Design Elements

Objectives
To introduce the most basic ideas
concerning the elements that make up a
visual design.
To give a general overview of design and
to recognize good design
 7 Elements of Design

Elements of Design
To a visual designer, the elements
of design are the same as notes to
a musician or words to a writer.
 Point/ Mark
Line
Shape

Form
7
ELEMENTS Space
OF DESIGN
Color

Texture
POINT
VanGogh 1887
SELF PORTRAIT
Seurat-La Parade
Paul Signac Femmes au puits 1892dtailcouleur
 EMOTIONS

EVENT- AROUSAL -INTERPRETATION-

EMOTION
 Tangible emotion
Intangible emotion
Childs drawing
LINE
 Lines are the most
basic element of design
Childs drawing
Preliminary character studies for a 3D animation
A preliminary drawing and 3D character models
DOTS
Mathematical Terms

A line is the distance

between two points
Types of Lines

Visual
Implied
(a)

(b)

(c)

(a) Visual and (b,c) Implied lines

The Most Important Characteristic: Direction

Vertical
Horizontal
Diagonal
The asparagus shows strength and stability
(Vertical)
 The warrior and horse express
the feelings of power and stability
(Vertical)
The warrior and horses provide
a sense of calmness
(Horizontal)
The Cowboy and horses communicate
motion and tension
(Diagonal)
The example of how line direction affects
the mood and feeling of a design
(Horizontal and Vertical)
SHAPE
Shape has both length and
width and is 2D without
mass or depth
 Shape is the element that
communicates the identity of
objects most immediately and
directly
Shapes in a Design

Realistic
Distorted
Stylized
Abstract
Nonobjective
Realistic

Realism is the way we observe

images in nature with all the
proportions and dimensions of
the natural world
A painting using realism
Realism is used to communicate
a visual image accurately to the
largest audience possible
Distortion

When realistic shapes are

manipulated or changed but are
still recognizable as natural objects,
it is called distortion
Designs that use distortion
Abstraction

Abstraction is the process of

reducing natural shapes down to
their simplest form
 Logos are example of abstraction

Road signs, buttons on a DVD player, and

Web site navigation are another example.
Stylization

Stylization will create and

establish a unique look for the
content of a design
Movie poster concept using stylization
Nonobjective

When shapes in a design have no

recognizable visual representation
to anything in nature, they are
defined as nonobjective
Designs that use nonobjective shapes
Types of Shapes

Rectilinear
Curvilinear
Rectilinear

Rectilinear shapes are sharp,

angular, rigid and geometric
Curvilinear

Shapes that are organic, curved,

and round are called curvilinear
NEGATIVE
SPACE
Negative space is the empty
area surrounding a positive
shape
The relationship between the shape and
space is called figure and background.
The figure is the positive shape, and the
background is the negative space.
Figure and Background
Figure and background confusion
VOLUME
Volume defines 3D visuals that
have length, width, and depth
 Realistically, volume must be
observed from an assortment of
angles and observed in an
actual environment
VALUE
Value describes light and dark.
The contrast of values in a
design gives a sense of clarity
and depth.
 Left: Similar values.
Right: Extreme contrast of values
High Key and Low Key

When values are very light, the term high

key is used. Lighter values suggest a
brighter or happier mood.
Conversely, dark values are called low
key. They usually feel somber and
serious.
High-key design
Low-key design
 Value is also used to describe
volume in 2D by imitating the way
light reveals a form or object
COLOR
The two basic systems of color are
additive and subtractive. These
two systems differ based on the
source of the light.
The effects of light on a color
image
TEXTURE
Texture is the surface quality of
an object
Types of Texture

Tactile
Implied
Tactile

Tactile texture is texture that we

can actually touch and feel.
Implied

Implied texture is texture that we

can see but cannot feel or touch.
Technically, it is not texture at all
it is the illusion of texture.
Left: Implied texture.
Right: Tactile texture.
Thank You !