Sunday, June 2, 2013

The principles and elements of design

Principles of Design

The first principle of design is balance. It is important to have balance in your design as it gives stability and structure to your overall design. Balance is decided by how we place our elements in our design. For example, a big circle in the middle could be balanced by placing two small circles at the side.

The second principle of design is proximity. Proximity is defined by the dictionary as the nearness in space or time. Proximity helps to create a relationship between the elements in a design. It serves as a focal point, such that the elements need not be placed beside each other, but would still be visually connected.


The third principle of design is alignment. Alignment helps us to create a visual connection between the elements in a design. It helps to give order and organisation in our design so that our design would appear neat and not cluttered. Alignment can also serve as a guide as to where to place our next element.

The fourth principle of design is repetition. Repetition is where individual elements are repeated again and again in a design. This repeated order helps to create association between the elements and gives the design a sense of grouping between the elements.

The fifth principle of design is contrast. Contrast can be defined as the total opposite of a an object. For instance black is the opposite of white. This shows the contrast between colours. Another example of contrast between direction is , horizontal is the opposite of vertical.

Elements of Design

The first element of design is shape. Shape is defined by the dictionary as the characteristic surface configuration of a thing ; an outline or contour. Examples of shapes are circles, squares and rectangles.

The second element of design is line. Lines can be used to create various shapes and this happens when both ends of the line join to meet each other . Lines are very useful in designing as lines can show movements and a line can be curved or straight.

The third element of design is direction. All lines must have a direction. For example, Lines can horizontal or vertical. Direction can also determine movement by which the speed at which it is changed.

The fourth element of design is tone. Tone in a design shows us the lightness or darkness. Tone allows us to give solidity, weight and volume to our design. For example, a yellow tone is light whereas a blue tone is dark.

The fifth element is texture. Texture is related to how a surface feels, whether it is rough, smooth, regular or irregular. 

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