Design Principles - Task 1: Exploration
Design Principles - Task 1: Exploration
3/2/2025 - 15/2/2025 (Week 1- Week 3
GU QIANKUAN / 0369385
Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 1: Exploration
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Module Information Booklet
2. Introduction to Design Principles
3. Selected Existing Art/Design Work
4. Explanation for Selecting the Work of Art/ Design
1. MODULE INFORMATION BOOKLET
2. INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Lecture Notes:
INTRODUCTION
Visual communication involves using design to convey
purposeful messages to a target audience, requiring thorough
planning and execution, and understanding and applying design
elements and principles is crucial.
Elements of Design: Point, Line, Shape, Form,
Texture, Space, Colour
Principles of Design: Contrast, Balance,
Emphasis, Rules of Third, Repetition/Pattern/Rhythm, Movement,
Hierarchy, Alignment, Harmony, Unity, Proportion
Recap the design principles listed below:
• Gestalt theory
• Contrast
• Emphasis
• Balance
• Repetition
• Movement
• Harmony & Unity
• Symbol
• Word and Image
1. GESTALT THEORY
"Gestalt" means "shape" or "form" in German. The human
brain perceives patterns, logic, and structure through
Gestalt principles, which describe how the eye perceives
visual elements and how complex scenes can be
simplified. There are over 7 principles:
similarity, continuation, closure, proximity,
figure/ground, symmetry & order (also called
prägnanz), and common fate.
Similarity: Uses similar elements, such as
colour, shape, or size, to visually group elements
together, allowing for a more cohesive and visually
appealing design.
Continuation: Suggests that the human eye
naturally follows a smooth path when viewing lines,
making it useful to guide visitors in a specific
direction. This can be achieved by placing items in a
series within a line, such as horizontal sliders or
product listings.
Closure: Closure is a gestalt design
principle that suggests the brain fills in missing
parts of a design to create a whole. It's used in
logos like the World Wildlife Fund, where large
sections of the panda's outline are visible.
Proximity: Refers to the proximity of
elements, with strong relationships between
overlapping subjects. Space between elements can add
separation, even when their characteristics are the
same.
Figure/ Ground: A brain concept that uses
negative space to distinguish between the foreground
and background of an image. It's often seen in memes
and logos, particularly when the foreground and
background contain two distinct images.
Symmetry & Order: Also known as
prägnanz, suggests that the brain perceives ambiguous
shapes as simple.
Common Fate: Suggests that people group
together elements moving in the same direction,
similar to how our brains perceive flocks of birds or
schools of fish as a single stimulus.
Fig. 2.2 Examples of Gestalt Design.
2. CONTRAST
Contrast is the arrangement of opposing components in a
composition to produce visual interest, excitement, and
drama. This can be accomplished in multiple ways, such as
using light vs. dark colours, rough vs. smooth textures,
huge vs. small shapes, etc. Contrast is the combination of
fundamentally dissimilar components. It adds visual
appeal, highlights points, and conveys content. It also
enhances the dynamic and engaging quality of visual
encounters.
Fig. 2.3 Example #1 of Contrast.
The differences ensure the important elements stand out.
Sufficient contrast can make text content very easy to
read. From my observation, the contrast in Fig. 2.4 is
the complementary colour combination of blue and orange
while the contrast in Fig. 2.5 is underlined text.
3. EMPHASIS
Emphasis can create dominance and focus in a design
work. It is a design technique that emphasises a
particular element, such as colour, shape, or value, to
establish dominance and focus. The dominating
portion of a composition is the one that is most
noticeable or seems closest to you. There are three
levels of dominance: dominant, subdominant, and
subordinate.
Dominant: The primary object/area, the one
with the most visual weight, usually appearing in the
foreground.
Sub-dominant: The secondary object/area,
usually found in the middle ground of the composition.
Subordinate: Objects/areas carry little
visual weight and usually appear to recede into the
background of the composition.
Emphasis deals with the parts of a design that are
meant to stand out. This usually means the most
important information the design is meant to convey.
From my observation, the emphasis in Fig. 2.7 makes
our eyes look at the red love-shaped balloon while
the emphasis in Fig. 2.8 makes the white text stand
out because of the darker background so that the
audience can read the text easily.
4. BALANCE
Balance in design refers to the distribution of visual
weight. It is the visual equilibrium of the elements that
ensure a balanced image. Elements can have varied visual
weights depending on their size, shape, or colour, and if
positioned incorrectly, they can unbalance a composition.
It can be symmetrical balance or asymmetrical balance in a
composition.
Symmetrical balance: Equal weight on a
centrally placed fulcrum, bilateral or radial arrangement
of elements, and approximate symmetry when equivalent but
not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum
line.
Asymmetrical balance: Unequal visual weight on
each side of composition, with dominant elements balanced
by lesser focal points, offering dynamic and interesting
visuals but challenging to achieve due to complex element
relationships.
