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Principles of Design

• Are ways to work with or arrange elements• Describe how elements fit together• Include:

– rhythm– emphasis– balance– proportion/scale– harmony

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Rhythm

• Is repetition of one or more design elements

• Creates a feeling of organized movement and sense of order

• Is used to guide the eye through design and provide direction

Movement shows action and directs the viewers eyes throughout the piece

Repetition

• Is the act of duplicating an item throughout a piece

• Refers to the unchanging look and feel across a piece of work or a number of pieces

• Can be used for colors, graphics or a style

• Should make navigation throughout the piece easier

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Emphasis

• Is the center of interest• Is the focal point• Catches viewers’

attention• Is the principle

which has been exaggerated

• Uses color, size or unique shape to create a focal point

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Balance

• Breaks an image into thirds– known as the “rule of thirds”

• Should demonstrate visual and mechanical stability

• Is the way the elements’ lines, shapes, colors and textures are arranged

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Balance

• Is the distribution of visual weight• Creates a sense of rest and equilibrium• Is equality between opposite elements• Includes:

– symmetrical: same on both sides (formal)– asymmetrical: balanced, but each side

different (informal)

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Proportion/Scale

• Is the relationship of parts to each other and to design as a whole

• Is the relationship between size and shape; shape and surroundings

Contrast

• Is the arrangement of opposite elements• Refers to a combination of different design

elements• Can be accomplished by using a

difference in size, value and color

• Can also be a difference between a large graphic and a small graphic

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Proximity

• Is the location of items in relation to each other

• Determines a relationship by how close together and far apart elements are placed

• Gives a piece an organized feel and creates a visual structure

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Harmony

• Is also known as unity• Occurs when all elements of a piece work

together• Is achieved by repetition of related

components

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Assessment

1. Which of the following correctly lists the principles of design?A. Balance, rhythm, shape/form, proportion, emphasis,

harmonyB. Line, shape/form, space, texture, color, harmonyC. Balance, rhythm, proportion/scale, emphasis, harmonyD. Line, balance, shape/form, emphasis, harmony

2. Which of the following describes balance?A. The way the elements’ lines, shapes, colors and

textures are arrangedB. When all elements of a piece work togetherC. Relationship of parts to each other and to design as a

wholeD. Used to guide the eye through the design and provide

direction

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Assessment

3. Which of the following describes rhythm?A. The part of the design which has been exaggeratedB. When all elements in a piece work togetherC. Catches viewers’ attention; the main focal pointD. Repetition of one or more design elements to create a

feeling of movement and sense of order

4. Which principle is achieved when all of the elements of a piece work together?

A. RhythmB. HarmonyC. BalanceD. Scale

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Assessment

5. Which principle is used when an item is exaggerated as the main focal point?

A. EmphasisB. ProportionC. HarmonyD. Balance

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Final Assessment

1. Why is orange a complementary color of blue?A. Orange is next to blue on a color wheel B. Blue is three spaces away from orange on a

color wheelC. Orange is across from blue on a color wheelD. Orange and blue mix well together

 2. Three colors side by side on a 12-part color wheel are known

as which of the following?A. Warm colorsB. Complementary colorsC. Analogous colorsD. Color family

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Final Assessment

3. Which of the following is the term used to describe the location of an item in relation to another?

A. RepetitionB. ProximityC. ContrastD. Balance

 4. Why would a person choose to use form rather than shape for

their design?A. Because the piece appears largerB. Because the pictures appear brighterC. Because the image appears flatD. Because the object can be viewed from all

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Final Assessment

5. Which of the color properties illustrates why blue can be classified by its formal name?

A. ValueB. HueC. ColorD. Intensity

6. Which of the following elements is used to separate objects in space?

A. ValueB. HueC. Proportion D. White space

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Final Assessment

7. Balance in a design can be broken into how many portions?A. FourB. SevenC. EightD. Three

 8. Which of the following explains the effect if a piece did not use

the right proximity? A. The piece would look fakeB. The piece would lack depth C. The piece would appear flatD. The piece would not be balanced

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Final Assessment

9. Which of the following is another name for intensity?A. Negative spaceB. VolumeC. ChromaD. Hue

 10. For his art design class, Aaron has done a drawing. He

noticed the visuals on his piece are directly in the center of the page. In his next piece he could use which of the following to make it more appealing?

A. Horizontal linesB. Rule of thirdsC. Repeat objectsD. More lines

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Acknowledgements

• Bartel, M. (2010, June 14). Some Ideas About Composition

and Design Elements, Principles, and Visual Effects.

• Color Theory. ( 1995-2008). Retrieved October 15, 2010, from

Color Matters: http://www.colormatters.com

• Jirousek, C. (1995). Color, Value and Hue. Art Design and

Visual Thinking ,

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/color/color.htm.

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Acknowledgements

• Park, Y. (n.d.). Design Elements & Principles. University of

Texas Austin ,

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/multimedia/PDFfolder/DESI

GN~1.PDF.

• Sutterfield, S. (n.d.). VISUALLY VERBAL:UNDERSTANDING

THE ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ART. Retrieved

October 10, 2010, from Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery:

http://www.suu.edu/pva/artgallery/documents/VisuallyVerbalU

nderstandingtheElementsofArt.pdf

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Acknowledgements

CollaboratorJim Johnson, AAF, AIFD, TMF

Executive ProducerGordon W. Davis, Ph.D.

Production CoordinatorsDaniel JohnsonMegan O’Quinn

Brand ManagerMegan O’Quinn

Graphic DesignerDaniel JohnsonMegan O’Quinn

Technical WriterJessica Odom

V.P. of Brand ManagementClayton Franklin © MMXIV

CEV Multimedia, Ltd. 24