Principles of Design

The Principles are concepts used to organize or

arrange the structural elements of design. Again, the
way in which these principles are applied affects the
expressive content, or the message of the work.
At this point in learning about graphic design, you should
already know the basic elements of design: line, shape,
color, form, space, texture, and typography. These are the
building blocks of graphic design. However, good design
requires that you apply some basic principles that involve
how you use the elements in your composition.
Some principles of design are contrast, alignment,
balance, hierarchy, proximity, whitespace repetition,
simplicity, and function. How those elements, whether
consciously placed or not, will imbue your composition with
a particular quality. Let's look at each one

What is composition in design?

In the visual arts, composition is the placement or

arrangement of visual elements or 'ingredients' in a work
of art, as distinct from the subject. ... The
term composition means 'putting together' and can apply
to any work of art, from music to writing to photography,
that is arranged using conscious thought.
 Contrast

Wecreate contrast when two or more elements in our design are different. The
degree of difference will determine how noticeable the contrast will be.
One of the most common examples of contrast involves color. Certain colors almost
blend into each other when placed in close proximity. Others distinguish themselves
contrast colors and are directly across from each other on a color wheel.

Alignment
Alignment involves the way you place the different visual elements in your
composition in a way that they line up. These can be horizontal lines, vertical, lines,
or diagonal lines. You can align elements, including text, along the top, bottom, left,
or right edge of a page as well as balanced across a center line.
Careful use of alignment will give you composition a clear, formal, and professional
appearance.

Balance
Balance is the way you place elements in a composition so that their visual weight
is equal across your composition.
Visual weight is the amount of attention an object will command from the viewer,
such as darker object attracting more attention than lighter objects.
There are three kinds of balance commonly used in design.

1. Symmetrical balance - objects of equal or similar visual weight are placed

with equal distance from an invisible center line.
 2. Asymmetrical balance - balance exists across the center line but smaller or
lighter objects appear on one side to balance a much heavier object on the
other side.
3. Radial balance - balances objects in relation to a central point instead of a
line.

Hierarchy, Proximity, & White Space

Hierarchy in graphic design uses the visual weight of objects in a composition to

establish an order of importance. It guides the viewer's eye through the information
in the specific order the designer intends.
Proximity simply refers to how close together or far apart you place two objects in
a composition. As you can guess, this means proximity heavily uses the element of
space. The reason proximity matters, and it matters quite a bit, is that distance
helps determine the relationship between the objects.
White space actually refers to the empty space in a composition. If the piece feels
cluttered, adding a bit of white space can help relax the feel of it. Then again, too
much white space and you can lose the viewer, particularly say, in a website whose
white space requires a lot of scrolling to get to the next item of interest.
 Repetition
The principle of repetition involves reusing the same or similar elements
throughout a composition as a way to accent certain features or tie the different
areas of a work into a unified whole. The regularity and spacing between repeating
elements is what gives each work a unique rhythm.

EMPHASIS
Emphasis is when the artist creates an area of the composition that is visually
dominant and commands the viewer's attention. This is often achieved by contrast.

MOVEMENT
Movement is the result of using the elements of art such that they move the
viewer's eye around and within the image. A sense of movement can be created by
diagonal or curvy lines, either real or implied, by edges, by the illusion of space, by
repetition, by energetic mark-making.
 PATTERN
Pattern is the uniform repetition of any of the elements of art or any combination
thereof. Anything can be turned into a pattern through repetition. Some classic
patterns are spirals, grids, weaves. For examples of different pattern types
see the Artlandia Glossary of Pattern Design. A popular drawing practice
is Zentangles, in which an abstract or representational outline is divided into
different areas, each of which contains a unique pattern.

RYHYTHM
Rhythm is created by movement implied through the repetition of elements of art
in a non-uniform but organized way. It is related to rhythm in music. Unlike pattern,
which demands consistency, rhythm relies on variety.

UNITY
Unity/Variety You want your painting to feel unified such that all the elements fit
together comfortably. Too much unity creates monotony, too much variety creates
chaos.You need both. Ideally, you want areas of interest in your composition along
with places for your eye to rest.
REFERENCES :

https://www.liveabout.com/principles-of-art-and-design-2578740

https://study.com/academy/lesson/principles-of-composition-in-graphic-design.html

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/06/design-principles-compositional-balance-symmetry-
asymmetry/