Principles of Design

Principles of Design

• The Elements of design refer to “what”

are used.
• The Principles of design refer to “how”
they are used.
 Principles of Design

Generally, all the principles of design apply to any piece you may create.

How you apply those principles determines how effective your

design is in conveying the desired message and how attractive it
appears.

There is seldom only one correct way to apply each principle.

 Principles of Design

Principles of design is based upon the

psychological studies on human perception
of visual elements.
Gestalt theory of visual perception

• It states that humans inherently look for order

or a relationship between various elements.
They observe and analyze individual parts of
an image as separate components and have
the tendency to group these parts into a
larger, greater image that may be very
different from the components.
Gestalt theory of visual perception
 Unity or Harmony
• Unity expresses the idea that things belong
together.
 Unity & Placement using Line
The placement of lines or type in relationship to each other can
affect the entire look of the shape, value, and legibility of a paragraph.
 Unity & Placement using Line
• Leading : Space between each line of type.
 Unity & Placement using Line
• Flush : Vertically lined up to one side.
• Justified : Vertically lined up on both sides.
 Unity & Placement using Shape

In visual design, distance is equal to time.

Repetition Using Line
Repetition Using Line

Repeated line width creating unity.

Repetition Using Line

Repeated line direction and unity.

 Repetition Using Shape
• Two different types of shapes: Rectilinear and Curvilinear.
• Designs that consist of the same or similar types of shapes are
usually harmonious.
 Repetition Using Shape
• If both types used together one should be allowed to dominate.
 Rythm
 Creates unity by repeating exact or slightly different element in a
predictable manner.
 Rhythm uses repetition to produce feelings of predictability and
pacing.
 Rythm
Two types of rhythm: Alternating rhythm and Progressive rhythm.

Alternating rhythm : Two contrasting elements are created. These two

elements are repeated over and over, one right after
the other.

Progressive rhythm : Relies on a progressive change in a series of

elements that are repeated. These elements
change from one element to the next in increasing
or diminishing size or weight.
Progressive rhythm and alternating rhythm
examples.
 Rythm

Rhythm examples.
 Unity Using Value
Similar values create unity between these shapes in the middle design.
With placement and line direction these shapes would have an even
greater sense of harmony
Unity Using Value

Lighter Values and Darker Values

Similar values creating unity.

 Unity and Continuity
Continuity uses the idea that something is carried over or
connected to another element.
 Unity and Continuity

 Continuity can apply to any series of art or design projects.

 Continuity is created in similar fashions by the theme, style,
color, values, and basic composition.
 Variety-(Contrast)
Variety introduces interest through Contrast.

On the basketball court, one pro team

looks much like another.

But send a few of those players for a stroll down most any major city
street and something becomes apparent — those players are much
taller than your average guy on the street.

That's contrast. In design, big and small elements, black and white
text, squares and circles, can all create contrast in design.
 Variety-(Contrast)
 Too much variety causes chaos.
 Too much unity is boring.
 Variety and Line
Contrasting thick and thin lines, as well as different line
directions, creates interest and adds more variety to
overly unified designs.
 Variety and Visual Weight
Visual weight is the feeling that a design element is
heavy or light, depending on the attention that element
is given.
Variety and Contrasting Types of Shapes
Contrasting different types of shapes, such as thick and
thin shapes, tall and short shapes, rectilinear and
curvilinear shapes creates variety.
Variety and Contrasting Types of Shapes
 Variety must be used with unity to create a successful design.

 There must be similarity, harmony, and variety to add interest.

FOCAL POINT AND VISUAL HIERARCHY

An element that is given emphasis so it will attract attention.

It is a way to catch the viewer’s attention and make the

viewer look deeper into a design.
FOCAL POINT AND VISUAL HIERARCHY

Contrast is one way to create a focal point by making an element

different from its surroundings.
FOCAL POINT AND VISUAL HIERARCHY

Another way of creating a focal point is by the positioning

of an element.
If a shape, value, or color is isolated and positioned away
from the majority of the other elements, it will receive more attention and becom
focal point.
FOCAL POINT AND VISUAL HIERARCHY

Visual Hierarchy : To organize each area of emphasis so that it does not

conflict or take away attention from another area of
emphasis.
FOCAL POINT AND VISUAL HIERARCHY
Areas of lesser emphasis are called accents.

