podcast #3 principles of design

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

What do the principles of design affect?
the expressive content, or the message of the work

What is the principle of repetition?
repeating some aspect or element of the design throughout the entire document

Describe ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition/audience?
acts as a visual key that ties your piece together and it controls the readers eye and helps keep their attention on the piece

What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs?
works with patterns and repeat design elements

What should you avoid when working with repetition?
not to repeat so much that it becomes annoying or overwhelming

What is the principle of proportion/scale?
the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design

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

How can the principle of proportion/scale be used as an attention getter?
scaled to a size that dwarfs the viewer

What is the principle of balance?
distribution of heavy and light elements on a page

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

What is another name for symmetrical balance?
formal balance

Define symmetrical balance?
occurs when the weight of a composition is evenly distributed around a central vertical or horizontal axis

What is another name for asymmetrical balance?
informal balance

Define asymmetrical balance?
occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around the axis

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

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

What is a focal point and how is it created?
center of interest

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

What ways can emphasis be created in a design?
sudden change in: direction, size, shape, texture, color, tone, and line

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

What three ways can unity be obtained?
1. put objects close to one another in a composition

2. make things similar

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

What is the principle of variety?
pretains to differences and diversity, it's what makes a work of art interesting

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

Why is it important to find the right balance between unity and variety?
to have a successful effective design

What is figure?
the part of a composition that we pay attention to

What is another name for figure?
positive space

What is ground?
the surrounding area around the figure

What is another name for ground?
negative space

When a composition is abstract (has no recognizable subject) what will the figure depend on? What does that mean?
abstract relationship between visual elements; good use of positve and negative space

Why must a designer consider the composition as a whole?
because the figure/ground relationship is so important

What is the principle of rhythm?
continuity, recurrence on organized movement in space and time

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

What three ways can rhythm occur in a design?
1. intervals between the elements, and often the element themselves are similar in size or length

2. with a more organic flowing, sense of movement

3. a sequence of shapes through a progression of steps

How does rhythm help a composition/design?
can help deliver the message by controlling the viewers eye movement

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

How can contrast help a design?
it can draw the viewers eye into the piece and help guide the viewer through it

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?
too much similarity becomes monotonous and boring, and too little contrast can be confusing

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

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