Introduction Elements of Design

The elements are components or parts which can be isolated and defined in any visual design or work of art. They are the structure of the work, and can carry a wide variety of messages.

The elements are: Point Line Form, shape and space Movement Color Pattern Texture

Point

Even if there is only one point, one mark on a blank page there is something built into the brain that wills meaning for it, and seeks some kind of relationship or order, if only to use it as a point of orientation in relation to the outline of the page. If there are two points, immediately the eye will make a connection and "see" a line. If there are three points, it is unavoidable to interpret them as a triangle; the mind supplies the connections.

The involuntary will-to-order that we impose on a collection of points can be clearly seen.

At what stage do the apparently random points of value become identifiable as a face? At what point do they become a specific face?

Line

A line is a mark made by a moving point and having psychological impact according to its direction, weight, and the variations in its direction and weight. It is an enormously useful and versatile graphic device that is made to function in both visual and verbal ways. It can act as as a symbolic language, or it can communicate emotion through its character and direction

Line is not necessarily an artificial creation of the artist or designer; it exists in nature as a structural feature such as branches, or as surface design, such as striping on a tiger or a seashell. It can function independently to suggest forms that can be recognized, even when the lines are limited in extent. Lines can be combined with other lines to create textures and patterns. The use of line in combination results in the development of form and value, which are other elements of design.

Expressive Qualities of Line

Certain arrangements of line are commonly understood to carry certain kinds of information. For example, calligraphy is recognizable as a representation of words, even when we do not know the language. Calligraphic imagery is often used by modern artists simply because of the mysterious messages implied in the "code" of unknown language.

Line in the form of maps is readily recognized as a symbolic representation of a place. The place may be a local neighborhood, or the entire world. It may be a carefully measured representation, or a stylized diagram, such as a subway map. In either case, we understand it to be a device by which we can understand the relationship between places; how to get from "here" to "there."

Floor plans are a specialized kind of map. Graphs are another readily recognizable linear device. Line also communicates emotion and states of mind through its character and direction. The variations of meaning generally relate to our bodily experience of line and direction.

Horizontal line 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. One of the hallmarks of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural style is its use of strong horizontal elements which stress the relationship of the structure to the land.

Vertical lines communicate a feeling of loftiness and spirituality. Erect lines seem to extend upwards beyond human reach, toward the sky. They often dominate public architecture, from cathedrals to corporate headquarters. 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 picturecreating 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, on the other hand, suggest confusion, turbulence, even frenzy, as in the violence of waves in a storm, the chaos of a tangled thread, or the turmoil of lines suggested by the forms of a crowd. 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. The quality of the line is in itself a fundamental visual language, to an extent that cannot be claimed for any other single element. Its use is so universal that we are all profoundly sensitive to it.

Form, Shape and Space

Form and shape are areas or masses which define objects in space. Form and shape imply space; indeed they cannot exist without space.

There are various ways to categorize form and shape. Form and shape can be thought of as either two dimensional or three dimensional. Two dimensional form has width and height. It can also create the illusion of three dimension objects. Three dimensional shape has depth as well as width and height. Form and shape can also be described as either organic or geometric. Organic forms such as these snow-covered boulders typically are irregular in outline, and often asymmetrical. Organic forms are most often thought of as naturally occurring.

Geometric forms are those which correspond to named regular shapes, such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, cones, and other regular forms. Architecture, such as this example by Frank Lloyd Wright, is usually composed of geometric forms. These forms are most often thought of as constructed or made.

There are several kinds of abstract images. Generally, abstractions are "abstracted" or derived from realistic images - perhaps even distorted--, but perhaps in such a way that the source is not immediately apparent. On the other hand, some abstract art images are based on a pure study of form, line, and color, and do not refer to any realworld object or scene. such art works are sometimes referred to as non-objective images. Charicature is a special instance of abstraction, in which realistic images are distorted to make a statement about the people, places, or objects portrayed. This is probably the kind of abstraction we are most familiar with, as it is constantly presented to us via all sorts of popular media.

Our perception of shape and form are affected by several factors. The position or viewpoint from which we see an object will emphasize or obscure certain features, and therefore affect the impression it makes. The character and source of light also changes the perceived character of the object. Lighting in a photographic portrait, for example, can make the subject look older, younger, dramatic, or rather abstract.

