Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Module 1
Introduction
As you watch videos, read magazines, articles, books, and other resources
containing arts and designs, a lot those include design principles which are
commonly enumerated with only 6, or 8, or 10. Of course, we don’t argue with what
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We will talk and discuss this time the 12 Principles of Design according to some
authors who expounded the common principles of design in the past. Beginning first
6 common principles of design, followed by another /additional principles. These
are: unity, balance, pattern, emphasis, rhythm, proportion, repetition, contrast,
scale, movement, variety, and white space.
Principles of Design
Principles of Design The principles of design describe the ways that artists
use the elements of art in a work of art. (Paul Getty)
Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which
creates a sense of completeness. (Paul Getty)
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Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and
space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make
a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side
of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance,
the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements
are arranged around a central point and may be similar. (Paul Getty)
Symmetrical balance
Asymmetrical balance
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Radial symmetry
Pattern is the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.
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Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually
the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The
area could be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc. (Paul Getty)
Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly
to create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music
or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is essential. (Paul
Getty)
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Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or
number) relate well with each other. When drawing the human figure,
proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.
(Paul Getty)
The human figure is scaled to appear larger than the city skyline. The
proportions could indicate depth of perspective or could symbolize the
relationship of laborers in building a city. (Cindy Ingram)
Repetition works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. The
repetition of elements of design creates unity within the work of art. (Paul
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Variety is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention
and to guide the viewer’s eye through and around the work of art. (Paul Getty)
Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to
focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and
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Many beginning designers feel the need to pack every pixel with some type of
“design” and overlook the value of white space. But white space serves many
important purposes in a design, foremost being giving elements of the design
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room to breathe. Negative space can also help highlight specific content or
specific parts of a design.
It can also make elements of a design easier to discern. This is why
typography is more legible when upper and lowercase letters are used since
negative space is more varied around lowercase letters, which allows people
to interpret them more quickly. (Cameron Chapman)
Hierarchy - Hierarchy is the control of visual information in an arrangement
or
presentation to imply importance. Hierarchy influences the order in which the
human eye perceives what it sees. (Gareth David)
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SUMMARY
The most important is that the artwork should have at least one guiding principle to
qualify for the best art design.
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
References
https://www.toptal.com/designers/ui/principles-of-design
https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/buildinglessons/principlesdesign.p
df
https://www.johnlovett.com/design-overview
https://254-online.com/hierarchy-principle-of-design/