The Elements and Principles of Design

1. Roshan Ty and Amanda Huynh
Elements and
Principle of Design

2. Elements

3. Line
The element of line adds a direction for
the audience to follow. In this photo of a
music sheet, the lines add perspective,
giving it depth while the music sheet
remains flat on a surface.

4. Shape
The shapes within a photograph allows
the audience to reimagine the picture. In
this photograph of a guitar, the audience
can picture the hole to be made of several
different shapes including circles and
rectangles. Additionally, the audience
may also be able to reimagine to the
picture to be an opening that is protected
by a gate.

5. Form
The element of form increases the
understanding of the audience and
informs them on what they are viewing
based on the three dimensional shapes
that they see. Within this picture of a
xylophone, the audience are able to make
out several shapes including rectangular
prisms and circular tubes to improve their
understanding of the image.

6. Value
The element of value within visual pieces
allow for the visualization of texture and
shape of objects within pictures. In this
photo of a piano, value is used to create
shadows as well as light and dark spots on
the piano keys. This gives the viewers an
insight on the size, shape and texture of
the piano key. In specific terms, these
piano keys are viewed to be smooth, shiny
and rectangular with rounded edges.

7. Colour
The introduction of colour allows for a
piece to flow. In this picture of a guitar,
everything follows a neutral tone. This
allows the audience to focus their
attention towards the action that is
happening within the photograph without
having any distractions.

8. Texture
The element of texture allows for an
immersive experience when viewing a two
dimensional image as it depicts the
“feeling” of the object through the value of
its colours. For example, in this
photograph of a tuba, the wear of this
instrument can be seen as the dents
create a darker hue in contrast to the
luster of the brass that do not have dents.

9. Space
The element of space can allow the
visualization of depth within an image. In
this photograph of a flute, space is used to
visualize the length of the instrument. By
photographing the flute from an angle,
the viewer obtains a better understanding
of the length of the flute.

10. Principles

11. Movement
Movement aids the viewer to direct their
eyes throughout a piece of artwork using
the principles of design. The picture of
the person playing the bongo has a sense
of action. With this, the motion blur that
occurs within the hands demonstrates the
drumming movement while the front part
of the bongo becomes a focal point.

12. Rhythm
Rhythm often refers to the repetitive
patterns in the principles of art and
design. In this photo, rhythm is shown by
the recurring elements , shape and form.
These elements are represented by the
guitar cases where they are both standing
vertically and laying horizontally in a row.

13. Balance
Balance is the distribution of visual weight
of elements to produce a pleasing
composition in a design. This includes,
symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial
balance. This example as a whole is
symmetrical as the weight of the elements
(colour, form and shape) are distributed
evenly. However, it is not completely
symmetrical because the tuning pegs are
not even, nor are the colour of the string
completely silver/copper.

14. Unity
Unity creates a sense of harmony into an
artwork by using similar elements such as
colour, shape, texture and more. To
successfully achieve unity, thoughts have
to be placed into finding elements that
have an obvious visual relationship. In this
photograph, many of the elements are the
same such as colour, shape, texture and
form, but, each piece of the drum slightly
differ from one another. This in turn,
makes this picture more interesting and
wholesome.

15. Contrast
In an art piece, contrast evokes visual
interest by having opposite elements by
each other. Examples could include
colour (brightness, complementary
colours, saturation), size (small/large), and
texture (rough/smooth). This picture is an
example of having contrast with colour
because piano keys are distinct by having
black and white keys (dark vs light).

16. Emphasis
Emphasis allows the focal point of a
picture to stand out from the other
subjects by using techniques that can
emphasize them. This examples shows
that the guitar is the focal point since it
draws the most attention but it is
emphasized because the background has
been subordinated.

17. Proportion
In terms of art and design, proportion
refers to the visual scale/size of an
element in relation to another element ,
creating interest in a piece. In this photo,
the cylinders of the xylophone are close
to the camera. Doing so, it can form an
illusion that they are enlarged and frames
the guitar nicely.