Elements and Principles of Design

Composition An orderly arrangement of elements using the principles of design   The principles of design help you to carefully plan and organize the elements of art so that you will hold interest and command attention.  This is sometimes referred to as visual impact. 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 of art it will be arranged to show a pleasing rhythm and movement.  The center of interest will be strong and the viewers 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 therefore are experimenting with different forms of expression.  We think that composition is very important. The following will assist you in understanding the basics of a good composition:

Visual Composition Discuss the feelings we have when we look at butterflies and what we think is aesthetically pleasing.

How do most people react to snakes and many reptiles How do most people react to snakes and many reptiles? Compare this reaction to how people respond to a butterfly.

VISUAL COMPOSITION: Is like the grammar of language - stories are written with words and subject matter. Good literature is more than words and subject matter, it is how all the elements of good stories are put together that makes the literature good or not so good. Visual Composition is more than pictures. It is how the elements and principles of design are put together and the way the elements and principles of design are arranged can make or break the composition.

When you learn to use the elements and principles of design it is like learning to read and write the language of vision. You are becoming visual poets and visual storytellers. Looking for and using the elements and principles of design do not have to limit you but it can focus your experimentation and choice making. Playing and practicing with the different design elements and principles will help you understand what looks great, or good, or just plain bad.

Elements of Design

The elements of design are the basic visual symbols in the language of art and design. Elements of design are the things that are involved within making a design. The elements of design will help your design look a lot more unique from other design and can help make the design symbolize anything. The elements of design are the building blocks of design. The principles of design are the ways we work with and arrange the elements of design.

Line - is a mark on a surface that describes a shape or outline Line - is a mark on a surface that describes a shape or outline. It can create texture and can be thick and thin.  Types of line can include actual, implied, vertical, horizontal, diagonal and contour lines.

SHAPE Shape - is a 2-dimensional line with no form or thickness. Shapes are flat and can be grouped into two categories, geometric and organic. Shapes are defined as an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences of value, color, or texture.

Form - is a 3-dimensional object having volume and thickness Form - is a 3-dimensional object having volume and thickness. It is the illusion of a 3-D effect that can be implied with the use of light and shading techniques.  Form can be viewed from many angles.

Color - refers to specific hues and has 3 properties, Chroma, Intensity and Value.  The color wheel is a way of showing the chromatic scale in a circle using all the colors made with the primary triad.  Complimentary pairs can produce dull and neutral color.  Black and white can be added to produce tints (add white), shades (add black) and tones (add gray).

Texture - is about surface quality either tactile or visual Texture - is about surface quality either tactile or visual. Texture can be real or implied by different uses of media. It is the degree of roughness or smoothness in objects.

Depth (Perspective) Depth - effects of depth, space, projection toward the viewer add interest. Linear perspective in the real world makes things look smaller in the distance. Some artists try to avoid depth by making large things duller and small things brighter, and so on, to make the objects contradict realism. Many artists don't believe in realism even though they could do it if they wanted to. It seems too boring to them. Realism wouldn't be art for some artists.

When light from a single direction (e. g When light from a single direction (e.g. our sun) hits an object, part of the object is in shadow. Light and dark areas within an image provide contrast that can suggest volume. Factors that can affect our feelings towards an image include the direction of the light source, from above or below, and the gentleness or abruptness of the half tones. Light coming from behind a subject can form a silhouette resulting in object that is completely black against a lighter colored background. Silhouettes appear as two-dimensional shapes lacking form. The absence of color often enhances our perception of form for instance in black and white photographs. Light emitted from above and to the side when applied to portraits creates what is often referred to as "Rembrandt lighting". This form of lighting emphasizes edges and depth. In landscape photography oblique lighting occurs early and late in the day where it enhances the natural texture of the landscape and is often accompanied by warm or cool color casts.

Direction in design provides mood and atmosphere Direction in design provides mood and atmosphere. Direction gives the illusion of movement within a design. There are three basic directions in design: horizontal vertical diagonal

Mass How big is it? Take a look at mass or visual weight of graphic and text elements. It includes a large section on size and measurements for type and paper and images. Mass is one of the basic elements of design. Mass equals size. Each piece you create has a physical mass. Additionally, each element within the design (graphics, photos, lines, text blocks) have their own mass relative to the whole piece. Part of working with mass in desktop publishing is understanding how we measure the various parts of a design such as paper, type, and images

TONE is light and dark. Light reveals, shows the world to us, and shadow gives meaning to the things we see. TONE can give solidity, volume and weight to an image TONE gives the impression of distance. Darker tones come forward and lighter tones go back into the image. TONE can give emotion to an image. Highly contrasting tones give life and energy, softer tones give a gentle mood. TONE can create rhythm, with the eyes jumping from one dark tone to another.

Value is present in all design Value is present in all design. It is the lightness or darkness of an object, regardless of color. Value is relative to the background color and other items on the page.

Positive and Negative Space: In a picture, the shapes that the artist has placed are considered the positive shapes. The spaces around the shapes are the negative spaces. It is just as important to consider the negative space in a picture as the positive shapes. Sometimes artists create pieces that have no distinction between positive and negative spaces. M. C. Escher was a master at creating drawings where there was no distinction between positive and negative space.