The Elements & Principles of Design

ELEMENTS:  are the visual features of a work of art/design. 

LINE: a form that has length and width.  Line is a mark made by a tool. The usual art definition of line is a moving dot.  A line is created by the movement of a tool and pigment, and often suggests movement.

SHAPE/FORM:  a visually perceived area created either by an enclosing line or by color and value changes defining the edges.  Form describes volume and mass.

SPACE: depth; in two-dimensional design, images are rendered on a flat surface (i.e. paper. canvas or board); this depth is a visual illusion or a feeling of actual space. 

VALUE:  the artistic term for light and dark.  Value contrasts help us to see and understand a 2-D work of art.

COLOR: Essential fact of color theory is that color is a property of light and not an object itself: light waves absorbed and reflected.  Natural orders of color or HUE- the name of the color; VALUE-the lightness or darkness of the color; INTENSITY - the brightness of dullness of color and the strength or purity of the color.  Value and intensity are closely connected but separate.

TEXTURE: refers to the surface quality of objects. 

PRINCIPLES:  organize the elements of design. 

UNITY: an agreement exists among the elements in a design: they look as if they belong together.

REPETITION:as the term implies. a design element simply repeats in various parts of the design to relate the parts to each other,  (unity with repetition).

VARIETY:variation of a repeated element.  For example: shapes may repeat, but perhaps in different sizes; color may repeat, but perhaps in different values.  (unity with variety)

EMPHASIS/FOCAL POINT: a place in the composition which will “hold” the attention of the viewer.  A focal point attracts attention and encourages the viewer to look further.

BALANCE:  distribution of visual weight.  Balance in a composition can be symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial.

SCALE/PROPORTION:  are related terms in that both refer basically to size.  Scale is  another word for size: saying “ large scale” or “small scale” means big or small.    Proportion refers to relative size: size measured against a standard norm.