Balance
The design or arrangement of parts in a whole grouping
that creates a feeling of equilibrium or equality.
Collage
The use of varied textured elements or found objects
within a composition.
Concept
An idea, thought, theory or notion conceived in the mind.
Contour
The outline or outermost edge of a plane that defines its
shape.
Contrast
A condition achieved by the placement of one or more
elements in opposition to each other.
Design trilogy
The three basic shapes: square, triangle and circle.
Direction
The visual sense of movement resulting from the
orientation, position and arrangement of shapes within a
format.
Dominance
A condition that occurs when one or more compositional
elements within a visual field is emphasised and becomes
more visually prominent than the others.
Dimension
The actual size of figures and forms within the visual field
measured in standard units. The dimensions of a regular
planar figure are measured according to height and width,
whereas the dimensions of a regular volumetric form are
measured according to height, width and depth.
Equilibrium
The state that occurs when a number of forces act upon a
structure and the structure does not move, or if already
moving, does not change its state of motion.
Figure
Outline or contour of an object, shape, form, image and so
on.
Form
A total three-dimensional whole such as an object,
geometric solid, product, sculpture or architectural
structure.
Two-dimensional
form
The visualisation of space, shape and form. It is confined
to a surface and executed by various media (for example,
photography, drawing, painting, digital images and so on).
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Three-dimensional
form
A form that is tangible in its position in space. It has actual
height, width, depth and volume.
Format
A two- or three-dimensional field or space in which art
forms, visual messages, designs and environments are
created. Two-dimensional formats have length and width,
while three-dimensional formats have length, width and
depth.
Gradation
The process of change by regular, even steps, indicating a
gradual advance. Texture and pattern gradation are types
of monocular depth cues used by artists, architects and
designers to indicate depth on a two-dimensional picture
plane.
Ground
That which is behind a figure, without dominant form.
Harmony
A state of visual order or aesthetically pleasing
relationships among the visual elements in a two- or threedimensional composition form or structure.
Kinetic
Describes motion caused by force in a volume or structure.
Line
Conceptually, a point in motion that has only one
dimension which is length. Line has both a position and a
direction in space.
Mark
A visible sign, such as a point or line, in a given space.
Mass
A solid body or a grouping of visual elements that
compose a solid unified form.
Pattern
An emphasis on visual form relationships through the
repetition of one or more visual elements. Most textures
also have or create a specific pattern.
Perceive
To distinguish or observe through the senses: to see, feel,
hear, taste or smell.
Perceptual
Describes something understood through sensory stimuli,
as opposed to an abstract concept.
Physical
Describes actual materials, objects, products or
environments that exist tangibly in space.
Plane
Conceptually, a two-dimensional expression of length and
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width. A plane is a line that is stretched in two-dimensional
space in a direction other than that of its length.
Point
The simplest and most minimal of the visual elements
used in art, architecture and design. It is considered the
prime generator of all form and can be used to determine
and define location in space.
Position
Location of an element or image in space. Compositional
elements can be positioned on a two-dimensional picture
plane relative to the height and width of the format or in
three-dimensional space with respect to the height, width
and depth of a defined field.
Positive and
negative shapes
When a shape (positive) is placed onto a plane, the area
around the shape assumes another shape (negative).
Proportion
A comparison between size and quantity. Proportions are
often expressed in terms of ratios such as 1:2, or they can
be expressed in more general terms such as “twice as big
as” or “darker than”.
Repetition
A recurrence of one or more compositional elements within
the visual field or format.
Rhythm
A recurrence or repetition of visual elements in a regular,
harmonious pattern.
Rule of thirds
A technique of composition in which a medium is divided
into thirds, creating aesthetic positions for the primary
elements of design.
Scale
Size and dimension of figures and forms relative to some
unit of measure.
Relative scale
A scale represented in painting, drawing and photography
through the inclusion of known objects. For example, if an
adult person is shown next to a building in a composition,
this gives the viewer a sense of the building size because
the viewer has a general idea of the actual size of the
person.
Shape
The specific surface configuration of a plane, figure or
object. Shape can be representational or abstract. The
basic two-dimensional regular geometric shapes are called
squares, circles and triangles.
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Solid
A definite form or volumetric shape composed of some
type of material or substance.
Space
A two- or three-dimensional area defined by visual
elements. For example, a two-dimensional space may be a
picture plane or format, and a three-dimensional space
might be an environment or building interior. Space also
refers to boundless or unlimited extensions in every
direction.
Two-dimensional
space
A plane having length and width, which is sometimes
called the picture plane format.
Three-dimensional
space
The total environment perceived by the viewer, which
includes length, width and depth.
