Elements of Art and THE PRINCIPLES OF Design VISUALS

Creating Visuals Creating a visual is a process that requires artistic ability, creative design, and critical thought. Consider the image to the right, what makes this visual interesting?

Balance The way shapes are arranged. When shapes are balanced, they create a feeling of order and harmony. When shapes are not balanced they create tension.

Color Color is made up of hue (tint), intensity, and value. Hue or tint refers to the name of the color, ex. Dull. Value means the lightness of darkness of a color. Color is used to represent things the way they are, but also to create feeling. What can we say about artist Christopher Pratt’s use of color in the following water color? “49” – Christopher Pratt

Artist: Christopher Pratt “49”

Composition The bringing together of parts or elements to form a whole; the structure, organization, or total form of a work of art.

Contrast The perceptual effect of the proximity of very different colors; to compare as to point of the differences; set off against one another. “Newfoundland Houses” – Glenn Pardy

Emphasis Drawing attention to something by use of color, size, or placement.

Focal Point The main element, or area of interest, of a composition; what your eye is drawn to.

What is the focal point?

Line The basic unit of any image that has both length and direction. Straight lines often suggest order. Jagged lines can suggest power, fear, or confusion. Curved lines may suggest motion or softness. Diagonal lines can suggest motion or tension.

Message Any thought, idea, or information, whether expressed in plain or secret language. What’s the message of this editorial cartoon?

Mood The atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work. What is the mood of this visual?

Perspective A system for creating an illusion of depth or three-dimensional space on a two dimensional surface. Linear perspective Atmospheric perspective (hazy effect/detail/color value) Isometric Perspective

Use of Perspective

Proportion The comparative size relationship of parts to a whole and to one another Size of Trees Size of trees Size of house

Scale The size or apparent size of an object seen in relation to other objects, people, or its environment. How is scale used in this photograph?

Tone Expresses the author’s attitude towards his or her subject. What is the tone of this visual?

What is the tone of this visual?

Audience The target audience refers to those people who would be most likely to buy and enjoy the product being sold (i.e. Toy commercials are geared toward children. Computer commercials are often geared toward young adults. Life insurance commercials are often geared toward older people.)

Slogan Most advertisements use a catchphrase or slogan which becomes associated with the product (e.g. Nike: Just Do It. L’Oreal: Because You’re Worth It. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!)

Logo A symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc

Final Notes Visual Artists use many tools to create their art – some of which we just discussed When viewing a visual: Be Critical, Ask questions, Imagine, Wonder Look for messages, what does the artist want you to think? A picture can say a thousand words.