Power of 3 in Design

2. Agenda
• Design Principles
• Design Elements
• Layout
• Fonts
• Color Palette
• Images

3. Design Principles

4. Focal Point
Rhythm
Unity

5. An area of interest that attracts the viewer

6. May be the smallest area or only area of color

7. May be created with proportion = relative size of an object as
measured in comparison to another

8. Focal Point
Rhythm
Unity

9. Engaging the senses: the rhythm of artwork creates a sensation,
evoking sight, sound, touch, motion
Charles Burchfield. The Insect Chorus. 1917. Opaque and transparent
watercolor with ink and crayon on paper, 1’ 7 7/8”x 1’ 3 7/8” (50 x 40 cm).
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute. Museum of Art, Utica, New York (Edward
W. Root Bequest), 58.104.
Albert Renger-Patzsch. Buchenwald in Herbst (Beech Forest in Autumn).
1936. Silver gelatin print, 8 3/4”x 6 3/8” (22.2 x 16.2 cm). The Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Warner Communications, Inc., purchase fund, 1980;
1980.1063.1.

11. Philip Guston. Transitions. 1975. Oil on Canvas, 5’6” x 6’81/2” (167.6 x 204.5cm). Smithsonian
Amercian Art Museum, Washington, DC. Bequest of Musa Guston.
Hiroshi Sugimoto. U.A. Play House. 1978.
Used to different type of feelings:
• Symmetrical: classicism, stability, formal
• Asymmetrical: dynamism, movement, casual

12. Focal Point
Rhythm
Unity

13. Unity = visual harmony is achieved with whatever elements are used

17. Design Elements

18. Line
Shape
Pattern
Texture
Value
Color
Space
Motion

23. Biomorphic shapes –Abstract shapes that allude to natural, organic forms such as plants or the human form, convey
emotion or reference. Over the Circle (Frankenthaler)

24. Texture makes the object feel like it has a surface quality.

25. Add color and you can change the tone and message completely

26. Create interest by interrupting the repetition (image by San Mung, Prism)

27. Figure / Ground
relationships
(Ascending and
Descending by M.C.
Escher)

28. Sue Hettmansperger. Untitled Drawing. 1975. Watercolorand pencil, 1' 11" x 2' 1" (58 x 64 cm). Collection of North Carolina National Bank.
Use value to create form

29. James Turrell. Meeting. 1986. Warm and cool colors for simultaneous contrast

30. The use of space supports color as a focal point

31. Motion dominates this image

32. Layout

33. Careful control of visual hierarchy is a key aspect of the
design decisions we have to consider.
1. Most Important
2. Least Important
3. Everything else in between

34. Poster by Rebecca Foster

36. Fonts

37. Limit your font choices to 3
and use fancy fonts for headlines only

42. Color Palette

43. Limit your color palette to 3

44. You’ll tend to get a more pleasing final result if you stick to three
colors in your color scheme.

45. Many of the masters’ paintings use very limited palettes

48. If more colors are needed, try using tints or shades of a color

49. Choose colors that are appropriate
and be aware of cultural differences

51. In some countries, yellow has very different connotations. In Egypt, for
example, yellow is for mourning. In Japan, it represents courage, and in
India it’s a color for merchants.

52. Images

53. Use the rule of thirds

54. Horizontal horizontals

55. Framing

56. Fill the frame

57. Try different angles

58. Avoid harsh sunlight and zoom in

59. Uncluttered background

60. Use visual metaphors
and Puns

65. Clean up your mess
Clean Designs Reduce the
Effort Needed to Find Information

66. Consider Alignment, Size, Contrast, and Extras

67. Best Practices
• Create a layout with strong visual hierarchy
• Use the power of 3:
- Layout
- Fonts
- Color Palette
• Image cropping and positioning
• Unity is the ultimate goal