Two Dimensional Form

Two dimensional form is the foundation of pictorial organization or composition in painting, photography, and many other media. It is created in a number of ways. It can be defined by line, in all the ways described above. Line, either explicit or implied, provides the contour of forms.

 Value (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) can also dene form. Strong contrasts in value within a composition may dene the boundaries of forms. Gradations of value, or shading, can also create the illusion of contour and volume.

In the same way, hue contrasts and gradations can also define forms. Form may also be defined by change in texture, even when hue and value remain essentially consistent. However, most typically, form is defined by a combination of these factors, as is the case in this print by Max Ernst.

Form in relation to positive and negative space

Forms and shapes can be thought of as positive or negative. In a two dimensional composition, the objects constitute the positive forms, while the background is the negative space. Its difficult to ignore the background and treat it as merely empty space. The effective placement of objects in relation to the surrounding negative space is essential for success in composition.

Two Dimensional Illusion of Three Dimensional Form

Two dimensional forms can create the illusion of three dimensional shapes and spaces.

The ancient Romans had the ability to depict depth in their paintings. However during the Middle Ages European artists lost the skill of depicting three dimensional illusions accurately. Indeed, this kind of realism was not important for the purposes of visual images in the early Christian era, when figures and landscapes were intended as a kind of generic shorthand for the religious and historical stories being told.

All this changed in the late 15th century, when architects and artists discovered the value and power of three dimensional effects in drawing and painting. This blended with the intellectual explorations of the period, in which truth, realism, and individuality were prized. Three dimensional effects were greeted as a sensational, almost magical illusion that made painting into a kind of magic window into a very believable world. The paintings of Raphael are dramatic examples of the Renaissance fascination with this new bag of tricks.

The tools for creating illusions of three dimensional space are overlapping, changing size and placement, linear perspective, relative hue and value, and atmospheric perspective. The simplest tool for indicating three dimensional space is overlapping. The effect is accomplished by allowing the contour of one form to be interrupted by the contour of another form, so that one supersedes the other. This device can be seen in this Byzantine mosaic as virtually the only spatial cue. The overall composition appears to be quite flat, with only the subtle signal of the overlapping of garments to tell us who is in front and who is farther back. The effect is as if all the people are crowded up against the "window" of the picture- a very flat effect.

The next level of spatial signals is provided by changing size and placement. The greatest leap forward in the representation of three dimensional space occurred in the 15th century, with the discovery of linear perspective.Linear perspective refers to the illusion that objects appear to grow smaller and converge toward a "vanishing point" at the horizon line. The point of convergence may be in any direction the viewer looks, including up, and the horizon/vanishing point may be visible or imaginary.

Hue and value are very important cues that tell us whether an object is near or far. In general, we tend to read warm hues as being closer that cool hues. Distant objects tend to be either similar or neutral in value, and desaturated in hue. Close objects tend to exhibit stronger, more saturated hues, and/or more contrasting values, including extremes of dark and light.

Atmospheric perspective combines several features described above. It operates when objects placed in the upper half of the page, and understood to be far away, lack contrast, detail, and texture. In this painting by Hieronymus Bosch, the upper quarter of the page tends to show less contrast and detail. Not only do the most distant objects tend to be in the upper half of your field of vision, areas intended to be shown as distant will be neither extremely dark or light in value, nor be brightly colored (intense in hue).

It is also possible to break all of these rules purposely in order to create three dimensional illusions that can fool the viewer and/ or could never exist in an actual three dimensional model. In Chinese art, however, the rules applied to creation of perspective are simply different. Often referred to as "floating Perspective, "in this approach as the viewer's point of view shifts from "near" to "far" parts of the image, the linear perspective point of view also shifts.

Three Dimensional Form

Three dimensional shape and space is the basis of architecture and most designed objects. There are added design considerations in that the object will be experienced from more than one side. In the case of architecture, the design of the shape is almost secondary to the design of the space it contains, since the end use mainly involves the space which will be occupied. In sculpture, too, the space defined by the shape of the sculpture may be an important aspect of the total design.

Three dimensional shape has an expressive vocabulary similar to that of line. This obviously follows, since line is always implied by the contours of shapes. For example, rectilinear shapes suggest stability. Angular shapes placed diagonally in relation to gravity suggest instability. Shapes that exhibit softly curving surfaces suggest quiet, comfort, and sensuality.

Movement
Movement is the design element that operates in the fourth dimension - time. Movement is the process of relocation of objects in space over time. We can speak of movement as literal or compositional.