The careful staging of focal points and areas of emphasis

will lead the viewer from one part of a design to the next.
Compositions with no specific focal point
 Balance
The visual principle that a design is weighted equally is
called balance.

Try walking a long distance with a 2 pound bag of

rocks in one hand and a 10 pound bag of marbles
in the other.

After awhile you'll be wanting to shift your load around, putting a few
marbles in the rock bag to balance your load, make it easier to walk.
This is how balance works in design.

Visual balance comes from arranging elements on the page so that no

one section is heavier than the other. Or, a designer may intentionally
throw elements out of balance to create tension or a certain mood.
 Balance
When one side of a design is exactly the same as the other
side, it is called symmetrical balance.

Symmetrical designs give the feeling of stability and permanence.

 Balance
Balanced designs, which use elements that are very
different from each other, are referred to as
asymmetrically balanced.
 Balance
Both symmetrical and asymmetrical designs use a
fulcrum, or center balancing point, to achieve balance.
 Balance

Radial balance : Balance that radiates out from a central focal point.
It can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on the
location of its focal point.
 White Space

Did you ever participate in that crazy

college past-time of VW Beetle
stuffing?

Were you ever the guy on the bottom struggling for a breath of fresh air or
the last one in trying to find a place to stick your left elbow so the door will
close? It wasn't comfortable, was it?

Imagine trying to drive the car under those conditions. Designs that try
to cram too much text and graphics onto the page are uncomfortable
and may be impossible to read. White space gives your design
breathing room.
Examples - Balance
You can create balance with the
three elements (text block, graphic,
vertical text) here but in the first
example they appear to be just
random elements with no unity or
balance. In the second "Balance"
example the text block and graphic
are resized to bring them closer
together and better balance each
other.

To tie the elements together, move them

closer together (resizing helps accomplish
this). Notice that the graphic (one of the
marbles) slightly overlaps the box enclosing
the vertical text, unifying the two elements.
Reversing the word "balance" out of the blue
box also adds more contrast to the
composition. The increased leading in the
text block redistributes the white space in a
more balanced manner.
Examples – Proximity and Unity

The graphic anchors the bottom of the page, but the four text elements
all float on the page with no apparent connection to each other
(proximity/unity). The change in the headline (font change, reversed out
of blue box) along with the subheading pulled in closer provides balance
with the graphic on the bottom. The spacing between the two
paragraphs of text is reduced slightly as well.
Examples – Alignment
There is nothing inherently wrong with centered
headlines, text, and graphics. They lend a formal tone
to a layout. But, for this series of layouts something a
bit more informal is called for. Also, large blocks of
centered text are usually harder to read.

In the second "Alignment" example, text alignment is

left-aligned, ragged right, wrapped around the bottom
graphic which is aligned more to the right, opposite an
added graphic that is aligned to the right to help
balance the overall design.
Examples – Repetition and Consistency

Within the second "Repetition" example, the headline is repeated three times using
graphics that tie in with the copy in the text blocks. The repetition of the colors in the
shapes and headline text that are in the copy help to reinforce the theme.
Overlapping the graphic and text elements unifies the elements of the design.
Examples – Contrast
There's isn't enough contrast between the headline and
text due in part to size but also because the two
different serif faces used or too similiar (not obvious
from the small graphic, trust me, they are different
typefaces).

That oversized graphic provides real contrast and reinforces

the copy (tall basketball players). Dropping the text down to
the bottom portion of the page also reinforces the 'towering'
aspect of the graphic. The reversed text in the blue box,the
blue border, and the drop cap carries through the overall
unifying elements found throughout the series. Additionally,
the round shape of the drop cap and its color echo the shape
and color of the basketball in the graphic. The drop cap and
the reversed text on the left side plus the left-aligned text help
to balance the large graphic element.
 Examples – White Space

White space doesn't have to be white. The large block of black created by the graphic of people
adds a large block of black white space. Multiplying the number of people and reducing the size
of the car in the second "White Space" example provides additional contrast and reinforces the
theme of the copy. Additional leading, larger margins, deeper paragraph indents all add white
space or breathing room to the design.
The oversized drop cap is another element of contrast and also helps to balance the page with
the large, dark elements at the bottom of the page. The drop cap style, reversed title, and blue
box are consistent with the rest of the series.
Repeat the slide show