principles108-001

What are "design principles" and why should I use them?

 * Graphic design principles** are the six basic guidelines used by designers to establish a comprehensive and cohesive design. The design principles consist of unity, emphasis, balance, rhythm, depth, and color. Each principle can be used to enhance the design, or if desired, used to the opposite effect to create purposeful chaos. By understanding each principle and it's influence on the overall composition, one can create a more effective design.

Design principles are also known as the rules of aesthetics. They can apply to more than graphic design. An example of this would be the use of repetition. When something is repeated it causes grouping. According to Gestalt, people need to see the organization of the design in order to process it. If the design appears disorganized, they will reject it.

Overall, design principles are used to organize the elements (line, texture, shape, space, form) in a composition. One should use the design principles to create a certain emotion, catch the viewer's eye, and most importantly, to convey a message.

It is rare that a design would not require unity. Even in a design that communicates chaos there is a planned unification of the design elements to communicate the intended message. Unity is used to create a feeling of completeness where everything flows together. One must balance harmony and variety carefully. Unity is the feeling that everything in the work of art works together and looks like it fits. Unity can be created by proximity, by repetition of shapes, colors, angles, textures, and orientations, as well as other various things, by continuity, by color/shading, and by intellectual associations. A lack of unity leads to repulsion. However, the opposite side of unity is variety. Sometimes, unity and variety are in conflict. In this situation, creating an effective partnership between unity and variety is essential. If unity and variety are in conflict, we should consider the balance of each part, and use very different approaches to create an appropriate composition. There are some cases in which it would be best for unity and variety to interfere with one another depending on what the topic is and who the audience is.
 * Unity**

Emphasis can be achieved by the contrast of placement, isolation, position, direction, color or value, and size of an object or type. Without emphasis a design melts into a bland and boring flatness. Emphasis is also known as the focal point. It is the second most important principle, falling behind unity. Emphasis is needed in a design created by a graphic designer to create a quick response. However. it doesn't mean many focal points are better. If there are too many focal points, the design will become too chaotic, messy, and confusing. It will lose the function of focal points. They won't emphasize anything and the design won't be able to catch the viewers' interest. It is possible, however, for more than one focal point to be used, for example, if there are two focal points and they work well with one another and don't make the artwork look too confusing or take away from one another. If you can find a way to create two focal points then the piece will become very interesting because it will keep your eye moving back and forth from one to the other and make you look at the piece longer.
 * Emphasis**

There are four kinds of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, random, and mathematical. The imaginary line used by the viewer to measure balance is vertical rather than horizontal. Symmetrical balance is not necessarily a mirror image down the center of the design. It can be an approximate image. Symmetrical balance also includes spiral or radial symmetry. Asymmetrical balance can be achieved by size, by position, by shape, or by color. Although human beings will be more comfortable with balanced compositions according to the gestalt theory, sometimes, artists use imbalance very deliberately, such as Eric Fischl's work, Barbecue,1982. In this oil painting, an impossibly large fish, a distorted pool, tiny swimming women, a father grilling, and a fire-breathing son were organized as a whole picture.
 * Balance**

A design has to have repetition for rhythm to exist. Rhythm can be created with curves, angles, patterns or alternating lights and darks. The rhythmic pattern may be staccato, alternating, legato, or progressive. All of these create visual movement which helps to make rhythm. There are four, if not more, ways to make the illusion of movement. Using diagonal lines in a composition helps to imply movement, whereas horizontal lines usually imply stability and less movment. You could also use kinesthetics which is the science of movement...in other words, you study how something moves, and capture it! Decisive moment needs the correct use of space and emotions in order to be effective. Before and After obviously shows movement, because in one frame, you hold one position and in the next, you have shifted to another. Multiplication also shows movement as it happens frame by frame.
 * Rhythm**

Depth in design is more of an illusion of depth. The illusion can be created by size, overlap, atmospheric perspective, perspective lines (converging lines, vanishing points, horizon lines, etc.) location, shadow, color and etc. There needs to be some kind of a vanishing point which is created by convergent lines for perspective. There are several ways to use depth or the illusion of depth to create a more interesting composition. Amplified perspective exaggerates linear perspective for a more dramatic and engaging presentation. Fractured space happens when multiple viewpoints are combined into one image. Layered space is created when the foreground, middle ground, and background are clearly defined. Depth can be created by vertical placement on the picture plane; objects higher in the composition appear to be farther away and objects lower in the composition appear to be closer. Secondly, depth can be created by size in that smaller objects seem farther away than bigger objects. Atmospheric perspective also plays a part in depth; the clearer in focus an object is the closer it appears to be, whereas when an object starts to become less focused and fuzzy, it will appear to be farther away.
 * Depth**

Color theory is the relationship between colors. Graphic designers often use color to create a focal point within a composition. Color can also be used to increase the compositional importance of a visual element. Designers tend to use the subtractive color principle as seen in the CMYK palette as oppose to the pantone palette. Colors can create harmony which is important to the composition. Harmony, using the color wheel, can be monochromatic, analogous, complementary, triadic, warm, cool, or discord. Color (also known as hue) is affected by brightness and saturation. Brightness of a color can be manipulated by adding black or white. Saturation is the intensity of a color. Relationships among colors are critical to the success or failure or a design. Many color theories of color harmony have been developed to help artist, architects, and designers make good choices. Color is also a way to create unity, emphasis, balance, and rhythm. Color is great and wonderful. A well placed use of color can be tremendously powerful. Overuse of color can be a turn-off by its redundancy. Color should not be abused. Color demands respect and artful handling. Color feels like something is alive because we are alive. We do not live in black and white.
 * Color**