Principles of Design

Balance

Balance is created in a work of art when textures, colors, forms, or shapes are combined harmoniously. The banner has a sense of balance based on the centered text and the same amount of basketballs on each row and column.

 Contrast

Contrast is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through the artwork.  The darkness of this photo leads the eye to the window and automatically leaves one staring out the window.

Movement

Movement is the way a viewer's eye is directed to move through a composition, often to areas of emphasis. Movement can be directed by lines, contrasting shapes, or colors within the artwork. The contrast of the bright green plant against the gray walls and the curved plant against the straight walls, direct the eyes up the wall following the plant.

Emphasis

Emphasis is created in a work of art when the artist contrasts colors, textures, or shapes to direct your viewing towards a particular part of the image. The opening doors attract the eye towards the tall man in the long bare hallways while the contrast from the hallway to the open area of chairs makes the attraction heavier.

Pattern

Pattern is the repetition of a shape, form, or texture across a work of art. The bricks in the column are based in a pattern all the way down. If you look at the vertical lines, they rotate every other brick.

Proportion

Proportion is created when the sizes of elements in a work of art are combined harmoniously. The shadow of the windows and doors are almost like a pattern, resulting in most of the shapes to be similar and proportionate.

Unity

Unity is created when the principles of analysis are present in a composition and in harmony. Some images have a complete sense of unity, while some artists deliberately avoid formal unity to create feelings of tension and anxiety. This photo as a sense of unity base on the lines leading the eye towards the top of the picture, a sense of balance with the wording, pattern with lights reflecting on the floor, and contrast with the rich colors against the wood floor.

Elements of Design

Line

Line is the most basic building block of formal analysis. Line can be used to create more complex shapes or to lead your eye from one area in the composition to another. The red railing on both sides of the stair case leads the eye down the stairs, toward the top of the picture.

Shape 

Shapes are created when lines are combined to form a square, triangle, or circle. Shapes can be organic (irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric (shapes with strong lines and angles such as circles, triangles, and squares). There are two different shapes in the shapes, the square packaging of a poptart and then two circles of the vending machine holding the poptart in place.

Form

Forms are three-dimensional shapes with length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes and pyramids are forms. This column in the picture is a cylinder that reflects form.

Value

Value is the degree of light and dark in a design. It is the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between. Value can be used with color as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme changes between values. Where the walls connect, the degree of black and white is very strong, and looking to the right, the contrast changes in a small degree.

Color

Color differentiates and defines lines, shapes, forms, and space. Even black and white images have a huge number of different shades of gray. The exist sign has various shades of green, from a neon green in the bottom of the T, to a yellowish green in the E and the main shade of green in the rest of the wording.

Space

Space is the area between and around objects. Increasing or decreasing the amount of space around an object affects the way we view that object. The space between the lockers are smaller towards the page resulting in the eye looking at the row of lockers.

Texture

Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft or hard. Textures are often implied. For instance, a drawing of a rock might appear to have a rough and hard surface, but in reality is as smooth as the paper on which it is drawn. The wrinkles of the plant help the picture look more like frills instead of a nice soft leave.