Scale scale is the size of design elements in comparison to other elements in a

layout as well as to the physical context of the work. (P.42 Thinking with Type)
Scale is used to help display and create hierarchy and contrast through
manipulating the size of letterforms and objects within, but not limited to,
typography as well as graphics. Using different scales allows designers to create
much more than just hierarchy and contrast, but designers can also use scale to
show depth and movement. Viewers see scale in relation to the things around it as
well as to their own bodies, so scale is a very important design principle that
enhances other design principles. Design principles that smoothly work together
and allow for the enhancement of other design principles make their usability more
effective. The following image has put scale to use in a way that emphasizes
hierarchy towards the teacup, while bringing contrast forth with the use of a whitetransparent teacup and a black dress for the next point the eye will move to, Alice.
The teacup is scaled to be large, which also shows depth as it appears closest to the
viewer of the image. This scale works with the darker contrast of the background,
and it adds importance of the teacup by making the teacup not only the main focus,
but also bigger than the people in the image. In Thinking with Type, Ellen Lupton
says, Scale is physical. People intuitively judge the size of objects in relation to
their own bodies and environment. This quote is of importance because it
reinforces the effectiveness of scale in this image. This image plays on the fact that
people are already, almost subconsciously, viewing objects on a scale basis, so by
making the teacup larger than a person, the teacup is of greatest importance. Do to
the scale of the teacup, the designer was able to create depth in this image. It gives
the viewer the feeling of sitting right behind the teacup, and from the position
behind the teacup a window is created where the viewer sees outwardly the rest of
the objects in the image. Many other design principles are effectively used in this
image such as contrast, hierarchy, proximity, alignment, spacing, and orientation,
but it is noted that this image is a remarkably effective use of scale due to the
aforementioned statements.

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.msbabkiesclass.com/uploads/5/6/1/9/5619308/1989428_orig.jpg
Proximity
Kimball and Hawkins say in Principles of Design that proximity is used to show
grouping and belonging (p. 31). They argue that objects that are in close proximity
signify belongingness to the viewer, while objects that are placed further apart and
are not close in proximity tell the user that these objects do not belong together.
Proximity is another way to show contrast between objects as well as hierarchy. By
manipulating the proximity of objects a designer can send a message to the
viewer/user about the relationship between those objects. Proximity as a design
principle may be used to show importance (hierarchy) or difference (contrast). Like
scale, proximity can be used to aid in exemplifying other important design
principles. The flexibility and interconnectedness to other design principles
increases the value of using proximity strategically within design. The relationship
between objects should be logical, but the way those relationships are shown is very
versatile. Single objects can be placed into meaningful proximity, or many small
objects can be grouped together into a meaningful way to show relationship through
proximity. The Cheez-It packaging design uses proximity in an effective way to show
belonging among the triangles of cheese. The cheese is within close proximity
showing belonging and are grouped together to form teeth. The actual Cheez-It
being eaten is within the same proximity of each set of cheese teeth, showing that
the cheese teeth are supposed to be together and share the same purpose, while
the Cheez-It is the outlier. Proximity as a principle was effectively used in this design
to show a bunch of cheese that is meant to go together, and all of those pieces of
cheese are essentially one bigger amount of cheeses that is stuffed into a single

Cheez-It square. There is clear logic exhibited through using proximity in this design.
The first logical thought is that all of the cheese triangles are meant to be together
and are different from the Cheez-It. The second logical assumption is that the
cheese triangles form teeth, which eat the smaller, ungrouped Cheez-It. The third
logical relationship between objects is that all of those cheese teeth are packed into
the Cheez-It, creating a very cheesy Cheez-It. All of these messages are relayed to
the viewer/consumer because the designer effectively used proximity within their
design to signify grouping and relationship among the different objects.

Hierarchy Ellen Lupton does a nice job explaining hierarchy within design by saying
hierarchy expresses the organization of content, emphasizing some elements and
subordinating other. (p.132 Thinking with Type) Hierarchy can be expressed
through text, images, arrangement of content, scale, weight, color, and even by
using different fonts. Anything that will draw the viewers attention to the most
important aspect of the document first is successfully using hierarchy. Structuring a
website to display hierarchy is important to give the user the information that they
need first. To keep up with the busy world today users want to access information as
quickly as possible, without having to go through many hoops. The image to the left
is an effective use of the design principle of hierarchy because it uses different font

sizes, bolding, colors, and blocking to display hierarchy. The most important aspect
that this home page is displaying is the name John Mees, and from there the
viewers eyes immediately go to the main interface options so that the user can
quickly pick where to go. The name John Mees is shown to be of greatest
importance because it is of the largest font, and the text is white against a colorful
background. The name is also out of the color blocking below, and instead has a
background that incorporates all of the colors used in the color blocking, making it
the head of the hierarchy. The use of separate colors and blocking clearly shows
that those subtitles are most important, or most useful. Below, the text is small,
showing a clear hierarchy where the bottom information is of least importance.

https://theproductguy.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/00-john-mees-homepage1.jpg

Contrast Similarly to Ellen Luptons description of hierarchy in Thinking with Type,

Kimball & Hawkins describe contrast as being used to show difference and create
emphasis (p. 29). In Principles of Design by Kimball & Hawkins, they offer five
ways to create contrast: shape, size, color, value, and position. I think these are
great example of how to make text stand out because they are broad categories.
Shape could be the shape of the text, aka the font, or it could be a border or the use
of a shaped icon, there are many ways to play with shape to make it stand out in

design. Size could also refer to text, the actual size of the document, or the size of
images and icons as a means to draw attention. Kimball & Hawkins talk about using
bright colors such as yellow and red to draw attention to areas on a black and white
background. Value can refer to bolding, highlighting, and framing text and different
objects in order to place emphasis. Lastly, position can be an important tool in
displaying contrast by separating different objects as well as keeping a consistent
margin and place for objects of similar importance. As Kimball & Hawkins say,
similarity and contrast are closely connected (p.29). The following image uses
contrast to show emphasis by manipulating the five key components laid forth by
Kimball & Hawkins. Shape is used effectively by having the background flat, the
buildings square, and the main focus a completely different shape as a star. The
main focus is also clearly bigger in size, making the houses look tiny compared to
the star-person. The use of color is very effective as everything but the star-man is
in gray, and then the star-person is emphasized through the use of many different
bright colors. The value is placed into this design through highlighting the starperson, and the position of the object is right in the center of the design, making it
even more obviously different.

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Spacing
Space is extremely important in design as a function for emphasis. The fun part
about spacing is that there are many ways to use spacing to show importance.
Kimball & Hawkins talk about positive and negative space and how these are used
within design. Positive space is every object, image, or text within a design. Those
objects are taking up space, so that space is positive. Conversely, negative space is
the blank spaces within a design. This could be the margins of the page or just
blank area within a design. Kimball & Hawkins say, positive and negative space

can be equally important to users for conveying meaning and fulfilling a function in
the design. (p.22)