The invention of motion pictures introduced the element of movement to visual language. Edweard Muybridge has been credited for first developing the idea of taking a series of photographs that combined could be viewed as a moving picture, actually done to settle a bet as to whether all four feet of a galloping horse were ever off the ground at the same time. This first motion picture was made in 1872.

The question for painters and others working in static media was how to capture the sense of implied movement in the fixed image that could not literally move. Prior to motion pictures, artists tried to show movement through diagonal (off-balance) use of line and positioning of images in the composition.

 However, new approaches were suggested by the Futurist painters such as Balla used these ideas to celebrate speed and movement. Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase also attempted to capture the entire sequence of action through "stopaction" imagery. Movement may also be classified as dynamic. Dynamic movement is characterized by movement of the eye that flows smoothly from one area of the composition to another, guided by continuations of line or form, and by gradations of color or form. Dance is probably the oldest art form that involves movement. It is the ultimate expressive use of the element of movement of objects through space in time.

Color, Value and Hue

Color is one of the most powerful of elements. It has tremendous expressive qualities. Understanding the uses of color is crucial to effective composition in design and the fine arts. Hue is the correct word to use to refer to just the pure spectrum colors. Any given color can be described in terms of its value and hue. In additon, the various physical phenomena and pyschological effects combine to affect our perceptions of a color.

Value is defined as relative lightness darkness of a color.

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Contrast of value separates objects in space, while gradation of value suggests mass and contour of a contiguous surface. Hue also has value. When contrasting hues are made similar in value, the spatial effects are flattened out. In the color image of the fashion model the coat draws our attention through contrast of hue although the skin tones blend with the background(remember the object of the image is to sell the coat, not the model).

Value and Hue

Hue is the term for the pure spectrum colors commonly referred to by the "color names" - red, orange, yellow, blue, green violet - which appear in the hue circle or rainbow. Theoretically all hues can be mixed from three basic hues, known as primaries. When pigment primaries are all mixed together, the theoretical result is black; Therefore pigment mixture is sometimes referred to as subtractive mixture.

Complements are colors that are opposite one another on the hue circle. When complements are mixed with one another in paint, the resuting muted tones desaturate or dull the hues. Such opposite pairs can also be compared in terms of their relative warmth and coolness. In this 15th century painting, for example, the warm reds of the man's doublet and his son's cap reinforce the cues of placement to make these gures seem very close. On the other hand, the cool tones of the sea and sky suggest great distance.

Color Illusions

Some of the effects of color occur only in the eye and brain of the viewer, and are not physical properties of light waves or pigment. These illusions, however, are very powerful, and have enormous impact on our responses to color.

 Red is associated with blood, and with feelings that are energetic, exciting, passionate or erotic. Most colors carry both positive and negative implications. The downside of red evokes aggressive feelings, suggesting anger or violence.

Orange is the color of flesh, or the friendly warmth of the hearth fire. The positive implications of this color suggest approachability, informality. The negative side might imply accessibility to the point of suggesting that anyone can approach a lack of discrimination or quality.

 Yellow is the color of sunshine. This color is optimistic, upbeat, modern. The energy of yellow can become overwhelming. Therefore yellow is not a color that tends to dominate fashion for long periods of time.

Green In its positive mode, green suggests nature (plant life, forests), life, stability, restfulness, naturalness. On the other hand, green in some tones or certain contexts (such as green skin) might instead suggest decay (fungus, mold), toxicity, artificiality.

Blue suggests coolness, distance, spirituality, or perhaps reserved elegance. Some shade of blue is flattering to almost anyone. In its negative mode, we can think of the "blues the implication being one of sadness, passivity, alienation, or depression.

Violet is the color of fantasy, playfulness, impulsiveness, and dream states. In its negative mode, it can suggest nightmares, or madness.

Pattern

Pattern is an underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner. Pattern can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form, but it can also be thought of as the "skeleton" that organizes the parts of a composition.

Texture
Texture is the quality of an object which we sense through touch. It exists as a literal surface we can feel, but also as a surface we can see, and imagine the sensation might have if we felt it. Texture can also be portrayed in an image, suggested to the eye which can refer to our memories of surfaces we have touched. So a texture can be imaginary.

Creation of the illusion of texture is also an important element in many paintings, drawings, textile designs, and other surface designs. This can be observed and discussed separately from the tactile qualities of the actual materials and surface of the work.