Skip to main content

NOTES: The Elements of Visual Design

The elements and principles of design are the foundational building blocks used to create a visual work. 
The elements of design are the A, B, C's that are put together by any artist or designer to create an image or object.  

The grammar of how these elements are used create the overall work.  

Good or bad, all visual works will contain most of these elements, if not all, the nine elements of design.

The principles of design can be thought of as what we do to the elements of design.  

Go to the page on Principles of Design for more information.

How we manipulate the elements and principles of design, or, how we employ them, creates an impression that an audience will interpret. 

These are the artist and designers writing tools of how they express an idea, if you will. 
How we apply the principles of design determines how  successful we are in creating a work of art.

THE ELEMENTS OF VISUAL DESIGN

LINE
Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with any mark making tool onto a ground or substrate. Line can also be implied -- the direction that implied between forms and the edge that is created when forms meet in space.





SHAPE 
A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or biomorphic organic form. A shape is a flat area that expresses two dimensions.



VOLUME & MASS
Constitutes the actual three dimensional area a form takes up. This thus expresses actual three dimensionality in space, or, the illusion of three dimensionality.




DIRECTION -> MOVEMENT
All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquillity. A horizon line.
Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality, alertness and activity. 
Diagonal direction suggests a faster speed of line.


SCALE
Scale is simply the relationship of a form occupying one shape to that of another. 


SPACE
Space is the scale between objects.

It can also imply depth full space as in the illusion of three dimensionality.  Linear perspective is a two dimensional drawing invention developed in the Renaissance for target practice and to understand the trajectory of cannon balls, visually suggests depth full space on a two dimensional plane. 

TEXTURE 
Texture is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physically tactile as well as visually interpreted as having a certain feel.

COLOR
Also is also known as Hue
Primary Colors > R B Y
Secondary Colors > O G Violet (purple)
Local color - the actual color of things
Optical color - a suggested or express color of things

VALUE
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.
We know Value as the shades of a color.
A value that is darker is known as a Tone.
Those that are lighter are known as Tints.


Popular posts from this blog

syllabus

2D Design + C olor T heory The artist is the "medium."  Marcel Duchamp, artist, conceptualist, master chess player This is an introductory course in understanding and producing two-dimensional visual forms through use of art and design elements and their principles.  The beginning course, students will explore a variety of wet and dry media, hand and computer tools wile exploring in a variety of materials and their applications.  Through hands on studio activities both by hand and digital, students will develop a better visual understanding of design and composition, while understanding how line, form, color and composition act as foundational building blocks to so many fundamental designs.  Students engage in several formal and conceptual projects that sharpen critical thinking and problem solving skills.  Throughout the semester, assignment concepts and ideas, and the myriad of ways to interpret them will gradually increase in complexity. ...
Read more

Analytical Writing Assessment Rubric

Analytical Research Papers  Assessment Rubric     Analytical Assessment valued in the 5 qualitative areas below: #1 Analysis of the creative work Grade A (student is excelling standards) B (student is meeting standards) C (student is approaching standards)  D (student is not meeting standards) A.  Student accurately describes several dominant elements or principles used by the artist/designer and accurately relates how they are used by the creator to reinforce the theme, meaning, mood, or feeling of the creative work. B.  Student accurately describes minimum of three dominant elements and principles used by the artist / designer and accurately relates how these are used by the artist to reinforce the theme, meaning, mood, or feeling of the creative work. C.  Student describes some dominant elements and principles used by the artist, but has difficulty describing how these relate to the meaning or feeling of the artwork. D. ...
Read more

Project #8 Final Project: The Designer as Creator

final project ::    the designer as creator Finding inspiration  from everywhere and anywhere!  The potential can be sought out in all things. The hard thing is allowing our minds to open up for their consideration.   Objective Throughout the semester you have created works that have fit the guidelines of project specifications while applying your own sense of uniqueness to your independent compositions. For the final assignment, you will be applying the knowledge of the visual elements, concepts and applications we have employed throughout our class together to create a self-designed, directed and created final project. Your final work will demonstrate a thorough understanding of the visual language we have employed and the application of a number of the design concepts in your work.  Here are a number of the core concepts we have covered in SA 131 that you will employ: Concepts we have covered T...
Read more