Design Foundation Overview

visual appearance

style movement schools individual

form design
form principles relationships elements

continuation proximity line

hierarchy
shape
direction alignment
balance
texture
proportion repetition
emphasis value

dimension completion color

unity

symmetry contrast space

size
correspondence
VISUAL APPEARANCE
{design dimensions}

• form
• content
• response
1. line 1. continuation 1. hierarchy
2. shape 2. proximity 2. balance
3. texture 3. direction 3. emphasis
4. color 4. alignment 4. unity
5. value
5. proportion
6. size
6. repetition
7. space
7. dimension
8. completion
9. symmetry
10. contrast
11. correspondence

form
design elements relationships principles
DESIGN ELEMENTS
1. Line
• The path of a point moving through space

• Points create lines and lines create shapes

• Most fundamental and versatile of all design elements

• Consists of à dimension of its length and varying width

• An expressive tool conveying moods and feelings

• Types of Line: Actual / Implied / Psychic

• Line Direction: Horizontal / Vertical / Diagonal / Zigzag / Curve

• Line Quality à appearance, mood and emotion

– Example: thick & thin / delicate & subtle / bold & crude / cold & impersonal / free & expressive

– Adds interest to a design and how it will be interpreted

Actual Implied Psychic
Horizontal Vertical Diagonal
https://www.zehnbeispiele.com/10editorialdesigns
 Frightened Woman by Honoré Daumier, 1828-79, Mural by Jackson Pollock, 1943,
charcoal with black crayon, on ivory laid paper, 21 x 23.9 cm oil and casein on canvas, 2.43 x 6.04 metres
2. Shape
• Form or plane

• A visually perceived area created by:

– an enclosing line

– color or value change defining the outer edge

• Design, or composition = the arrangement of shapes

• Types of Shape:
– Geometric + Rectilinear à
• Simple, mechanical shapes - triangles, rectangles, stars, circles, ovals
• Rectilinear = produced using straight lines, usually parallel to the horizontal & vertical
– Curvilinear + Biomorphic à
• Organic shapes found in nature, spontaneous freeform curves
• Biomorphic = blobby shapes, (i.e., single-cell creatures, such as amoebas)
– Positive + Negative à
• Black is the positive “figure” or element on the white negative “ground” or space/shape
• A designer who considers the shapes of both positive & negative areas of a composition
will generally produce a more successful design
Composition IX by Theo van Doesburg , 1917-18, Garden in Sochi by Arshile Gorky, c. 1943, Decalcomania by Rene Magritte, 1966,
oil on canvas, 1167 x 106 cm oil on canvas, 78.7 x 99 cm oil on canvas, 81 x 100 cm

Geometric Curvilinear Positive

Rectilinear Biomorphic Negative
Natural

Abstract

Non-objective
3. Texture
• Specific characteristics or quality to the surface of objects, for example smooth or rough

• Appeals to our sense of touch

• If we do not actually feel an object, our memory provides a sensory reaction or sensation of touch

• Types of texture:

– Tactile (Actual) texture à

• Can actually be felt

– Visual texture à

• Simulated or invented (implied)

• Cannot be felt or enjoyed by touch à only suggested to our eyes (illusion)

 Actual Simulated

Object by Meret Oppenheim, 1936, fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon

Actual
Simulated
4. Color
• The product of light à as light changes, the color we observe will change.
• Properties of color (characteristics)
– hue – name of color (position of the color wheel as defined by wavelength)
– value – lightness or darkness (tints or shades)
– intensity – brightness or dullness (purity or saturation of a color)
– temperature – warm or cool
• Color wheel à
– 3 Primary: red, yellow, blue
– 3 Secondary: green, orange, purple (violet) – created by primary colors
– 6 Tertiary: blue-green, red-orange, red-violet, etc. – created by primary & secondary colors
• Color schemes à
– Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary, Triad, Split-complementary, Double
complementary
• Color relativity à
– The interaction of a hue with other colors
– Our perception of colors change according to its surroundings
Hue Value Saturation
Bright Dull
5. Value
• Relative lightness or darkness of an area in a given context

• A gradient is one of the most common ways to present value

• Progression from dark to light or solid to transparent

6. Size
• How small or large an item or element is

• The size of a form in relation to other objects or the environment in which the form is placed

• The easiest way to create an illusion of space or distance

• Can be used to define importance, generate visual interest, attract attention, and guide focus
7. Space
• The areas (ground) between and around elements are active participants in the composition

