RE: Written Report

TO: Mr. Canafranca, Gylmore

FR: Group 5
TOPIC: Principles of Design
LEADER: Martinez, Mica Dell D.
MEMBERS: Amogod, Ma. Hana Shaina R.
Indino, Bianca Joyce C.
Mendez, Jemina Patricia C.
Moreno, Janelle P.
Parado, Reginell P.
Romero, Leidene A.
Tadeo, Mioccia Louis C.
Zapanta, Jana Alexia P.
OT: October 18, 2019

Principles of Design
I. Activity

Title: “POP ME FOR A PIECE”

Objectives:
 To give insight about the topic of principles of design.
 To give a further knowledge about the said topic and to be able to apply it
in art appreciation and in future needs.
 To describe and understand the meaning, function, and importance of the
principles of design.
Materials:
 Colored papers ( green, red, blue and yellow )
 Balloons ( green, red, blue and yellow )
 Pins or dart
 Pictures with principles of design to be cut into puzzle pieces.
 Illustration board
 Tape
 Cellphone for timer

Time: The activity will be done before the actual presentation or discussion of the
reporters. 5 minutes will be allotted for the game proper and 5 minutes for the
explanations or sharing of ideas.

Mechanics:
1) The class will be grouped into four (4) as equal as possible which depends
upon the number of present students.
2) They will be instructed to find and identify the color of the box shaped paper
which is placed under their arm-chairs.
 3) The class will be grouped according to the color they get. The activity will be
timed.
4) Each group will need to form a line in front of the illustration board where six
(6) balloons are attached.
5) Inside the four (4) balloons are the needed puzzle pieces; the players must be
able to pop the balloons in order to get all. The two (2) other balloons will not
have anything inside and are just meant to test the players.
6) Each member will try to pop the balloon they have chosen without stepping
into the assigned line.
7) Group members may take turns in popping if their teammate who’s in front of
them did not pop anything.
8) If they get a puzzle piece they will form it at the back of their line.
9) They will form a picture of paintings and they will be instructed to paste it in
the board.
10) After they paste it in the board the timer will stop and it will be recorded.
11) The group who finishes the puzzle first wins and will receive a prize.

II. Content
Principles of Design

According to Lumencandela, Visual art manifests itself through media, ideas,

themes and sheer creative imagination. Yet all of these rely on basic structural
principles that, like the elements we’ve been studying, combine to give voice to artistic
expression. Incorporating the principles into your artistic vocabulary not only allows you
to objectively describe artworks you may not understand, but contributes in the search
for their meaning.

The first way to think about a principle is that it is something that can be
repeatedly and dependably done with elements to produce some sort of visual effect in
a composition.

The principles are based on sensory responses to visual input: elements appear
to have visual weight, movement, etc. The principles help govern what might occur
when particular elements are arranged in a particular way. Using a chemistry analogy,
the principles are the ways the elements “stick together” to make a “chemical” (in our
case, an image).

Another way to think about these design principles is that they express a value
judgment about a composition. For example, when we say a painting has “unity” we are
making a value judgment. We might also say that too much unity without variety is
boring and too much variation without unity is chaotic.
 In any work of art there is a thought process for the arrangement and use of the
elements of design. The artist who works with the principles of good composition will
create a more interesting piece; it will be arranged to show a pleasing rhythm and
movement. The center of interest will be strong and the viewer will not look away,
instead, they will be drawn into the work. A good knowledge of composition is essential
in producing good artwork. Some artists today like to bend or ignore these rules and by
doing so are experimenting with different forms of expression.

Using principles of design help artists to produce a perceived quality and

attractiveness to their audience and may also become the basis of their artworks aside
from the medium they will be using. Principles of design also allow artists to produce an
artwork that has a specific structure that best portrays their ideas and the intended
meaning of their work.

History of Principles of Design: Where was it commonly used?

According to Sparks (2011) design is a natural process of thought which only

came into explicit practice with the industrial revolution. Design has always existed and
has, or is, performed by everyone. It has only recently (in terms of human civilisation)
become a specific "activity" with specific professional processes or it was commonly
used.

"Principles" evolved as the process of "designing" (whether it be architectural,

engineering or information-centric) became a task. Like project management, principles
evolved to help commodify and/or streamline the process in line with cultural trends.
Despite the adventures and explorations in the design process (and relative outputs)
during the 1990s, he would suggest that most designers are still using principles
established by Modernism.

