Podcast #3 Principles of design

Define principles of design?
Used to arrange the structural elements of a composition

What do the principles of design affect?
The message of the work

What is the principle of repetition?
repeating an aspect or element in the design

Describe ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition/audience?
it ties the piece together and keeps the viewer's eye focused



What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs?
Bold font, thick lines, bullet points,color

What should you avoid when working with repetition?
When you use it so much that it becomes overwhelming
What is the principle of proportion/scale?
the relative size and scale of various elements in a design

What is the most universal standard of measure when judging size?
the human body

How can the principle of proportion/scale be used as an attention getter?
it dwarfs the size of a human and intimidates them

What is the principle of balance?
the distribution of heavy and light elements in a design

Which kinds of elements/shapes visually weigh heavier/greater?
larger elements

What is another name for symmetrical balance?
formal balance
Define symmetrical balance?
when the weight of a composition is evenly distributed around the design.

What is another name for asymmetrical balance?
informal balance

Define asymmetrical balance?
when the weight of as composition is not evenly distributed throughout a design

What is the principle of emphasis?
stressing of a particular area of focus rather than the details of importance

What happens to a design that has no focus?
nothing stands out

What is a focal point and how is it created?
area where the eye tends to go first. created by making one element dominant

How many components of a composition can be a focal point?
no more than 1

What ways can emphasis be created in a design?
contrasting the primary element with its subordinate

What is the principle of unity?
the wholeness of a composition

What three ways can unity be obtained?
1. put objects close to each other

2. make things similar

3. direct vision by a line that ravels around the design


What is the principle of variety?
difference and diversity

What ways can a designer add variety to a design?
an artist can vary textures, shapes and alter their contrasts, tone and intensity.

Why is it important to find the right balance between unity and variety?
so things look interesting but not chaotic

What is figure?
a form, shape or silhouette  

What is another name for figure?
positive shape

What is ground?
area around the figure

What is another name for ground?
negative spce

When a composition is abstract (has no recognizable subject) what will the figure depend on? What does that mean?
Negative space so you can see an image, it means that the picture will only be partially designed

Why must a designer consider the composition as a whole?
so they can make sure they are getting their message across

What is the principle of rhythm?
organized movement is space and time

How is rhythm achieved?
achieved through the orderly repetition of any element, line, shape, value, tone, or texture.

What three ways can rhythm occur in a design?
1. When the intervals between the elements are similar

2. with an organic sense of movement

3. a shape going through a sequence of steps

How does rhythm help a composition/design?
can control the readers eye movement

What is the principle of contrast?
occurs when two related elements are different

How can contrast help a design?
can draw the viewers eye to the piece

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?less- becomes monotonous and boring
more- Becomes confusing 


What is the key to working with contrast?
make sure the differences are obvious

What are some common ways of creating contrast?
size, shape, value, color, type, texture, direction, alignment and movement