Design Elements and Principles
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INTRODUCTION
Design elements and principles form the basis or basic rules or guidelines to communicate visual design language. They are used to communicate the correct message of the visual that the artist wants to convey. Bradley (2010:1) states that design principles are the rules or guidelines to follow when making a design piece. Some are based on scientific data, human psychology and simply observations over time of what works and what does not. You are free to go against any principle, though you should understand why the principle exists and what it communicates. Design elements are the things that we actually use in a design piece. “According to Kilmer (1992) Design elements are the building blocks of an image.”
The aim of this essay is to present and explain the elements and principles of design and show examples of how they are implemented.
SCOPE
The following will be discussed:
Design elements
Design principles
Examples of how they are implemented
CHAPTER 1: Explanation of elements and principles
The design principles are as follows, unity, harmony, contrast, variety, emphasis, rhythm, proximity, balance, proportion and scale and functionality. Unity is the relationship among the elements that help them to function successfully; the elements work together to create a meaning. “According to Kilmer (1992) Artists achieve unity by creating a visual balance or repetition in the design. Harmony is all the parts in the visual design that relate and compliment each other.
Harmony pulls the picture together and stimulates it visually. Kilmer (1992) states that patterns and shapes help to achieve harmony. Harmony shows that all elements share a relationship. Contrast shows the relationship between light against dark. Complimentary colours, different textures and shapes are examples of certain elements that can influence or show that there is a form of contrast present in the design.
“According to Kovalik (2000) Variety consists of the differences in objects that add interest to a visual image. Variety can be achieved by using opposites or strong contrasts. Changing the size, point of view and angle of a single object can add variety and interest to a visual image.” Park (2003) states that Variety provides contrast to harmony and unity. Variety consists of the differences in objects that add interest to a visual image. Variety can be achieved by using opposites or strong contrasts. Changing the size, point of view, and angle of a single object can add variety and interest to a visual image.
“According to Park (2003) Emphasis is used by artists to create dominance and focus in their work. Artists can emphasise colour, value, shapes, or other art elements to achieve dominance. Various kinds of contrast can be used to emphasise a centre of interest.”
Kilmer (1992) states that emphasis hierarchy or focus is not giving each object in a project equal dominance within a piece of work. Emphasis or dominance of an object can be increased by making the object larger, more sophisticated, more ornate, by placing it in the foreground, or standout visually more than other objects in a project. The primary focus point or area receives the largest emphasis in a room.
Rhythm is the repetition of elements in a design piece that creates a sort of pattern structure that forms a rhythm, which creates continuity in the design. “According to Park (2003) Rhythm is the
repetition of visual movement of the elements, colours, shapes, lines, values, forms, spaces, and textures. Variety is essential to keep rhythms exciting and active, and to avoid monotony. Movement and rhythm work together to create the visual equivalent of a musical beat.”
Proximity is used in many designs although in interior design it is widely used because of the way in which elements in the interior field have to be place or designed to be placed in certain areas of the piece. Proximity creates areas where elements in the design are similar are put together almost like a unity. This creates complexity and visual stimulation within the design.
Kovalik (2000) states that balance is a psychological sense of equilibrium. As a design principle, balance places the parts of a visual in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. In visual images, balance is formal when both sides are symmetrical in terms of arrangement. Balance is informal when sides are not exactly symmetrical, but the resulting image is still balanced. Informal balance is more dynamic than formal balance and normally keeps the learners attention focused on the visual message. There are three main types of balance, horizontal balance, vertical balance, and radial balance.
Proportion is the relative size and scale of different elements in a design piece. There needs to be a relationship between objects of a whole, this means that proportion is understood in terms of context determined by proportions or the way in which the design is done to suit the eye.
Kilmer (1992) states that design differs from art in that functionality becomes key in its construction. Functionality is applicable to all forms of design be it graphic, interior or industrial. Functionality is determined by a designs ability to serve a purpose. The concept of functionality is determined by a spectrum of criteria, in architecture functionality is determined by ergonomics, in graphic design it is determined by how well it communicates etc.
The design elements are as follows, space, line, colour, shape, texture, form, value. Space is three-dimensional volume that can be empty or filled with objects or elements in design. It has width, height, and depth.
Space that appears three-dimensional in a two-dimensional painting is an illusion that creates a feeling of actual depth, which plays with the eye and creates visual stimulation. Various techniques can be used in design to show such visual depth or space.
“According to Kovalik (2000) A line can be thought of as points so close together that they lose their individual identity and form a new entity. Since lines can be straight, curved, or irregularly shaped, you can also think of a line as the track of a point in motion. Vertical lines can stop eye movement.