Principles of Design

By: Alberto Lopez

Elements

The basic building blocks of a visual design:

Line
Shape/Form
Space
Value
Texture
Color

Line

a length (straight or curved) without breadth

or thickness, lead the eye through a design
length (straight or curved) without breadth or
thickness, lead the eye through a design

SHAPE / FORM

the visual appearance of something or

someone, The two-dimensional contour that
characterizes an object or area, sometimes
called a silhouette, in contrast to threedimensional form.

SPACE

an empty area (usually bounded in some

way between things

VALUE

The lightness or darkness of tones or colors.

TEXTURE

Perceived surface quality, tactile quality of

goods, how the surface of a material feels
and looks

COLOUR
the appearance of objects (or light sources)
described in terms of a person's perception
of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and
saturation

Principles

How the ELEMENTS of design are used to create

artistic, interesting, and visually appealing photographs:
Emphasis
Balance
Unity/Harmony
Contrast
Movement
Pattern/Repetition

EMPHASIS

is defined as an area or object within the

artwork that draws attention and becomes a
focal point.

BALANCE

in art refers to the sense of distribution of

perceived visual weights that offset one
another.

UNITY / HARMONY

Unity is the relationship among the

elements of a visual that helps all the
elements function together.

CONTRAST

put in opposition to show or emphasize

differences

MOVEMENT

an act of changing physical location or

position or of having this changed.

PATTERN

is an underlying structure that organizes

surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular
manner.