The basic elements of design

THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

KYRA WILLIAMS 3RD PERIOD

COLOR

 Color is the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way
the object reflects or emits light

 There are primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary (third level) colours. Complementary colors are colors
that are opposite to each other on the color wheel.

 Examples of color are…

 Red
 Green
 Blue

LINE

 A line is the path of a dot, point etc. through space and that is always has more length than thickness.
 Types of Lines

 Vertical lines: are straight up and down and perpendicular to horizontal lines
 Horizontal lines: are straight up and down and perpendicular to vertical lines
 Diagonal lines: are lines that straight in any direction except vertical or horizontal
 Zigzag lines: are a series of diagonal lines joined end to end
 Curved lines: are lines that bend in any amount of degree; they may be gently wavy to tightly wound spirals

SHAPE

 Shape is a two dimensional area confined by a actual line or implied line (an edge for example). In
drawing shapes are created when the ends of lines are joined to enclose areas.

 Types of Shapes

 There are two general categories that are use to describe shapes. Geometric and Free-Form or Organic Shapes

TEXTURE

 Texture refers to the surface quality in a work of art.We associate textures with the way that things look or
feel. Everything has some type of texture

 We describe things as being rough, smooth, silky, shiny, fuzzy and so on.
 Texture may be used in a work of art to:

 create visual interest or a focal point in a composition
 to create contrast within a design composition
 to help visually balance a design composition

SPACE

 Space refers to the area that a shape or form occupies. ..
 Positive space is the filled space, the object(s) or element(s) in the design.
 Negative space is the empty space, or the open space between design elements or objects, such as a background.
 Creating the Illusion of Space

 Size
 Overlap
 Placement
 Atmospheric perspective:
 Shading:
 Linear Perspective

FORM

 Form is very similar to the element of design shape.The difference is that the term is form is used in art work
that has three dimensions instead of two as shapes.

 Geometric Forms

 As with geometric shapes. geometric forms are based on mathematical descriptions. Since they are three dimesnsional (3D)
instead of two dimensional, they are objects such as cubes, cylinders, cones and spheres.They are often the type of form
that man made objects are constructed with.

 Free-form or Organic Forms

 Organic forms are irregular and are the type of forms that most things in nature are. Cloud formations, mountains, trees
and bushes are all relatively free- form. animals and even humans tend to be more free- form too, as they are ever changing
forms.

UNITY/HARMONY

 Harmony is the sense that all of the elements of your design fit together.They may fit the same theme, aesthetic
style or mood. .

 Unity refers to the repetition of particular elements throughout your design — whether they're colors, shapes
or materials — to pull the look together.

BALANCE

 Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale,
these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.

 The position of elements on the page determines how balanced the page appears.
 Centering is the easiest way to get a symmetrically balanced page.

THE END!!!!!!

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