From my observation, the design principle in Fig. 2.10 is
the symmetrical balance because the visual weight is
distributed evenly while the design principle in Fig. 2.11
is the asymmetrical balance because the text is
left-aligned while the image is on the right side.
5. REPETITION
Repetition in design creates rhythm and pattern, making a
work appear active. This repetition can be accomplished by
using the same design elements in your design, such as
colours, fonts, lines, forms, sizes, and texture.
Besides that, variety is essential to keep rhythms
exciting and active and to avoid monotony. Variety
involves slight differences in elements and objects to
avoid boring compositions, including angles, exposure, and
composition. Moreover, patterns increase visual excitement
by enriching surface interest.
Rhythm: Visual rhythm in graphic design
creates movement through recurring elements, despite
variations in size, shape, colour, or space, ensuring
uniformity and smooth flow within a design.
Pattern: Repetitive designs using identical
elements to create a cohesive whole, allowing them to
continue due to their uniformity and consistency.
Fig. 2.12 Example #1 of Repetition, Rhythm and Pattern.
From my observation, the design in Fig. 2.13 uses
repetition in the elements of the basketball, repeating
the same action of being whole and cut in half, while
the design in Fig. 2.14 uses repetition in the elements
of the same size of images and the same typefaces.
Fig. 2.14 Repetition in Web Design.
6. MOVEMENT
Movement or motion in a visual image refers to how a
design leads the eye in, around, and through a
composition—the path the eye follows. The appearance of
the objects moving is due to the use of shapes, forms,
lines, and curves.
Fig. 2.15 Example #1 of Movement.
From my observation, the movement in Fig. 2.16 tells the
brain that the object is moving to the right while the
movement in Fig. 2.17 makes the eyes travel from the
left to the right and from the top to the bottom.
Fig. 2.17 Example #3 of Movement in Web
Design.
7. HARMONY & UNITY
Harmony in design involves selecting elements with common
traits. It ensures they fit together and align with the
same theme, aesthetic style, or mood. Harmony becomes
monotony without variety. (Variety refers to slight
changes in elements and objects in composition to avoid
monotony, involving varying angles, exposure, and
composition.)
Unity refers to the repetition of particular elements
throughout your design. It combines colours, shapes, and
materials to create a cohesive look. Unity arises from a
balanced composition of elements, creating a sense of
oneness and a theme.
While they may sound similar, they play distinct roles in design experiences.
While they may sound similar, they play distinct roles in design experiences.
Fig. 2.18 Example #1 of Harmony and Unity.
From my observation, the design principle shown in Fig.
19 is variety: the glass bubbles have varied sizes, and
the windows vary in width and height. However, the
concept of glass bubbles and rectangular windows remains
consistent throughout the design, providing unity and
harmony. Besides that, the harmony in Fig. 20 is the
design elements that fit together with the same theme
and design style while the unity in Fig. 20 is the use of the same typeface and same
colour scheme.
8. SYMBOL
A symbol is a sign, shape, or object used to represent
something else and can convey information equivalent to
one or more sentences of text or a whole
story. Symbols can be figurative representations and
non-figurative representations; figurative representations
can be visuals and graphic symbols. There are pictorial
symbols, abstract symbols, and arbitrary symbols.
Pictorial symbols: Image-related and
simplified pictures.
Abstract symbols: Can look like the objects
that they represent but have less details
Arbitrary symbols: Often based on geometric
shapes and colours, are invented with meaning constructed,
and we must learn them to represent objects or ideas.
9. WORD AND IMAGE
Imagery is crucial in print design or digital design. It
allows users to relate to concepts or brands. Choosing the
right words and typefaces deepens the meaning of a design.
Suitable typeface and strategic positioning of the type
will result in visual hierarchy and balance in a work of
design. Typography involves designing and arranging text
to convey a message or concept.
Fig. 2.22 Examples of Word and Image.
Source of Image #1: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/48695239712227918/
Source of Image #2: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/629448485451209872/
Source of Image #3: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132222939052231132/
Return to the Table of Contents
4. SELECTED EXISTING ART/ DESIGN WORK
Artist: The Chris Artist
Title: The joy of summer
Year: 2022
Size: 400mm x 280mm
I chose this artwork because it is a simple hand painted artwork with little elements but lots of expression as I feel the art is trying to tell a story. From my understanding of this artwork, the sun is blazing hot which was caused by humans who made climate change. And because of that caused many consequences. The trees are dead as well as the animal skeleton, which to me represents the many living creatures that are suffering till the point they die or goes extinct. Another consequence is the dry and cracked ground and the extremely hot weather which is shown in the artwork by painting the sky bright red. Another reason why I chose and like this artwork is because it evokes emotion and and gives huge impact to alert others about the future if climate change continuous for the worse.
Design principles:
1. Repetition
2. Unity
3. Emphasis
4. Balance
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