across from each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors.

Complementary colors used together provide extreme contrast.

When complementary colors are used together the resulting image is difficult to look at for any length of time.

More harmonious effects can be achieved by using colors that are close together on the color wheel.

Another way to organize color is by color "temperature." Colors are either "warm" or "cool."

Red, orange, and yellow are considered warm colors.

Blue, green, and violet are considered cool colors.

Color is not essential to a good design. Black and white and shades of gray can create 'color' that is just as effective as reds, blues, and greens. However, color is an added dimension that can evoke moods and make powerful statements when used wisely.

SPACE

Space is defined as the distance or area between or around things.

When you have many elements in a piece, you must leave some areas free from type and imagery.

This is called white space, and it creates a rest for the eye, and visually organizes what's on the page.

The placement and the value of the shapes on the page create spatial relationships and focal points, which are centers of interest.

BALANCE

Balance is a psychological sense of equilibrium.

As a design principle, balance places the parts of a visual in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement.

In visual images, balance is formal when both sides are symmetrical in terms of arrangement.

Balance is informal when sides are not exactly symmetrical, but the resulting image is still balanced.

Informal balance is more dynamic than formal balance and normally keeps the learner's attention focused on the visual message.

There are three main types of balance,

horizontal balance

vertical balance

radial balance,

Symmetrical (formal) balance

Symmetrical balance is mirror image balance. If you draw a line down the center of the page, all the objects on one side of the screen are mirrored on the other side (they may not be identical objects, but they are similar in terms of numbers of objects, colors and other elements. Sometimes they are completely identical (often seen in architecture).

Asymmetrical (informal) Balance

Asymmetrical balance occurs when several smaller items on one side are balanced by a large item on the other side, or smaller items are placed further away from the center of the screen than larger items. One darker item may need to be balanced by several lighter items.

Although asymmetrical balance may appear more casual and less planned, it is usually harder to to use because the artist must plan the layout very carefully to ensure that it is still balanced. An unbalanced page or screen creates a feeling of tension, as if the page or screen might tip, or things might slide off the side, just as the unbalanced balance beam would tip to one side

by color

Our eyes are drawn by color. Small areas of vibrant color can be used to balance larger areas of more neutral colors. The vivid red skirt on the left is balanced by the larger neutral pink dress.

Value refers to the darkness or lightness of objects. Black against white has a much stronger contrast than gray against white. To balance these two colors, you would need a larger area of gray to balance the stronger value of black.

by shape

Large flat areas without much detail can be balanced by smaller irregularly shaped objects since the eye is led towards the more intricate shape

by position

Using a balance beam, a larger weight closer to the centre point can be balanced by a lighter weight further away from the centre. This is the basis for balance by position. Sometimes larger elements on one side of the page can be balanced by a smaller element that is positioned by itself at the far end of the other side of the page. This is a very tricky type of asymmetrical balance that often ends up looking out of balance.

Pic: Degas- Dancers Practicing at the Bar

by texture

Smaller areas with interesting textures (variegated light and dark, or random fluctuations) can balance larger areas with smoother, untextured looks

by eye direction

Your eye can be led to a certain point in a picture depending on how the elements are arranged. If the people in a picture are looking in a certain direction, your eye will be led there as well. Elements in a picture, such as triangles or arrows, will also lead your eye to look to a certain point and maintain the balance of a picture.

Radial Balance

The third type of balance is radial balance, where all elements radiate out from a center point in a circular fashion. It is very easy to maintain a focal point in radial balance, since all the elements lead your eye toward the center.

PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN

PERSPECTIVE

Perspective is created through the arrangement of objects in two-dimensional space to look like they appear in real life.

Perspective is a learned meaning of the relationship between different objects seen in space.

Perspective adds realism to a visual image. The size of a rectangle means little until another object gives it the size of a desk, or the size of a building.

Perspective can be used to draw the audience into a visual.

Perception can be achieved through the use of

relative size Objects

and blurring or sharpening objects

HARMONY

Harmony in visual design means all parts of the visual image relate to and complement each other.

Harmony pulls the pieces of a visual image together.

Harmony can be achieved through repetition and rhythm.

Repetition re-emphasizes visual units, connecting parts and creating an area of attention.

Rhythm is the flow depicted in a visual.

Rhythm helps direct eye movement.

Patterns or shapes can help achieve harmony.

By repeating patterns in an interesting arrangement, the overall visual image comes together.

Unity

Unity is the relationship among the elements of a visual that helps all the elements function together.

Unity gives a sense of oneness to a visual image. In other words, the words and the images work together to create meaning.

Unity helps organize a visual image, facilitating interpretation and understanding.

Unity can be achieved through the use of similar shapes.

Unity can be achieved through the use of a common pattern.

Unity can be achieved through the use of space.

Unity can be achieved through the use of a common background.

MOVEMENT

Motion or movement in a visual image occurs when objects seem to be moving in a visual image.

Movement in a visual image comes from the kinds of shapes, forms, lines, and curves that are used.

Diagonal lines tend to create the illusion of movement or motion.