Understanding the Principles of Design

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Understanding the Principles of Design

• The principles of design are the rules a designer
  must follow to create an effective and attractive
  composition. The fundamental principles of
  design are Emphasis, Balance and Alignment,
  Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and
  White Space.
• Emphasis
• Emphasis is a foundational element in the
  composition that needs some planning and
  forethought to get just right. To do it, you use
  the other elements of art and principles of
  design to make your point.
• In design, emphasis can be created several ways.
  For example, the scale of an object can be
  changed to give it greater emphasis. You can use
  contrasting colors, or add elements like lines or
  shapes.
• Balance and alignment
• Balance refers to the visual weight, or the
  impact, of the elements of the composition.
  Balance lends stability and structure to an
  overall design. To understand it better, think
  that theres weight behind each of your design
  elements. Shapes, text boxes and images are the
  elements that form your design, so its
  important to be familiar with the visual weight
  each of those elements possesses. Now, this
  doesnt mean that the elements always need to be
  distributed evenly or that they must be of an
  equal size balance is either symmetrical or
  asymmetrical. Symmetrical balance is when the
  weight of elements is evenly divided on either
  side of the design, whereas asymmetrical balance
  uses scale, contrast, and colour to achieve the
  flow in design.
• Alignment is the placement of visual elements, to
  see the accuracy of design as they lined up in
  composition. Designers use alignment to organize
  elements, to group elements, to create balance,
  to create structure, to create connections
  between elements, to create accurate outcomes.
  Alignment is also used to organize and create a
  degree of structure. Cellar Red Wine Mockup
• Contrast

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• Contrast is all about making sure your subject
  contrasts with the rest of the image to help
  bring focus. When visual elements are placed in
  your composition, contrasts help draw attention
  to them. Things that don't contrast tend to
  blend together, while things that contrast pop
  out. Other things in your image can be used to
  create contrast. The scale or size of the objects
  can be changed to show a contrast between big
  and small. Baby Photo Frame Mockup
• Repetition
• Repetition is a fundamental design element,
  especially when it comes to branding. It creates
  a rhythm and strengthens the overall design by
  tying together consistent elements such as logo
  and colour palette, making the brand or design
  instantly recognisable to viewers.
• Proportion
• Proportion is the visual size and weight of
  elements in a composition and how they relate to
  each other. It often helps to approach your
  design in sections, instead of as a whole.
• Grouping related items can give them importance
  at a smaller size. Proportion can be achieved
  only if all elements of your design are
  well-sized and thoughtfully placed.
• Movement
• Movement is controlling the elements in a
  composition so that the eye is led to move from
  one to the next and the information is properly
  communicated to your audience.
• White space
• Space is an art which refers to the distance or
  area between, around, above, below, or within
  elements. The main positive and negative space
  are two important factors to be considered in
  every design.