8 Elements & Principles of Design Design Theory and Analysis By Sammi Caissie
About the Author Hello, my name is Sammi, but I go by the name Pretzy when I’m online. I’m an aspiring and nerdy Graphic Designer who’s currently taking classes at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, MA. This booklet was made for my Design Theory 101 class, using analyses I made for different elements and principles of designs. Thanks for reading, and have a good day!
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LINE 2. SHAPE 3. TEXTURE 4. BALANCE 5. CONTRAST 6. UNITY 7. COLOR 8. VALUE
LINE:
With a single stroke of a pencil (or a computer mouse) you can call this element into play. You can then manipulate the mood of your design or organize your page, depending on the kind of line you’ve drawn and its placement in your format. CLIENT
Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Dressing
AUDIENCE
Older women, like mother or grandmothers
LINE is being used in the design to:
X Create a mood, establishes a linear mode of expression, a linear style X Organize other elements on the page—visually organize a composition and/or delineate boundaries and define areas within a composition X Create texture through illustration—define shapes, edges, forms; create images, letters, and patterns X Assists in creating a line of vision; the movement of one’s eye as it scans a composition: line of movement or a directional line
ANALYSIS
The designer used line to assist with the natural flow of the advertisement. By creating lined leaves that droop downward, our attention is immediately dragged down the page towards the product in which the ad is promoting. By using this style, it allows for a more natural appearance to compliment the fact that the product is healthy and better for you than regular mayonnaise.
SHAPE:
Shape is another element that can be used alone or in conjunction with line and type to help communicate the concept of a design. Shape can be defined as any element that’s used to give or determine form; defined as a closed form or closed path. Shape can exist as a design element all by itself, without the aid of line or type. It is two dimensional and measured by width and height, and is created by lines, color, tone, or texture (or any combination of these.) CLIENT
Brita Water Filter
AUDIENCE
Athletic individuals or people who know athletic individuals
SHAPE is being used in the design to: X Photos and illustrations are creating shape through the actual shape and content of the art. __ Line or a line illustration is creating the predominant shape __ Type is creating the predominant shape X Shaded or colored areas are creating the predominant shape X Shape is sustaining the viewer’s interest __ Shape is organizing the page X Shape is helping the viewer understand the concept X Shape is leading the viewer’s eye through the design
ANALYSIS
The designer used the natural shape of the water to help convey the feeling of purity that the water contains. By using the dynamic flow of the water to exaggerate the player’s figure in action, it gives the viewer the idea that the pure water fuels the man to perform better than how he would perform if he was drinking water that was purified by some other filtration system.
UNITY:
Unity is the underlying structure of a design. Think of a house: it begins with a foundation from which everything else is built. If your foundation is shaky or poorly constructed, nothing will sit solidly in the rooms above. Unity is important in a design to make everything feel as though it fits together. Repeating elements are also important in design campaigns containing multiple formats so that they in turn fit together. When a company commissions a print campaign or website, the intent is that the viewer should always recognize the identity or product being sold, whether it is a print advertisement or a website. CLIENT
https://www.youtube.com/
AUDIENCE
People of all ages, genders, orientations, hobbies and interests
UNITY is being used in the design to: X Creates a visual rhythm with distinct repetition and variation of elements X Uses similarity X Uses proximity X Uses continuity X Uses closure X Uses common fate __ Uses continuing line X Shows correspondence X Uses a defined structure __ Leads the viewer’s eye through the design
ANALYSIS
Because Youtube is such a widely popular website that many people visit regularly, it would make sense that the designers would incorporate unity into the website’s overall design to help navigate the site easily. By having closely compacted and grid-like elements that vary slightly depending on the video, it’s rather easy for the viewer to move their eyes from one video to the next. It feels very natural for our eyes to follow down the screen to check out each row of videos before moving on to the next. By having reds and whites be the primary colors of the website, it’s easy to identify the Youtube brand on anything.
COLOR:
Color has the power to override value. Color defines the intent of a design, the feeling, and the structure. Warm colors can make the viewer feel a range of emotions from warm and fuzzy to tense to angry. Cool colors leave us feeling relaxed and calm. Viewers respond to color in part based on cultural and social influences, but color is very subjective and based on personal preference. CLIENT
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html
AUDIENCE
Hungry customers who want something healthier to eat
COLOR is being used in the design to: X Creates a strong mood or feeling/emotional response X Sends a specific message/meaning to the audience (historical, natural/ organic, cultural, regional, religious, influential, etc) X The colors are primarily warm (reds, oranges and yellows + neutrals) __ The colors are primarily cool (blues, greens, purple + neutrals) __ Creates visual tension and movement X Provides unity and balance throughout the design X Provides a sense of order (via grid or structure) X Creates harmony (a satisfying balance or unity of colors; pleasing to the eye)
ANALYSIS
The website and the photo shown let off an earthy and natural feeling with the use of earthy, dull tones of red, green, and beiges. All the colors used are rather low in saturation, and don’t hurt the eyes of the viewers because they’re too flashy. The text stacked up into small columns at the top of the page give the feeling of an organized grid system. By using primarily warmer colors with the inclusion of a warm green, the viewer is left feeling relaxed and hungry looking at the light and desaturated reds.
