The Elements and Principles of Design

The elements and principles of design are essential ‘tools’ that are used to create a visual design or a work of art, allowing for the message to be communicated to the intended audience through visual stimuli. Both go hand in hand in creating a work of art or design, and good usage of both allows for the underlying message in a work to be conveyed effectively to viewers.

Lines are marks connecting two points to suggest movement and rhythm. It can either suggest form, used to divide space, or direct the eye. Lines come in various forms such as zigzags, straight lines, or curved lines. Lines could be either expressed outright or implied through the usage of other elements.

Shapes can be found everywhere – from logos to typography, and they are essential in design; they can be used to create patterns, layouts, or define forms. Shapes are an area created by boundaries that define its outer edges. Shapes can be either geometric or organic, 2D or 3D. When used together with size (another element of design), they create an illusion of space and direction.

Color and tone are two other elements of design. They go hand-in-hand to establish the illusion of form in a design, as well as create a contrast, emphasis, or harmony to a single design. Colors begin from the three primary colors blue, yellow and red, and other colors can be created from mixing any two of the colors together – for instance, blue mixed with red will form the color purple. Tone, or value, on the other hand, refers to the relative lightness or darkness in a color, and this helps to establish form or space in a design.

Texture refers to the tangible quality of an object – things we can feel through touch. Textures can be smooth or rough, hard or soft. It creates a sense of realism in a design, as well as give it a more tactile feel to it.

The above elements go together with the principles of design in order to create a good visual design. One of these principles is balance. Balance refers to the visual equilibrium in a design, and can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. The eye is pleased with a balanced composition; and a lack of balance can disrupt the communication between the viewer and the design itself.

Another principle of design is proportion. This refers to the variation in size and scale of different elements in a design. This can be used to establish an emphasis or contrast, as well as create a sense of balance.

Repetition is the usage of patterning to achieve a visual ‘beat’, they can be either uniform or varied, which gives the design a sense of rhythm. Emphasis and contrast are two more principles of design that go hand in hand; emphasis is the interruption of an element in a design, and contrast refers to the arrangement of different elements.

Finally, the usage of unity and harmony is also important. Harmony refers to a combination of similar elements creating a visually pleasing combination, while unity is the combination of various elements and principles in order to create the overall design; in other words, it is a summarization of all elements and principles of design.

Bibliography

Charlotte Jirousek. 1995. Introduction to the Elements of Design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/element.htm. [Accessed 20 May 13].

Eric Miller. 2013. The Elements of Design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/elementsofgooddesign/tp/elements.htm. [Accessed 20 May 13].