Principles Of Design
Principles Of Design
• The Principles Of Design help artists
organize compositions so they
communicate effectively.
• The main Principles are Unity, Variety,
Emphasis, Rhythm & Movement,
Balance, Pattern, and Proportion.
Unity
• A principle of design related to the sense of wholeness
that results from the successful combination of the
elements of an artwork.
• All elements work together to communicate certain ideas
or feelings.
Proximity Similarity & Continuation
Unity is affected by Proximity, Similarity, and
Continuation.
• Proximity- the tendency to see things that are
overlapped, touching or close together in groups
• Similarity- making things similar to each other
such as color, value, texture, shape or form
• Continuation- creating a flow of vision from one
object to another
Variety
Gustav Klimt Tree of Life
Introducing differences in the elements of a
composition to offset unity and add interest to an
artwork
Emphasis
Emphasis makes part of the work more dominant over
the other parts, creating more attention than anything
else in the composition. The dominate element is
usually a focal point and contributes to unity by
suggesting that other elements are subordinate to it.
Emphasis
There is an element or combination of elements that create(s) a focal
point for the viewer.
Emphasis can be created through contrast, isolation, location,
convergence/lead lines or the unusual.
Contrast refers to the degree of
difference between elements, most
commonly value, color and texture.
Contrast is the key to a welldefined artwork such as The Girl
with a Pearl Earring by Jan
Vermeer.
Isolation means putting
one object alone, apart
from all the others as in
Andrew Wyeth’s
Christina’s World.
Location refers to placing
objects near the center of
the space, causing them to
be noticed first as in
Odilon Redon’s Red Boat
with a Blue Sail. Watch
out though; this can be too
predictable.
Convergence / Lead lines are
implied or actual lines that draw
your eye to a specific area or the
composition as in Vincent Van
Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night.
The unusual refers to placing
something unexpected in the
composition to capture and hold the
viewer’s attention as in David
Alfero Siqueiros’ Echo of a Scream.
Rhythm
• A principle that refers to ways of combining
elements to produce the appearance of movement
in an artwork.
• Repetition and movement indicates rhythm in the
artwork.
• It may also be achieved through alternation or
progression of an element.
Movement
• Movement is used
to create the look
and feeling of
action.
• Most movement in
art is implied,
although some
works, called
kinetic art, actually
move in space.
Optical Movement
• Movement
added by
illusions and
the trickery of
eyes.
Balance
• The principle of
design referring to
the arrangement of
visual elements to
create stability in
an artwork.
• The balance of the
art is even and
equalized in all
aspects.
Different Types Of Balance
•
•
•
•
Asymmetrical
Symmetrical
Approximate Symmetry
Radial
Informal balance in Joan Miró’s
Landscape (The Hare). The large
but thin curvilinear object on the
left is balanced by the smaller
but heavier shapes on the right.
Formal balance
along a central
vertical axis in
Diego Rivera’s
Flower Day and
radiating from
the top center of
Dorothy
Torivio’s Vase.
Asymmetrical/Informal
The artist considers the visual weight of all the elements and places
them accordingly, with no consideration of an axis.
Symmetrical/Formal
Identical on both sides of central axis,
in this case, vertical.
Approximately Symmetrical
Almost identical on both sides
Radial balance occurs when all the elements
radiate out from a central point and the visual
weight is distributed equally.
Radial
balance
creates a
strong
focal
point in
the
center of
the
design.
REVIEW
(right) “Nollendorfplatz” by
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in
1912
Radial symmetry, or
symmetry radiating out
from a specific point, takes
form in the positioning of
the street and streetcars in
Kirchner’s work. Almost all
of the imagery seems
drawn into one central focal
point – the intersection of
the street.
Rousseau’s work demonstrates a symmetrical balance. The tree splits the painting into two distinct
halves and then utilizes the flags both in the air and in the hands of the dancers to create horizontal
symmetry.
(bottom left) “Stilleben mit Brot und Eirn” by Paul Cézanne in 1865
(Bottom Left) Cézanne’s still life demonstrates asymmetrical balance. The use of a bright white towel in
the bottom right corner completely dominates the work but is still balanced out by the parallel emptiness
of the deep black background.
Visual weight is influenced by:
Position - the further out an element is from the center, the heavier it
will feel; a large object placed near the center can be balanced by a
smaller object placed near the edge
Size - larger feels heavier
Texture - an element with more complex texture is heavier visually than
one with a simple texture or no texture at all
Isolation - an isolated element has more visual weight
Value - darker feels heavier
Value contrast - the higher the value-contrast, the heavier the weight
Quantity - multiple small objects can balance one larger object
Orientation - a diagonal orientation carries more visual weight than a
horizontal or vertical one
Shape - elements that have more complex shapes feel heavier than
those with simple shapes
Color - the brighter and more intense its color, the heavier the element
will feel
Pattern
The repetition or
combination of
elements in a
recognizable
organization.
Proportion
• Proportion is the
size relationship
between the parts
to one another
and to the whole.
Proportion
Refers to the size relationships of parts to one another and to the
whole.
The Golden Mean
A shape divided into two parts so that the ration of the
smaller part to the larger part is the same ration of the larger
part to the whole.
Exaggeration and distortion are deviations from expected or
normal proportions.
Realistic proportion in
Marisol’s The Family
and in Duane Hanson’s
Tourists II.
Disproportion and
exaggeration in Amedeo
Modigliani’s Head and in
Pablo Picasso’s Three
Dancers.