Mini Art Schoolthe Elements, Principles & Theories of DesignBy: Gemma Cocomello

In This Lesson

7 elements of design

6 principles of good design

4 laws of Gestalt theory

How it can help

Vocabulary to talk about what we see in our visual culture

Creates more effective visual messages

Design professionals don’t need to know how to draw (many can’t)

Element #1- Space

Positive & negative space

Positive space is what’s filled

Negative space is not your enemy

Space is a requirement

Element#2- Line

Primary tool

First graphic marks humans make

May be straight, angular, curvy, thick or thin

Illustrations drawn within lines are called “line art”

Associated with movement and eye flow

Element#3- Shape/Form

Layout are mostly rectangle

Inorganic and organic

Inorganic are precisely geometric (perfect cirlces, squares, triangles, etc)

Organic are more natural

Shapes can trigger instant recognition

Element#4- Size/Scale

Important for composing layouts

Can shout with importance or whisper

Large headlines vs. small advertisement

Element#5- Color

Most powerful communication tool

Draws attention

Evokes emotion

Element#6- Texture

Illusions (2D, 3D, depth, dimensions)

Paper itself

Visual impression

Patterns

Element#7- Value

Tones of light,dark and in between

Grayscale

Use light or dark tones to highlight one thing or de-emphasize another

Black, white and gray are useful for giving the sense of 3D in 2D and give color when you can’t use color

1. Have you ever been guilty of mixing colors/textures/patterns that did not go well together?

2. Share your artistic/design pet peeves.3. Name or show some examples of when combining black and white with color work.

Principle#1- Focal Point/Empahis

Center of visual interest (CVI)

Rule #1- Have one

Rule#2- One per screen, page, story, or ad

Can be anything, as long as it’s the most eye catching piece of the visual information

Golden Proportion

Ratio 1:1.618

Also called the divine proportion or the golden ratio

Compositional grid suggesting asymmetrical placement

When we divide a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is equal to the whole length divided by the longer part.

Artists and designers like this due to its production of visual appeal

Rule of Thirds

Simpler than the golden proportion

3X3 gird that suggests layout placement

Divides the layout into evenly spaced 3X3 grids, the focal point goes on one of the four gridline intersections

Principle#2- Contrast

Great deal of flexibility

Limitless ways to achieve it

Great way to avoid visual boredom

Principle#3- Balance

Visually balanced

Radial balance

Symmetrical balance

Asymmetrical balance

Principle#4- Movement

Good design controls the eye’s flow

Want the eye to move across the layout

Lines create movements and different linear movements communicate different symbolic messages

Horizontal: left to right or right to left

Vertical: Stability or upward movements

Diagonal: Exciting dynamic movement

Principle#5-Rhythm/Pattern

In graphic design rhythmic movement has to do with repeating items strategically

Grouping several photos establishes a rhythm

Repeating fonts generates a rhythm

Visual sense of togetherness

Helps lead the eye from one thing to another

Principle#6-Unity

All parts of the design that work together

Consistency

Oneness

Visually unified if different parts have links or relationships to one another

Gestalt Theory

20th century German psychologists studied how the human brain perceives objects

Discovered that the brain automatically simplifies, arranges and orders objects the eyes see

Specific patterns of perception emerged from the research.

Became the Gestalt Laws

Law#1-Proximity

Objects close together belong to the same group

Objects in the same direction are art of the same group (Common Fate)

To avoid a busy cluttered layout

Law#2- Similarity

Group things with similar properties (color, shapes,etc)

In layout we can use similarity to create order and organization through unity

Law#3- Continuity

Our minds will continue a pattern beyond its ending points

Adds sense of direction and movement

Law#4- Closure

Mentally filling in the gaps to complete a perceived shape

Idea of designing with only a part but having the viewer perceive the whole.

Questions

Find a web age, advertisement, etc that you feel passes the lessons elements and principles. Or find one that does not.

Find and example that would pass the Gestalt theory

School’s Out!!!