VALUE:
Value is lightness or darkness of an object or color. Value exerts as a powerful influence on a design, creating mood, depth, and contrast. CLIENT Skittles
AUDIENCE
People who enjoy clever and interesting optical illusions
VALUE is being used in the design to: X Creates a strong mood or feeling/emotional response X Creates value contrast (high-key or low-key value contrast) X Creates movement and direction (high contrast to lower contrast areas)
ANALYSIS
By using value on this advertisement, the designer was able to convey a feeling of actual depth with some subtle high-key contrast in the shading and coloring of the figure. While your eyes start off looking at the old lady’s sad face, turning the page upside down reveals a delightfully excited man catching skittles on his tongue. We know to do this because our eyes starts at the high contrast areas (the lady) and moves up to the lower contrast areas (the man).
TEXTURE:
Texture can be defined as an object’s visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance, or as something composed of closely interwoven elements (such as a woven cloth). In graphic design, texture is most often used as a secondary element to reinforce an idea, rather than a primary element to communicate a concept. However, it is a powerful addition to your design because it can add depth and interest to an ordinary flat design. Especially in the world of computer design where the effort to design a usable interface often leads to flat color or white backgrounds, the skillful use of texture can add a new dimension to your design.
CLIENT
https://my.pottermore.com/user-profile/my-house/hogwarts
AUDIENCE
Fans of the Harry Potter series of books (primarily children to young adults)
TEXTURE is being used in the design to: X Create a particular mood or feeling X Fill individual shapes or areas X Reinforce or support the concept of the design
ANALYSIS
The designer of the site used the texture of the feathers to help enforce the importance of the Ravenclaw house mascot being an eagle, which is a type of feathered bird. By using the texture this way, it evokes a sense of mystery and wonder for the viewer, since many people don’t get to witness bird feathers up close on a daily basis. This use of the feathers as a texture inside of a box really isn’t something you see everyday.
BALANCE:
Imagine yourself sitting at one end of a teeter-totter at your local park: you with the seat you occupy on the ground and the seat across from you empty and lifted off the ground. What kind of weight is required in the opposite seat to balance your weight evenly across the beam? The logical answer—and probably the first one that springs to mind—is that a person of equal size to you would properly balance your weight. However, that’s not your only possibility; for instance, couldn’t two persons, if each weighed half your weight, likewise balance you if they both were to sit at the other end of the teeter-totter? Of course.
CLIENT
Twix Candy Bar
AUDIENCE
Halloween fanatics who enjoy Twixs and the tale of Frankenstein’s monster.
BALANCE is being used in the design to: X To create a mood through visual weight and impression of force within the design X Symmetrical balance is reinforcing the message—such as; serious, conservative, sophisticated, stable, elegant, etc. __ Asymmetrical balance is reinforcing the message—such as; relaxed, informal, freeform, creative, energetic, etc. X Radial balance—elements radiate out from a point in the center of the composition to support the message. __ To create visual tension by being obviously unbalanced.
ANALYSIS
The designer of this particular Twixs add used the tale of Frankenstein’s monster to endorse the fact that the halloween version of the candy bar is in fact an amalgamation of both the left and the right Twix bars. Looking down on the operating table, we see the chains rise up away from our view and creates an effect where the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the middle of the page. This spooky ambience of the entire scene leave the audience feeling intrigued and curious to try this strange candy.
CONTRAST:
Contrast is an especially important principle in graphic design, and a crucial tool to communicate an idea. It is also one of the most effortless principles to put into action. As soon as you add any element to a blank page, no matter how subtle, you’ve used contrast. CLIENT
https://www.weirdorconfusing.com/
AUDIENCE
People who are interested in discovering bizarre and strange items on the internet to buy
CONTRAST is being used in the design to: X Strengthen an idea; support the message X Create a clear visual hierarchy and direct focal point __ Emphasis through isolation (isolated shape) X Emphasis through placement (placement of elements in the top left, center/middle of the page, or foreground) __ Emphasis through scale (shapes create the illusion of spatial depth) X Emphasis through contrasting colors, values, shapes, texture and/or typography X Emphasis through direction and pointers (arrows and diagonal shapes/ lines) __ Emphasis through diagrammatic structures (tree, nest or stair structures of information) __ To create a contradiction (BIG written in very small type)
ANALYSIS
The designer of the website used contrast to drive home the point of pressing the button to find something strange and peculiar to buy online. While fairly simple, the button being the only colored thing on the page helps it to stand out from the rest of the text above it, as well as the arrows pointing directly at the button. This creates a sense of urgency and creates a need to press the button in order to find out what exactly the website is talking about.