The principles of design
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What does the 6 stand for in j6 design? Answer: the 6 fundamental principles of design which are: balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast and space. Lets look at what each does.
The elements and principles of design are the building blocks. The elements of design are the things that make up a design. The Principles of design are what we do to those elements. How we apply the principles of design determines how successful the design is.
The elements of design
- LINE – The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet.
- SHAPE – A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric (squares and circles), or organic (free formed shapes or natural shapes). A positive shape automatically creates a negative shape.
- DIRECTION – All lines have direction – Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquillity. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action
- SIZE – Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another.
- TEXTURE – Texture is the surface quality of a shape – rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc.
- COLOUR – Colour is light reflected off objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue or its name (red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).
The principles of design
- BALANCE – Balance in design is similar to balance in physics. A large shape close to the center can be balanced by a small shape close to the edge. Balance provides stability and structure to a design. It’s the weight distributed in the design by the placement of your elements.
- PROXIMITY – Proximity creates relationship between elements. It provides a focal point. Proximity doesn’t mean that elements have to be placed together, it means they should be visually connected in someway.
- ALIGNMENT – Allows us to create order and organisation. Aligning elements allows them to create a visual connection with each other.
- REPETITION – Repetition strengthens a design by tying together individual elements. It helps to create association and consistency. Repetition can create rhythm (a feeling of organized movement).
- CONTRAST – Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements (opposite colours on the colour wheel, or value light / dark, or direction – horizontal / vertical). Contrast allows us to emphasize or highlight key elements in your design.
- SPACE – Space in art refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within elements. Both positive and negative space are important factors to be considered in every design.
Watch this video to see it in action:
The design world is filled with a bunch of different terms you'll be expected to know, whether they're about the elements of design, design principles or even just different kinds of vocabulary that you'll have to understand to speak with other people in the industry, such printers or developers. This article is first in a series to help you begin to understand some of that design jargon. Every design is composed of a compilation of certain elements. Once you've learned about the elements of design you'll be able to understand the building blocks used to create your composition. You'll also understand the words that people are using when they're talking about their designs or even when they're critiquing yours.
Line
A line is a mark between two points, simple, right? They can be used for a bunch of different reasons, to stress a word or phrase, connect content, creating patterns, dividing content, the list could go on and on.
Shape
We all know our basic shapes from Kindergarten, like triangles, squares, circles, and rectangles. But the shapes in design can be categorized as much more than those geometric shapes.
Size
Size is pretty self explanatory. It's the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to the shape of another. It's often used to attract attention or convey importance. The size of your elements can tell your viewer a lot about your composition.
Texture
In design, texture refers to the surface quality of a shape. Texture can be actual or visual. Some common textures are: rough, smooth, soft, hard and glossy. The texture on your design can actually be felt, if it's a physical design, or implied through other design means. Different kinds of media, like using paper or film or cloth, can be used to create actual texture. Visual texture gives the illusion of texture.
Color
Color seems like a pretty simple concept, but color as a design element has a bunch of other terms than come with it. In relation to a design element, color has three properties: intensity, value, and hue. The name of the color as it's labeled on the color wheel is its hue. The value refers to the lightness or darkness of the color. Value is also another important element of design. Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of the color.
Value
Value refers to the lightness or darkness of an area in a design. Sometimes this element is called tone. It's the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between.
Space
When talking about space as an element of design, it refers to the area in which the art is organized or the distance around or between the elements in the artwork. Often space is categorized as positive or negative. Positive space is the subject of the art, and the negative space is the background.