Principles of Design

Principles and Elements of Design

The Principles of Design - The underlying composition which make up a design, how we arrange objects within a composition. These are the truths of our profession and in order to be successful a design must utilize these principles. At the core, every design must have a heirarchy and clear focal point to create unity.

1. Balance
   
   
   
   • symmetrical
   • assymetrical
2. Dominance
   
3. Rhythm
   
   
   
   • regular rhythm - (the intervals are similar in size or length)
   • flowing rhythm - (think waves in an ocean or ripples)
   • progressive rhythm - (a sequence of steps)
4. Proportion - Can help establish visual weight and depth.
   
5. Continuance
6. Similarity, Proximity, and Alignment

Related Concepts

1. Contrast or Opposition
2. Space
   
   
   
   • Positive
   • Negative
     
3. Rule of Thirds
4. Visual Center
5. Color and Typography

The Elements of Design - The basic components used as part of a composition, the objects to be arranged, the parts such as text, imagery, links needed to create the composition itself.

1. Point
2. Line
3. Form (Shape)
4. Texture
5. Color
6. Typography
7. Movement
   
   
   
   • Static - jumps between isolated parts of a composition
     
   • Dynamic - flows from one object to another
     

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

The photograph below demonstrates the application of the rule of thirds. The horizon sits at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The tree sits at the intersection of two lines, sometimes called a power point. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds. For example, the brightest part of the sky near the horizon where the sun recently set does not fall directly on one of the lines, but does fall near the intersection of two of the lines, close enough to take advantage of the rule.