Therefore, the easy answer would be that most designers are following
"principles" established by the Bauhaus and continued by post-war designers in the
United States and Europe. Even work generated now, outside of that cultural or
production lineage, still appears to be created with the same goals in mind. Although
obviously, the sources of inspiration have expanded and differ vastly from 1930s
Germany.
According to Miller (2011) the principles from the Bauhaus came from the Arts
and Crafts movement (William Morris, et al) which itself was a reaction to
industrialization and the (perceived) impact of new technology on peoples' lives: "design
should meet the needs of society."
Unity

Unity, also called harmony, is one of the most important principles of design. It is
the combination of similar elements (color, lines, shapes, etc.) to create a sense of
wholeness in art. It is the measure of how the elements belong together (Sonsona,
Pamintuan, Balagbano, & Echem, 2019, p. 165). Unity is the underlying structure that
makes the art or object seem complete or the whole. Almost all artwork or design has
unity because the artist instinctively seeks it.

Importance of Unity

A sentence conveys more information than random words on a page. A

paragraph conveys more information than random sentences on the page. Order and
organization helps convey your message. Unity leads to more order and organization.
Unity holds your design together both visually and conceptually. It emphasizes your
concept and theme and helps communicate your message to your reader.

According to Lumencandela, ultimately, a work of art is the strongest when it

expresses an overall unity in composition and form, a visual sense that all the parts fit
together; that the whole is greater than its parts. This same sense of unity is projected
to encompass the idea and meaning of the work too. For example, Eva Isaksen’s work
Orange Light.

Isaksen makes use of nearly every element and principle including shallow
space, a range of values, colors and textures, asymmetrical balance and different areas
of emphasis. The unity of her composition stays strong by keeping the various parts in
check against each other and the space they inhabit. In the end the viewer is caught up
in a mysterious world of organic forms that float across the surface like seeds being
caught by a summer breeze.
Rhythm

Rhythm in design is the “movement” that can only be felt. There is no real
movement because in a piece of artwork there is the presence of repetition of lines,
shapes, colors and the likes. These patterns create movement that tricks the eye to
follow or be attracted to the art piece. It can also lead to illusion due to the repeated use
of different elements of arts.

According to Lumencandela, repetition is the use of two or more like elements

or forms within a composition. The systematic arrangement of a repeated shapes or
forms creates pattern. Patterns create rhythm, the lyric or syncopated visual effect
that helps carry the viewer, and the artist’s idea, throughout the work. For example a
photograph of an orchard by Jim Wilson for the New York Times showcases simple but
stunning visual pattern. It combines color, shape and direction into a rhythmic flow from
left to right. Setting the composition on a diagonal increases the feeling of movement
and drama.

Another example would be the traditional art of Australian aboriginal culture

which uses repetition and pattern almost exclusively both as decoration and to give
symbolic meaning to images. The coolamon, or carrying vessel pictured below, is made
of tree bark and painted with stylized patterns of colored dots indicating paths,
landscapes or animals. You can see how fairly simple patterns create rhythmic
undulations across the surface of the work. The design on this particular piece indicates
it was probably made for ceremonial use.

Variety

Variety is achieved when the art elements are combined in various ways to
increase visual interest. Many different elements and principles used all at once. For
instance, an assortment of shapes that are of a variety of sizes attracts more attention
than an assortment of shapes all the same size.

 Intricate
 Complicate

Balance

Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and
space. If the scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In
symmetric balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those
on other side; in asymmetric balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In
radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.

According to Lumencandela, all works of art possess some form of visual

balance – a sense of weighted clarity created in a composition. The artist arranges
balance to set the dynamics of a composition. A really good example is in the work of
Piet Mondrian, whose revolutionary paintings of the early twentieth century used non-
objective balance instead of realistic subject matter to generate the visual power in his
work. In the examples below you can see that where the white rectangle is placed
makes a big difference in how the entire picture plane is activated.

Generally, when analyzing for visual balance, imagine a vertical line through the
center of the image and compare the two halves. There are three basic forms of visual
balance:
 Symmetrical balance. It is the most visually stable, and characterized by an
exact—or nearly exact—compositional design on either (or both) sides of the horizontal
or vertical axis of the picture plane. Symmetrical compositions are usually dominated by
a central anchoring element. There are many examples of symmetry in the natural world
that reflect an aesthetic dimension. The Moon Jellyfish fits this description; ghostly lit
against a black background, but absolute symmetry in its design.

Asymmetrical. Asymmetry uses compositional elements that are offset from

each other, creating a visually unstable balance. Asymmetrical visual balance is the
most dynamic because it creates a more complex design construction. A graphic poster
from the 1930s shows how offset positioning and strong contrasts can increase the
visual effect of the entire composition.

