THE

PRINCIPLES
OF DESIGN
What does the 6 stand
for in j6 design?
Answer: the 6
fundamental
principles of design

which are: balance,

proximity, alignment,
repetition, contrast
and space. Lets look
at what each does.

The elements and principles of

design are the building blocks. The
elements of design are the things
that make up a design. The
Principles of design are what we do
to those elements. How we apply
the principles of design determines
how successful the design is.

The elements of design

LINE The linear marks made
with a pen or brush or the edge
created when two shapes meet.
SHAPE A shape is a self
contained defined area of geometric
(squares and circles), or organic
(free formed shapes or natural
shapes). A positive shape
automatically creates a negative
shape.
DIRECTION All lines have
direction Horizontal, Vertical or
Oblique. Horizontal suggests
calmness, stability and tranquillity.
Vertical gives a feeling of balance,

formality and alertness. Oblique

suggests movement and action
SIZE Size is simply the
relationship of the area occupied by
one shape to that of another.
TEXTURE Texture is the
surface quality of a shape rough,
smooth, soft hard glossy etc.
COLOUR Colour is light
reflected off objects. Color has three
main characteristics: hue or its
name (red, green, blue, etc.), value
(how light or dark it is), and intensity
(how bright or dull it is).

The principles of design

1. BALANCE Balance in design is

similar to balance in physics. A large
shape close to the center can be
balanced by a small shape close to
the edge. Balance provides stability
and structure to a design. Its the
weight distributed in the design by
the placement of your elements.
2. PROXIMITY Proximity creates
relationship between elements. It
provides a focal point. Proximity
doesnt mean that elements have to
be placed together, it means they
should be visually connected in
someway.
3. ALIGNMENT Allows us to
create order and organisation.
Aligning elements allows them to

create a visual connection with each

other.
4. REPETITION Repetition
strengthens a design by tying
together individual elements. It
helps to create association and
consistency. Repetition can create
rhythm (a feeling of organized
movement).
5. CONTRAST Contrast is the
juxtaposition of opposing elements
(opposite colours on the colour
wheel, or value light / dark, or
direction horizontal / vertical).
Contrast allows us to emphasize or
highlight key elements in your
design.

6. SPACE Space in art refers to

the distance or area between,
around, above, below, or within
elements. Both positive and
negative space are important
factors to be considered in every
design.

Watch this video to s

Why the Principles of Design are Important

November 7, 2011 at 9:54 am (Blogging) (Principles of Design IMOG)

By: Jaclyn S.
Whenever you create an image, there will be elements throughout it. There will be shapes, there
will be colour, and there will most likely be a theme, and thats all great, but you cant have an
amazing picture until you balance your image out.
There are certain ways to balance your image. You may want to balance your
imagesymmetrically, or asymmetrically.
Symmetrical balance is when an object on one side of your image is balanced equally with an
object(s) on the other side of the image. You can visualize it like a see-saw with your objects on
either side. Symmetrical balance will hold the see-saw level, because the density of objects on
both sides of your image are equal.
Asymmetrical balance is when you intentionally avoid balance in a visually appealing way
through using the design rules. Using asymmetrical balance can bring different emotions to your
image by placing objects and colours in specific places. Negative space can also be used to
balance objects in the image.

References:
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/cgdt/balance.htm
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/cgdt/balance.htm
http://daphne.palomar.edu/design/bsymm.html

By: Nicholas Mailman

The principles of design are made up of various mixes of the elements of design all put together
in one picture, making the picture look better. When more than one principle is used together an
artist can create artwork that will amaze people and get good publicity, hopefully benefiting the
artist who made them.
When you as an artist create artwork the principles of design become very important to it. They
are the devices that you need to use and will unknowingly use, since they make your images look
nicer and become more visually appealing to people who are looking at your work.
The principles that you can use to make your image stand out and catch other peoples eyes are
ones like contrast, center of interest, repetition and rhythm, while ones that help make your
image more visually appealing are ones like harmony, direction of movement, and balance.
Not all work needs to have a lot of these principles but almost all of them have at least one, even
abstract art or optical illusions use two or more to create an image that attracts the viewers eyes
and makes their eyes want to look at it.
That is why the principles are important, too make your artwork look visually appealing, catch
peoples eyes and get good reviews.

References:
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/Files/elements2.htm

By: Ryan Covey

Visual design is complex subject; however, there are some basic principles that lie at the core of
visual design. These principles are key in creating an effectively designed piece of artwork. The

most common design principles are unity, emphasis, contrast, movement, pattern,
rhythm, and balance.
Unity is the way each part of an image blend together to create the finished piece; a good way
out creating unity is using colours of a similar temperature, different shades red and similar
colours like orange or yellow.
Emphasis, which is sometimes called dominance or point of focus, is used to make a certain
elements of an image stand out from the rest of the image and become dominant withing the
image meaning it will usually be the first thing that a viewer will notice. A very common way of
creating emphasis is the use of contrast; differences in colour and tone that emphasize an
element.
Movement consists of implications of motion and guides the viewers eyes along a specific path to
create a semblance of a captured instant of motion.
Rhythm and patterns are similar principles that rely on the repetition of shapes, lines, or colours.
Balance relies on the positioning of elements inside an image to end with an equal concentration
of elements on each side of the image.
These principles are the foundation of successful artwork; some are easier to grasp than others
but with time and practice you can learn to recognize and use them to create some really great
art.

Useful references:
http://www.nhsdesigns.com/graphic/principles/index.php
http://goshen.edu/art/ed/Compose.htm
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/Files/elements2.htm
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