7 Fundamentals of Design

FUNDAMENTALS OF
GRAPHIC DESIGN
ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES
Prepared by: Mr. Teodoro R.

BERNARD D. OTERO
Llanes II
Agusan National High School
Senior High School
So what is DESIGN?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/design 2
*Information & Images taken from various sites on the internet and is under OER Commons.
So what is DESIGN?
Graphic design is an important tool that enhances how you
communicate with other people. It serves to convey your
ideas in a way that is not only effective, but also beautiful.
Good design makes you look good.
https://thinkchrysalis.com/blog/graphic-design/what-
makes-graphic-design-important
3
First sign of Visual Communication
Historians trace the origins of

graphic design to early cave
paintings from about 38,000
BC.
https://www.flux-academy.com/blog/the-
history-of-graphic-design
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Elements of Visual Design
 refer to the basic building blocks of any composition

 The elements of design are the fundamental aspects of any visual design
which include shape, color, space, form, line, value, and texture.
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Elements of Visual Design
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Principles of Visual 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, Movement,
Pattern, Repetition, Rhythm, Variety, and Proportion.
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Principles of Visual Design
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1
Fundamentals of Graphic
Design
ELEMENTS
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LINE
In nature you can see:
lines in tree branches in a spiders web In a curving river
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LINE
The manufactured world provides examples too
Lines formed by wires winding roads Edges of buildings
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As you have seen, lines have many qualities:
curved or straight
Vertical horizontal diagonal
Thick or thin smooth or rough
Light or dark continuous or broken
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SHAPE
▰ Shape is a 2-dimensional object (it is flat) It has height and width but no depth. Shapes
can be either geometric or organic.
Geometric shapes ---circles, squares and Organic shapes are irregular---seashells, leaves, flowers,
rectangles---are regular and precise. They etc.
can be measured.
An artwork is often made up of positive and negative shapes. The positive shapes are usually the
solid objects that the artist depicts (see below). The negative shapes are formed by the areas around
or between the objects (the sky, grass, mountains, etc)
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Form
- is three-dimensional. It has height, width AND depth. As with shapes, Forms can be regular and
precise or irregular and organic.
3D art, such as sculptures,

architecture and crafts, is composed
of forms. In 2D art, artists can only
create the illusion of form.
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Space
Objects farther away

are placed higher on Items farther away appear
the picture plane less detailed or fuzzy In a 2-D work of art, space is limited to the
picture plane. By using color and/or value
you can make objects appear to advance
(come forward) or recede (go back) into
space to create an illusion of depth.
Objects with clear surface detail appear
nearer to the viewer than fuzzy or plain
objects. Also, an illusion of space can be
accomplished when objects overlap or
are placed higher on the picture plane.
Overlapping gives
the illusion of space
too.
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As you can see in this example of linear perspective, in which parallel lines recede toward a common vanishing point, the illusion of
3-D space is created on a 2-D surface. Objects farther away are higher up on the picture plane, there is overlapping of buildings
and less detail as the image seems farther away from the viewer.
Objects farther away are

placed higher on the picture
plane and are less detailed
Buildings are
overlapped to create
an illusion of space
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Value
-refers to the lightness and darkness of a color.

-commonly known as “shading” of an object.
TINTS ORIGINAL SHADES

COLOR A value scale, such as this one, can show the full range of a
Accomplished artists know, that to make a color. This is accomplished by adding black to a color to make
drawing look as real as possible, they must shades or adding white to a color to make tints.
show a full value range in their artwork
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Texture
Texture is the tactile quality of a surface, such as

rough, smooth, sticky, fuzzy, soft or slick. Like line,
texture can be real or implied. A real texture is
one that can be felt, such as a piece of sandpaper,
a woven mat, or animal fur. In an artwork, real
texture can be created through thickly applied
paint, glossy glazes, and gluing objects to the
surface. Implied texture is an illusion of texture
created by an artist.
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Color
Color is everywhere. In our clothes, the sky, trees, flowers, billboards designed
to attract our attention, on the web and on television.
There are literally thousands of colors; from bright to dull (intensity) and light
to dark (value). Colors are powerful; they can make objects seem to glow, to
come forward and recede, or to appear bigger or smaller.
Colors can also be symbolic, with meanings that change from culture to
culture.
A color can symbolize an object or thing such as blue for water and green for
grass and the leaves of trees or it may symbolize an emotion or idea, such as
red for love, yellow for fear and blue for sadness.
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Color is a property of light. When we say an object is red, we
mean that its surface absorbs certain wavelengths of light that
we call red, we identify the object as red in color. If all
wavelengths of light are absorbed, we identify the color as
black, if all wavelengths of color are reflected, we see white.
Color has 3 characteristics: hue, value and intensity. Hue is

actually the color we see—such as red. Value refers to the
lightness and darkness of a hue. For example, maroon is a
dark value (shade) of red and pink is a light value (tint) of
red.
Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color.
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Red, Yellow and Blue are called Primary colors
P
(P)and are used to create the rest of the colors on
the color wheel.
S When you mix two primary colors together, you

S I I
get a Secondary color (S). These colors are
I I Orange (yellow and red), Green (blue and
I I yellow) and violet (red and blue).
P P And when you mix a primary and a secondary
S
color together you get an Intermediate color (I).
These are yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-
orange, red-violet, blue-violet and blue-green
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Color Schemes
When two colors are located directly across from each other on
the wheel, they are referred to as complementary colors.
Artists often pair complementary colors together because the
area where they meet seems to vibrate. You can also lessen the
intensity of a color by adding a small amount of its
complementary color.
What pair of complimentary colors

did this artist use in this picture?
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Color Schemes
A monochromatic color scheme makes use of only one hue and its tints and
shades. This scheme can produce appealing pictures as you can see below.
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Color Schemes
An analogous color scheme is made up of three or

four colors that are adjacent on the color wheel.
What set of analogous

colors are used in this
example?
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Color Temperatures
Have you ever noticed that colors seem to have different temperatures?
Reds, Oranges and Yellows are warm colors.