Radial. Radial balance suggests movement from the center of a composition

towards the outer edge—or vise versa. Many times radial balance is another form of
symmetry, offering stability and a point of focus at the center of the composition.
Buddhist mandala paintings offer this kind of balance almost exclusively. Similar to the
scroll painting we viewed previously, the image radiates outward from a central spirit
figure. In the example below there are six of these figures forming a star shape in the
middle. Here we have absolute symmetry in the composition, yet a feeling of movement
is generated by the concentric circles within a rectangular format.

Proportion

Proportion is the relationship of the objects in the picture to other objects and
their relationship to the whole picture. The elements fit together in terms of size,
quantity, and spacing. When there is a correct relationship that exists between the
elements, it is said to be harmonious. Proportion can also be used to create a feeling of
depth and drama.

According to Lumencandela, Scale shows the relative size of one object in

relation to another; a person compared to a dog, for example or one person compared
to another person. Proportion indicates the relative size of parts to the whole; a
person’s head compared to the rest of their body, for example. Scale relationships are
often used to create illusions of depth on a two-dimensional surface, the larger form
being closer to the viewer than the smaller one. The scale of an object can provide a
focal point or emphasis in an image.

Scale and proportion are incremental in nature. Works of art don’t always rely
on big differences in scale to make a strong visual impact. A good example of this is
Michelangelo’s sculptural masterpiece Pieta from 1499 (below). Mary cradles her dead
son, the two figures forming a stable triangular composition. Michelangelo sculpts Mary
to a larger scale than the dead Christ to give the central figure more significance, both
visually and psychologically. If they were both depicted the same size, Mary would
appear awkward trying to cradle a full-size adult figure in her lap. At first we don’t notice
how much larger Mary is because of Michelangelo’s masterful sculpting ability.

Emphasis and Subordination

This principle concerns the giving of importance to certain aspects of an artwork
in relation to the whole.
The principle of emphasis is another important design element. It is applied
when an artist wants to attract more attention to a certain element or area within a
painting by giving it dominance that makes it stand out.

Emphasis in art is when the artist gives dominance to or stresses a particular

area or element of focus in a painting. Without it, a composition is nothing more than a
presentation of a group of details with equal importance. The effective use of this design
principle calls attention to the important areas of the painting. Thereby creating
elements of interest causing the eye to return to again and again.The way of achieving
emphasis is by creating a center of interest, also called a focal point. A focal point is an
area where the eye tends to center and is the focus of the viewer’s attention. It is
created by making one area or element in the painting standout or most important
visually while all other elements are contributing but subordinate.

Subordinates are other compositional elements that have been minimized or

toned down in order to bring attention to the center of interest. The focal point may be
the largest, brightest, darkest, or most complex part of the whole, or it may get special
attention because it stands out for some other reason

Some ways to create emphasis might include:

When the artist wants to emphasize an image, he or she tends to make it more
noticeable using a different color, different shape, making it more significant and
dominant, adding more detail to it, contrasting it or isolating it from other objects.

 Contrast — the more strongly an element contrasts with its surroundings, the
more it stands out and draws attention it to itself. See the discussion on Contrast
for information about how to use this design principle.
 Isolation — similar to placement, isolating an element from a group of other
elements will make it stand out.
 Line — an arrow, line, or other similar objects can be used to indicate movement
or direction and lead the eye towards an element. Where lines converge also
creates a focal point. See discussion on Movement for about this good design
principle.
 Placement — elements centered on the canvas will command the viewer’s
attention, however, artists tend to avoid putting the focal point in the center of the
canvas. It is best to off center it a bit and still achieve the same effect. Off center
placement is much more pleasing to the eye.
 Size or Scale — this refers to how something seems in scale or size as it is
compared to the objects around it. The larger the scale the more it will stand out
and attract the eye. Smaller elements tend to recede into the background.

KEY WORDS:
Emphasis is defined as an area or object within the artwork that draws attention and
becomes a focal point (the point which the artist wants us to pay attention to)
Subordination is defined as minimizing or toning down other compositional elements
in order to bring attention to the focal point. It is the areas that are less visually
interesting (background, typically)

Focal point refers to an area in the composition that has the most significance, an area
that the artist wants to draw attention to as the most important aspect.

EXAMPLE #1

The emphasis is the fruit & colors

The subordination is the tablecloth and background. Without the fruit, the painting
would be pretty boring and would blend in with everything else.

