WEEK 7: INTRO TO DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Principles of Design
- The principles of design are the rules a designer must follow to create an effective and
attractive composition.
- These design principles not only apply to screen design but graphic design and physical
products.
- Principles of design are widely accepted notions that all designs must consider offering
an overall optimal user experience.
- Another term for “design” is composition, which implies the same feeling of
organization.

Unity - is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of
completeness.
Balance - is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space to make a
design feel stable.
Symmetrical balance – used on one side of the design are like those on the other side.
Asymmetrical balance – the sides are all different but still look balanced.
Radial balance - the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.
Emphasis - the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually, the artist will
make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could be different in size,
color, texture, shape, etc.
Movement - is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such
movement can be directed along lines, edges, shapes, and colors within the work of art.
Pattern - is the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.
Repetition - works with patterns to make the work of art seem active. The repetition of elements
of design creates unity within the work of art.

Proportion - is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or numbers) relate
well with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the
head compared to the rest of the body.
Rhythm – is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling
of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep the rhythm
exciting and active, variety is essential.
Variety - is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the
viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.

WEEK 8: UNITY

What is Unity?
- (also called harmony) is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar or related
elements, like adjacent colors, similar shapes, and related textures.
Where does unity come from?
- Unity of design is planned and controlled by an artist.
- More often it reflects the skill of the designer to create a unified pattern from varied
elements.
Visual Unity
- the whole must be predominant over the parts: You must first see the whole pattern before
you notice the individual elements.

Conceptual Unity
- The term “conceptual unity” applies more to user experience design — it involves
thinking about how to present content in a logical and streamlined way to users.
Gestalt Theory
- The designer’s job in creating a visual unity is made easier by the fact that the viewer is
looking for some sort of organization, something to relate the various elements. The
viewer does not want to see confusion or unrelated chaos.

Unity’s best practice

 Unity with Lines
- Cezanne paints the branches of trees with wispy, broken lines. This unique way of
painting branches creates a sense of movement but also connects the different areas of
foliage in the piece, which leads the viewer’s eyes around.

Unity with color

- The tetradic color scheme of ‘River in Saint Clair’ by Henri Edmond Cross creates a
sense of warmth and unity. Cross used colors that are dissimilar in hue to create variety,
but repeats these colors in the grasses, trees, and mountains. to create unity.

Unity and texture

- Artists use texture to create unity in a painting by uniting the different parts of the
painting with textural elements. Monet uses brush strokes and thick paint to unify the
contrasting colors of the sunset and the silhouette of the buildings.

Shape and Unity

- Contrast can be created by using different types of shapes in the artwork, for example,
simple shapes next to more complex shapes, or large shapes and small shapes. Lowry
unifies different subjects and objects in this painting by simplifying the details and
complex shapes.

Value and Unity

- Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Ranges of values can be used to create unity
in a painting by using similar values in different sections to create cohesion. Caravaggio
painted with the chiaroscuro technique, creating a sense of variety. However, he unified
the subject of Saint Jerome and the objects on the desk with a symmetrical composition.
 Unity of Form
- Form is the three-dimensional representation of the object in a painting, and unity can be
created by connecting different forms in a painting. This is an example of a painting that
appears chaotic and varied, however elements are unified in shape and form.

Unity and Space

- Balance both positive and negative spaces in an artwork to create a more harmonious
appearance. The clusters of flowers in this painting by Singer Sargent have a unified
appearance. This is due to the lack of negative space between them.

Unity and Variety

- Unity and variety should be used together to create visually pleasing paintings with visual
interest. Van Gogh creates variety with a contrasting color scheme, but unity with the
repetition of these colors and in the shapes of the flowers.

Unity and Balance

- The concept of unity is closely related to balance in art. Balance refers to how the visual
weight of a painting is distributed, and unity is often used to achieve balance.

Unity and Pattern

- The effect of pattern in art is one of unity. This is because it ties together elements and
connects areas of the artwork that would otherwise be separate from one another.
- Unity helps guide the viewer's eye, communicate a clear message, and evoke a specific
emotional response.
- Through unity, your designs will communicate more and more effectively.
WEEK 9: EMPHASIS

What is emphasis?
- is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention.
- Usually, the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas.
- The area could be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc.

Degree of emphasis
- A specific theme may, at times, call for a dominant, even visually overwhelming focal
point. A magazine cover needs a graphic focal point to catch the shopper’s eye. “When
everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized.”
Absence of Focal Point
- Use of emphasizing the entire surface of a composition over any individual elements.
Ways to achieve Emphasis:
- by ISOLATION
- by VARIETY OF LINES
- by LEVEL OF DETAILS
- by SIZE
- by SHAPE
- by COLOR
- by CONTRAST

