Design elements and principles notes

Graphic Design Principles and Elements

What is Design?

-Design elements are basic units of a visual image

-The principles are the relationship of the elements used and organised as a whole

-All imagery, art, design, and photography alike, are comprised of this and can be broken down and analysed

Design Elements

• space

-exists in two or three dimensions

-can refer to a positive space or a negative one

-can create the illusion of depth

• line

-can taper

-creates style

• color

-color palettes

-evokes mood

-evokes place

-evokes time

• shape

-simple to complex

-organic

-geometric

-manmade

• texture

-can be implied

-can be actual, used in fine art

• value

-refers to shading

-helps create depth and shape

Design Principles

• unity

-Creates a sense of order

-creates a consistency in size and shape

-other elements disrupt unity

• variety

-be able to adapt

-can still be w/ unity

• repetition

-uses something over but can change an element

-used to create unity

-creates consistency

• harmony

-everything has a place

-color is important for this

• proximity

-white space is used to create room

-hierarchy of info needed

-makes info easy to access

• proportion

-can flipflop a design

- can trick eye

-used in optical illusions

• functionality

-determines style