EXAMPLE #2
 In this painting, the main focus is on the man with his arms raised in surrender
and other victims while the subordination is the line of soldiers with their backs to the
viewer which already tags them as the antagonist.
The Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds was first written down[7] by John Thomas Smith in 1797. In his
book Remarks on Rural Scenery, Smith quotes a 1783 work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in
which Reynolds discusses, in unquantified terms, the balance of dark and light in a
painting.[8] John Thomas Smith then continues with an expansion on the idea, naming it
the "Rule of thirds":

The rule of thirds is a "rule of thumb" or guideline which applies to the process
of composing visual images such as designs, films, paintings, and photographs. It is
one of the basic techniques that has been used in the visual arts.

The guideline proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine
equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines,
and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their
four intersections.

Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points
creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the
subject.

It is used by the artists to achieve balance and visual impact in their work. It
helps the artist with the placement of the objects and to emphasize the focal point in the
composition. It also encourages you to make creative use of negative space, the empty
areas around your subject.

KEY WORD:

The rule of third makes a grid of nine equal boxes where the lines in this area
intersect and where you should place your focal points. This 3×3 grid is like a roadmap
to show you where to place emphasis and how to align your objects

EXAMPLE:
III. References

Bernard T. (2012). Principles of Good Design: Emphasis. Retrieved from

http://teresabernardart.com/principles-of-good-design-emphasis/

Daughetee K. (n.d). Element: Emphasis/Subordination. Retreived from

https://timelessarthistory.wordpress.com/category/elements-and-principles-of-
design/emphasis-subordination/

Domingo M. (2019). The Rule of Thirds: Know your layout sweet spots. Retrieved from
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-rule-of-thirds-know-your-
layout-sweet-spots

Iakovleva S. (2017). Winning Composition: Using the Rule of Thirds in Design.

Retreived from https://artplusmarketing.com/winning-composition-using-the-rule-
of-thirds-in-desin-41bb6d48b409

Lumencandela. (n.d). Design Principles. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-8/

Miller D. (2011). Who invented design principles (or) when did design principles come
into common use; Bauhaus Movement. Retrieved from
https://www.quora.com/Who-invented-design-principles-or-when-did-design-
principles-come-into-common-use

Sonsona R.P., Pamintuan M.M., Balagbano J.T., & Echem E.N., (2019). An Eye for Art
Appreciation: Expression and Perception. Principles of Design, pp. 165-168.

SOPHIA Learning, LLC. (2019). Design in Art: Emphasis, Variety and Unity. Retrieved
from https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/design-in-art-emphasis-variety-and-unity

Sparks T. (2011). Who invented design principles (or) when did design principles come
into common use?. Retrieved from: https://www.quora.com/Who-invented-
design-principles-or-when-did-design-principles-come-into-common-use

RULE OF THIRDS. Retrived from https://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-

of-thirds

Wikipedia (2019). Rule of Thirds. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
IV. Questionnaire for Quiz
 Correct answers are highlighted in Red.

Topic: Principles of Design, Unity, and Rhythm (1-5)

Instruction: Write the letter of the correct answer.

1. It is something that can be repeatedly and dependably done with elements to

produce some sort of visual effect in a composition.
a. Principles
b. Design
c. Visual Art

2. The principles are based on __________ to visual input: elements appear to have
visual weight, movement, etc.
a. Wisdom
b. Sensory Responses
c. Design

3. It is the combination of similar elements (color, lines, shapes, etc.) to create a sense
of wholeness in art.
a. Variety
b. Balance
c. Unity

4. The “movement” that can only be felt.

a. Dancing
b. Rhythm
c. Arts and Crafts movement

5. It has always existed and has, or is, performed by everyone.

a. Design
b. Rhythm
c. Unity

Topic: Variety, Balance, Proportion (6-10)

Instruction: Write A if it the statement falls under Variety, B for Proportion, and C for
Balance.

6. Many different elements and principles are used all at once. A

7. There is a sense of weighted clarity created in a composition. C
8. The elements fit together in terms of size, quantity, and spacing. B
9. Michelangelo’s sculptural masterpiece Pieta from 1499. B
10. The elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on other side. C

Topic: Emphasis and Subordination and the Rule of Thirds

Instruction: Fill in the blanks; choose the letter of the correct answer.

11-14. When the artist wants to emphasize an image, he or she tends to make it more
noticeable using a different _____ and different ____ to make it move significant and
dominant.

a. color and lines; significant and dominant

b. shape and lines; aligned and clear
c. color and shape; significant and dominant
d. shape and space; aligned and dominant

15.______ is one of the basic techniques that has been used in the visual arts.

a. The Rule of Thirds

b. Emphasis
c. Subordination
d. Proportion