Static
Describes the condition that occurs when forces are
prevented from causing motion by equal or opposite
resisting forces. Also refers to a composition of figures or
forms that appear to be at rest and visually balanced.
Surface
The outermost boundary of any two-dimensional shape or
the outermost plane on a three-dimensional form.
Symmetry
The correspondence between opposite halves of a figure
or form on either side of an axis or set of axes.
Asymmetry
Lack of symmetry designating an unequal spatial
arrangement.
System
A group of related elements or independent elements that
form a collective entity. In the example of form generation,
the system might consist of a group of related shapes or
forms.
Texture
The characteristics of a physical surface that are
experienced through touch or vision, which can be
represented on a two-dimensional picture plane through
various drawing and media techniques.
Tactile texture
The physical surface of an object that can be experienced
through touch.
Visual texture
The representation of a textured surface through images
providing visual clues of tactile experience.
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Volume
A three-dimensional form that has length, width and depth.
Volumetric forms consist of points (vertices), lines (edges)
and planes (surfaces).
Hue
A specific colour or light wavelength found in the spectrum,
ranging circularly from red through to yellow then blue and
back to red. In visual perception these are known as
primary hues.
Secondary hues
The result of a combination of any of the two pigment
primaries of red (magenta), yellow and blue (cyan) in equal
proportions, producing orange, green and violet.
Chroma
Brightness or dullness of a hue. The chroma range
extends from neutrality (greyness) to the brightest, most
intense colour a pigment can provide.
Monochromatic
Describes anything having a single hue. Monochromatic
compositions consist of variations of one hue, using tints
and shades.
Shade
A hue combined with black.
Tint
A hue combined with white.
Tone
A hue combined with white and black.
Drawing
A graphic process that depicts or represents figures and
forms on a surface by using either pencil, pen, marker or
computers to produce points, lines, tones, textures and so
on, that illustrate an image.
Sketch or sketching
A graphic process in which only those basic lines
necessary to generally describe an object or form are
used.
Freehand drawing
The use of hand-eye techniques for recording an image
without the support of mechanical tools or instruments.
Projection drawing
The utilisation of conventional drawing systems, such as
orthographic, axonometric, oblique, and perspective
projections.
Technical drawing
A drawing which depicts objects, human figures or interior
and exterior environments with great representation, or a
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drawing which uses a projective drawing system and
selected or mixed media.
Perspective
drawing
A three-dimensional projection that shows an object as the
eye sees it from one particular point of view. The types of
perspective are one-point, two-point and three-point.
Orthographic
projection drawing
A multi-view drawing represented in two dimensions. It is a
parallel projection of the planes and elevations in which all
angles remain the same and all dimensions are true to
scale.
Axonometric
projection drawing
A general term for parallel projections that are isometric,
diametric or trimetric.
Oblique projection
drawing
A form of parallel projection in which one set of faces is
parallel to the picture plane.
Plan drawing
A scale drawing of the object viewed from above.
Thumbnails
Small drawings representing visual notetaking of ideas.
Elevation
A scale drawing of an object in vertical projection.
Axis
A real or imaginary line through a shape or solid about
which a compositional element or group of elements is
symmetrically arranged.
Grid
A visual structure system, often invisible, that can be used
in conjunction with symmetry operations and
transformations in the creation of compositions.
Golden ratio (also
golden mean or
golden section)
A ratio within the elements of a form, such as height to
width, approximating 0.618.
Hierarchy
The simplest organisational structure for visualising and
understanding complexity.
Nonrepresentational
Shapes that are free-form or abstract.
Orientation
The position of a compositional element relative to the
format or other elements in a composition or structure.
Orientation is the placement of the figure or form within a
given space described as “facing forward”, “upside down”
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and so on.
Prototyping
The use of simplified and incomplete models of a design to
explore ideas, elaborate requirements, refine specifications
and test functionality.
Legibility
The visual clarity of text, generally based on the size,
typeface, contrast, text block and spacing of the characters
used.
Readability
The degree to which prose can be understood based on
the complexity of words and sentences.
Icon
A sign that resembles an actual referent.
Ideogram
A sign characterisation that expresses the idea but not the
letters or sounds of the word that represents the idea.
Semantics
The relationships among signs and symbols and the
objects they represent.
Semiotics
The theory of signs first set forth by Charles Morris.
Semiotics describes relationships between signs and their
referents, while semiology is the science or art of signs.
Sign
A symbol or compositional element that represents
thoughts, objects or events.
Syntactics
The study of the formal properties of signs and symbols
and their relationships to other signs.
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