Tugasan 4: Element and Principle of Design

The Element of Design

Line, shape, negative space, value, volume, color and texture are the elements of design. These elements, used together or separately to create all visuals, are called the principles of designs. To a visual designer, the elements of design are the same as notes to a musician or words to a writer. They are the tools used to create their masterpieces. similarly, design principle can be compared to the rules that apply to composing a musical score or the grammatical structure and rules required for writing novel.

Line

Lines are the most basic element of design. They are a child's first visual of expression and the foundation for most of art.

Figures 1: Chi

ld's drawing

Many designers use lines to think through concepts and create preliminary sketches that communicate their ideas quickly.

Figure 2: A preliminary drawing an 3D character models based on this drawing

Line and Design

Line can be defined as having only length or one dimension. There are two types of lines: visual and implied lines. The more commonly used visual line is defined as a lines that can be seen. In mathematical terms, a line is the distance between two points. A true 1D line cannot be seen because it has length but no visible. This type of line is called an implied line. An implied line forms an invisible connection between other elemen

ts to form a line.

Figure 3: Visual and implied lines

Principle of Design

The principles of design are a natural part of perception. Most of the artist are not conscious in everyday life, but they usually are very aware of themselves, because they have trained to be aware. These principles codify, or explain systematically, our sense of "rightness" and help to show why certain designs work better than others. For the artist they offer guide-lines for making the most effective choices; for the observer and understanding of the principles of design gives greater insights into works of art.

The principles of design most often identified are unity and variety, balance, emphasis and focal point, proportion and scale, and rhythm. This chapter illustrates some thirty-two works of art that show these principles very clearly. But, any work of art, regardless of its form or the culture in which it was made, could be discussed in terms of the principles of design, for they are integral to all art.

Balance
Try walking a long distance with a 2 pound bag of rocks in one hand and a 10 pound bag of marbles in the other. After awhile you'll be wanting to shift your load around, putting a few marbles in the rock bag to balance your load, make it easier to walk. This is how balance works in design. Visual balance comes from arranging elements on the page so that no one section is heavier than the other. Or, a designer may intentionally throw elements out of balance to create tension or a certain mood.

Proximity / Unity

Observe a group of people in a room. You can often learn a lot about who is listening intently to another person, which are strangers, or who is ignoring who by how close together they sit or stand. In design, proximity or closeness creates a bond between people and between elements on a page. How close together or far apart elements are placed suggests a relationship (or lack of) between otherwise disparate parts. Unity is also achieved by using a third element to connect distant parts.

Alignment
Can you imagine how difficult it would be to find your car in a crowded parking lot if everyone ignored the parking lot stripes and parked in every which direction and angle? Imagine trying to get out of there! Alignment brings order to chaos, in a parking lot and on a piece of paper. How you align type and graphics on a page and in relation to each other can make your layout easier or more difficult to read, foster familiarity, or bring excitement to a stale design.

Repetition / Consistency
What if Stop signs came in pink squares, yellow circles, or green triangles, depending on the changing whims of a town and a few of its residents? Imagine the ensuing traffic jams and accidents. Repeating design elements and consistent use of type and graphics styles within a document shows a reader where to go and helps them navigate your designs and layouts safely.

Repetition / Consistency
What if Stop signs came in pink squares, yellow circles, or green triangles, depending on the changing whims of a town and a few of its residents? Imagine the ensuing traffic jams and accidents. Repeating design elements and consistent use of type and graphics styles within a document shows a reader where to go and helps them navigate your designs and layouts safely.

Contrast
On the basketball court, one pro team looks much like another. But send a few of those players for a stroll down most any major city street and something becomes apparent — those players are much taller than your average guy on the street. That's contrast. In design, big and small elements, black and white text, squares and circles, can all create contrast in design.

White Space
Did you ever participate in that crazy college pasttime of VW Beetle stuffing? Were you ever the guy on the bottom struggling for a breath of fresh air or the last one in trying to find a place to stick your left elbow so the door will close? It wasn't comfortable, was it? Imagine trying to drive the car under those conditions. Designs that try to cram too much text and graphics onto the page are uncomfortable and may be impossible to read. White space gives your design breathing room.

Sources

Allan Hashimoto & Mike Clayton. (?). Visual design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach, Third Edition. Retrieve from http://www.innerspacelabs.com/teaching/generalResources/designFundamentals/vdf_ch1.pdfon

on 5 Febuary 2011.

Mark Getlein (?). Living with Art. Retrieve from http://www.innerspacelabs.com/teaching/generalResources/designFundamentals/lwa_ch5.pdf

on 5 Febuary 2011.

Illustrating the Principles of Design Lesson 2. Retrieve from http://desktoppub.about.com/od/designprinciples/l/aa_pod2.htm on 5 Febuary 2011