Emphasis by isolation
- Isolating one element can create a focal point in your composition.
Emphasis by a variety of lines
- Changing the direction of the lines from the rest of the composition creates a focal point.
Emphasis by level of detail
- Making one element distorted or detailed creates a focal point.
Emphasis by size
- Making one element big or small from the rest creates a focal point.
Emphasis by shape
- Changing the shape of an element to an unusual shape also creates a focal point.
Emphasis by color
- Changing the color of one object from the rest creates a focal point.
Emphasis by contrast
- Changing the lightness or darkness of one object from the rest creates a focal point.
SCALE AND PROPORTION
Scale refers to the overall physical size of an artwork or objects in the artwork.
We always relate scale to the size of the human body - how big or small the piece is, about us.
Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or numbers) relate well
with each other.
When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest
of the body.
Scale and proportion for emphasis.
- Scale and Proportion are closely tied to emphasis and focal point.
- Large scale or proportion can make for an obvious focal point or create visual emphasis.
Hieratic Scaling
- In art history, visual scale (how big something is in a painting) was often directly related
to the importance of the subject.
Scale of art
- It is the artwork’s size about the human size. This is called Human Scale Reference.
- Large artwork size can be impressive and large artwork’s unusual or unexpected scale is
arresting and attention-getting.
- Small artworks impress with their attention to detail. An immensity of information on an
intimate scale.
Golden ratio
- Proportion is linked to ratio. Ancient Greeks desired to discover ideal proportions based
on mathematical ratios.
- When it comes to art, artists use this golden ratio because it is aesthetically pleasing.
The rule of thirds
- The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting,
photography, and design.
- A rectangle has been divided horizontally and vertically by four lines.
- The rule of thirds states that the centers of interest for any rectangle lie somewhere along
those lines.
- By placing the subject off-center, you also embrace more blank space. The rule of thirds
is also helpful for highlighting an interesting background.

SUMMARY
Selected elements dominate or stand out, while others are subordinate or supportive.
A focal point is a compositional device used to create emphasis. Isolation -any anomaly
or break from the norm tends to stand out.
Separation and connection: a separation or anomaly gives emphasis; a clear pattern
creates a connection.

WEEK 10: BALANCE

What is Balance?
- The distribution of visual weight within a composition
- This balance in composition can be called pictorial balance.
Visual weight
- is a measure of the force that an element exerts to attract the eye.
- The more an element attracts the eye, the greater its visual weight.
IDEAS FOR PICTORIAL BALANCE
Axis
- A line of reference around which a form or composition is balanced. Often this is a
vertical line down the center of a piece that we use to determine balance.
Equilibrium
- Visual balance between opposing compositional elements. (When the 2 sides of an image
feel balanced.) When equilibrium is lacking in a piece often a certain uneasiness or
dissatisfaction results.
BALANCE PLACEMENT
Balance
- some equal distribution of visual weight - is a universal aim of composition.
Imbalance
- an artist may choose to use imbalance in a composition to enhance a theme or topic, or to
create a response. This causes a tension to be created.
- When using balance in a composition, more elements on the bottom mean stable and
calm.
- While more elements on the top mean unstable and dynamic.

TYPE OF BALANCE
Symmetrical Balance or Formal
- The simplest kind of balance to recognize and see. This is also called Bilateral Symmetry.
- Symmetrical balance can be used when one wishes to achieve a formal design, a sense of
structure, a sense of organization, and stability.
Ambigram
- An ambigram is a word or design that retains meaning when viewed from a different
direction or perspective.
•Asymmetrical Balance or Informal
- Dissimilar objects (not alike) have equal visual weight or eye attraction.
- Appears casual and less planned, but in fact, is harder to create.
- Carefully planning symmetry gives a less rigid, more casual impression
Ways to achieve asymmetrical balance:

Asymmetrical balance by color and value

- Asymmetrical balance by color and value
- A large area of dark can be balanced by a bright color.
- Our eyes are attracted to color and will look at color over black and white first.
Asymmetrical balance by texture and pattern
- Texture draws the eye more than smooth flat color.
- Smooth flat colors can be balanced through textures.
Asymmetrical balance by position and eye direction
- In physics, to balance two objects of different weights, place the larger one closer to the
center.
- This concept can also be applied to art.
•Radial Balance
- When the elements radiate or circle out from a common central point.
- Radial balance is commonplace in nature.
- Radial balance is also frequent in architecture and urban planning.
•Crystallographic Balance
- Balance with equal emphasis over the whole format.
- It's also called mosaic balance or all-over balance.
- It is like a symmetrical balance that constantly repeats.
Organized Chaos
- In visual composition, these appear disordered and simultaneously create a sense of order
or harmony; it is often referred to as “organized chaos”.
SUMMARY
- Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If
the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In
symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on
the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In
radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.
WEEK 11: RHYTHM AND CONTRAST
Visual Rhythm
- A design principle that is based on the repetition of elements. (same or only slightly
modified).
- Rhythm is a beat or flow of images that invoke a feeling of pattern or rhythm.
- The Rhythm of an artwork’s design creates a sensation, for example, heat, metallic sound,
jumpiness, etc.
Suprematism
- A Russian art movement of the early 20th century that emphasized. nonobjective form.

- by REPETITION
- by GRADATION
- by RADIATION
- by OPPOSITION
- by TRANSITION
Rhythm by repetition
- Rhythm is created by duplicating (repeating) shapes, colors, patterns, lines, and textures.
It is also called regular rhythm, which occurs when the intervals between the elements
and often the elements themselves are similar in size or length.
Rhythm by gradation
- Rhythm is created by a gradual change in size or color. It is also called progressive
rhythm, which occurs when there is a gradual increase or decrease in the size, number,
color, or some other quality of the repeated elements.
Rhythm by Radiation
- Rhythm is created by identical objects coming from a central axis.
Rhythm by opposition
- Rhythm is created by lines at right angles or contrasting colors. It is also called
alternating rhythm, which occurs when a pattern is going a different way than another
pattern.
Rhythm by transition
- Rhythm is created by curved lines that carry your eye across a straight surface. Leads the
eye in a gentle, continuous, uninterrupted visual flow from one area to another.
SUMMARY
Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling
of organized movement and flow and it is an important aspect of creating a cohesive and
visually appealing piece of art.
Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is
essential.