• Can be as dominant and important as the elements themselves

• Space allows the viewer to distinguish elements (figure) and its roles in a composition

• 2D designs deal with the illusion of depth = the visual sensation of depth

• Objects/elements up front = foreground

• Objects/elements in the distance = background

• Objects/elements in between = middle-ground

boundless environment
Suprematism by Kazimir Malevich, 1915, oil on canvas, 26.41” x 27.95” Reggae by Yasim Cakir, 2017, digital print, A0
FORM RELATIONSHIPS
1. Continuation
• Something that “continues” – usually a line, an edge, or a direction from one form to another

• The viewer’s eye is carried smoothly from one to the next

• The planned arrangement of various forms so that their edges are lined up
2. Proximity
• Distance between the parts comprising a form

• Elements that are closer together appear to be related

• To make separate elements look as if they belong together

• Simplest way to achieve unity

• If elements are isolated, a composition will not feel unified

3. Direction
• Visual elements interact through position, direction, and space

• A course of movement

• Horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines of any angle move our eye in a given direction
4. Alignment
• A system for organizing design elements

• Design elements can line up along their edges or their centers

• All text uses alignment to organize lines of type

• Letters align along their bases

• Alignment works best with items that have straight edges

• There are two major types of alignment: edge and center

Alignment to …

1. To the center 2. To the edge

 3. To the
reference points
1. To the center
2. To the edge
 3. To the
reference points
5. Proportion
• The size relationship between parts of a form (width, height)

• Proportions can make a form more visually inviting, enhance functionality and persuade or create a
desired impression.
 Personal Values by Rene Magritte, 1952, oil on canvas, 80 x 100cm

The Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio, c. 1480, fresco, 25”7”, 8 m wide The Last Supper by Emil Nolde, 1909, oil on canvas, 88 x 108 cm
6. Repetition
• Any individual component is used more than once

• Something simply repeats in various parts of the design to relate the parts to each other

• Elements that may repeat are: color, shape, texture, direction, angle

• Quality of reinforcement à a beat in a rhythm reinforces its predecessor

• Our bodies and lives are a series of repetitive events = human heart beat, human spine, daily
routines (eat, sleep, breathe)

• Repetition can be monotonous and boring à varied repetition

• Types of repetition:

1. Shape/Volume

2. Size

3. Position

4. Direction (orientation)
7. Dimension
• Illusion of space / depth

1. Size

2. Overlapping

3. Equivocal space (transparent)

4. Vertical location

5. Atmospheric (aerial)

6. Bird eye view

7. Linear perspective

8. (1-2-3 points)

9. Multiple perspective

10. Isometric
Size Overlapping Equivocal
Vertical location Atmospheric perspective Bird’s eye view
Linear perspective Multiple perspective Isometric
8. Completion
• Separate elements are placed so that you perceive the design as a whole rather than as sections

• An object is incomplete or a space is not completely enclosed

9. Symmetry
• Choice and arrangement of elements in relation to each other and the frame

• A center vertical or horizontal axis

• Equal weight (visual weight) distribution on either side = sense of equilibrium

Symmetry Asymmetry
Symmetry Asymmetry
Symmetry Asymmetry
10. Contrast
• A kind of comparison whereby differences are made clear

• Differences become emphasized when contrast takes place

• The creation of visual opposition by diverse treatment of component parts of a gestalt.

• Visual variety into an expression and heightens the overall visual effect

• Strengthens visual statements and reinforces communication

1. Size – big/small ; long/short

2. Shape – curvilinear/rectilinear, planar/linear, mechanical/calligraphic, symmetrical/asymmetrical,

beautiful/ugly, simple/complex, abstract/representational

3. Color / Value – light/dark, brilliant/dull, warm/cool

4. Direction – meeting each other at a 90-degree angle or in a full 180 degrees

5. Texture – smooth/rough, fine/coarse, even/uneven, matt/glossy

6. Position – form related to the frame. Top/bottom, high/low, left/right, central/off-center

7. Space – occupied/unoccupied, positive/negative

Contrast of size
Contrast of shape
Contrast of texture
Contrast of color
Contrast of space
11. Correspondence
• Similarity among parts in a form helps hold the form together

• An effective way to create meaning

• Similarity occurs when objects look similar to one another

• People often perceive them as a group or pattern