There are many articles on what makes great design. Usually folks like to talk about elements like color and line, etc., but there isn’t a lot of information out there about the principles of design. The principles are basically what a designer can do with the elements. So, let’s talk about this application. What are the principles of design?
The most important design principle, to me, is balance. As designers, we want the eye to land on a design in a specific way and if balance isn’t present, the eye will wander away, or the message will be missed. Balance needs to be across all elements like color, shape, line, etc. Light should equal dark. Big should equal each other. For example, a dark shape appears heavy, so a larger light one would balance it. A small shape close to a border will balance a large shape in the middle of a page.
Gradation may not be as familiar of a term as some of the other principles I’ve listed. It’s pretty simple to see, though, as it adds a sense of motion to design. For example light to dark gradation forces the eye to move with its changes. So, we can define gradation as size and direction moving together to make linear perspective.
The most easily defined design principle is repetition: an element of design applied over and over. The key to this principle is to add variation to the pattern so that the design doesn’t get stagnant. If you do repetition well, you’ll add appeal to your design.
Now let’s define contrast. Contrast is how opposing elements are positioned. An example would be vertical lines versus horizontal lines. Another example is light versus dark shades of color, or taking it further, warm light colors versus dark cool colors. The contrast should be the starkest at the point where you want the reader to focus. Be wary of too much contrast though, which will break the unity of your design.
While contrast is an obvious effect, harmony is much more subtle. I’ll define it here as the visual satisfaction of combining similar design elements. Two colors next to each other on a color wheel will give harmony. Similar shapes will give harmony. When done well, harmony gives design depth without being easily perceptible.
Dominance will give design oomph. Basically, dominance serves to counter any confusion and tedium. It simply adds emphasis. The eye will automatically to the dominant portion of the piece, so this is the reason it’s important to choose the dominating elements carefully.
Unity means the way design elements relate to the idea that’s supposed to be expressed in the design. For example if you want to communicate an aggressive or active subject, you’d better use dominant colors, coarse texture, angular lines, and tonal contrast. Of course the opposite would apply to a quieter subject matter.
Chris Kincaid is a twenty year marketing professional and writes extensively on business including local topics such as graphic design in Michigan and Ann Arbor web design.
Tags: advertising, graphic design, marketing, web design