They remind us of the sun or fire and can add a
feeling of excitement, boldness or happiness to a
work of art. Warm colors make objects seem
larger and appear to advance in an artwork.
Greens, Blues, and Violets are cool colors. They

remind us of lakes, distant mountains, sky and
foliage.
Cool colors tend to be calm and restful. They
recede into the distance and make objects seem
smaller.
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2
Fundamentals of Design
PRINCIPLES
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BALANCE
“Balance is a psychological sense of equilibrium.”
ABOUT
Balance is the distribution of the visual weight
of objects, texture, colors, and space that is
evenly distributed on the screen. It places the
parts of a visual in an aesthetically pleasing Equal distribution
arrangement. It is also a reconciliation of
opposing forces in a composition that results in
visual stability.
Balance in an object is easy to

A balanced composition feels right. It feels
understand; if balance isn’t achieved, the stable and aesthetically pleasing. Stable design
object tips over.

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EMPHASIS
“Emphasis calls attention to something in order to hold the viewers’ interest.”
ABOUT
Emphasis makes an area in the design appear
different in size, texture, shape or color to
attract the viewer’s attention. The artist usually
makes an area stand out by contrasting it with
Element stands out
other areas. Emphasis is usually an interruption
in the fundamental pattern or movement of the
viewers eye through the composition.
Emphasis features a specific shape, Emphasis holds the viewer’s interest by

providing visual “surprises.” Attracts viewers
object, or color and makes it stand out
from the other elements in the picture.
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Google Homepage
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An example of balance and emphasis
MOVEMENT
“Movement guides the viewer’s eyes around the screen.”
ABOUT
Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes
through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such
movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape
and color within the work of art. Movement is the Shows action
design element that operates in the fourth
dimension – time. We can speak of movement as
literal or compositional.
The eye will always move through the

Movement is the process of relocation of
composition in some way, so there is
always some sort of movement. objects in space over time. Focuses on a “path”
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PATTERN, REPETITION, RHYTHM
“Pattern, repetition & rhythm work together to create unity in an image.”
ABOUT
Pattern is the repeating of an object or symbol
all over the work of art. Repetition works with
pattern to make the work of art seem active.
Rhythm is created when one or more elements of Oneness
design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of
organized movement. They work together to
form a prestige work of art.
These principles create a great image for

the viewers to enjoy. Their coherence
often express a summary of all of the
Combining these principles create
principles and elements of design. harmony for the entire image. Harmony
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PROPORTION
“Proportion deals with the relation of visual elements with one another.”
ABOUT
Proportion is the feeling of unity created when
all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well
with each other. It may refer to the relative size
and scale of the various elements in a design. It Relative size/scale
is necessary to discuss proportion in terms of the
context or standard used to determine
proportions.
The issue in proportion is the relationship

between objects. Appropriate size
Proportion is judging the appropriateness
of size of objects by a specific measure.
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VARIETY
“Variety uses several design elements to draw a viewer’s attention.”
ABOUT
Variety is the complement of unity and is needed
to create visual interest. It is the use of several
elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention
and to guide the viewer’s eye through and Visual creativity
around the work of art. It may change the line’s
thickness, the shape’s size, the color’s
saturation, or a texture to smooth or rough.
Variety means "to change the character"

Variations
Variety is creating variations on a theme. of an element.
A designer can vary an element
throughout a design. 41
Bing Homepage
An example of variety, combining text and images
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Let’s practice looking!
What elements do you see in this geranium?

Color (red and green)
Shape (the outlines of flowers and
leaves)
Line (the stems, the veins of the
leaves) and
Texture (smooth petals and furry
leaves)
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Let’s practice looking!
What principle(s) do you see used in these pictures

A
scarf Flock of bird a glass skyscraper

Pattern, Unity, Contrast Movement, Unity, Pattern, Proportion
Rhythm
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FUNDAMENTALS OF

Prepared by: Mr. Teodoro R.

Historians trace the origins of

 refer to the basic building blocks of any composition

lines in tree branches in a spiders web In a curving river

Lines formed by wires winding roads Edges of buildings

Vertical horizontal diagonal

Thick or thin smooth or rough

Light or dark continuous or broken

3D art, such as sculptures,

Objects farther away

Objects farther away are

-refers to the lightness and darkness of a color.

TINTS ORIGINAL SHADES

Texture is the tactile quality of a surface, such as

Color has 3 characteristics: hue, value and intensity. Hue is

Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color.

S When you mix two primary colors together, you

What pair of complimentary colors

An analogous color scheme is made up of three or

What set of analogous

Reds, Oranges and Yellows are warm colors.

Greens, Blues, and Violets are cool colors. They

Balance in an object is easy to

object tips over.

Emphasis features a specific shape, Emphasis holds the viewer’s interest by

The eye will always move through the

These principles create a great image for

The issue in proportion is the relationship

Variety means "to change the character"

What elements do you see in this geranium?

What principle(s) do you see used in these pictures

scarf Flock of bird a glass skyscraper

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