LESSON 7: THE SEVEN

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
“THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
ARE THE RULES A DESIGNER
MUST FOLLOW TO CREATE AN
EFFECTIVE AND ATTRACTIVE
COMPOSITION.”
- MEG REID
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
EMPHAS
SISEMH Times
Up
1. EMPHASIS

The first of the 7 design principles is

EMPHASIS, referring to the focal point
of a design and the order of importance
of each element within a design.
1. EMPHASIS

Making a specific element stand out or

draw attention to the eye. EMPHASIS
can be achieved in graphic design by
placing elements on the page in positions
where the eye is naturally drawn, by
using other principles such as contrast,
repetition, or movement..
1. EMPHASIS

Bold and italic type provides

EMPHASIS for text. Graphic elements
gain EMPHASIS through size, visual
weight, color, complexity, uniqueness,
placement on the page, and other
features
VISUAL WEIGHT IS A measure of the force
that an element exerts to attract the eye. Two-
dimensional objects can attract attention. The
more an element attracts the eye, the greater its
visual weight
Poster design by miai313 for Handel’s Messiah Rocks
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
BALANC
CEANLB Times
Up
2. BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT
BALANCE is a concept based on human
perception and the complex nature of the
human senses of weight and proportion
Every element in the page like: color,
size and texture have weight.
And there are two types of BALANCE.
Symmetrical and Asymmetrical.
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
ALIGNME
ENTMLGI Times
Up

NT
2. BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT
ALIGNMENT is the act of keeping
design objects in line - not only
vertically or horizontally, but across any
linear plane. ALIGNMENT can also be
done respectively, i.e. one design
element is positioned with respect to
another element within the same frame.
SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE design

creates balance through equally
weighted elements aligned on either side
of a center line.
ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE design

uses opposite weights to create a
composition that is not even, but still has
equilibrium.
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
CNOSTAR
CONTRA Times
Up
3. CONTRAST

CONTRAST is what people mean when

they say a design “pops.” It comes away
from the page and sticks in your
memory. Contrast creates space and
difference between elements in your
design.
3. CONTRAST

CONTRAST in the context of visual

design can be defined as a difference
between two or more elements in a
composition.
3. CONTRAST

The more the difference between the

elements, the greater they are easy to
compare and comprehend and that's
when they are said to have contrasted
with each other.
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
TIONITEP
REPETITI
Times
Up
4. REPETITION
Repeating a sequence; having it occur
more than a few times. In design,
repetition creates visual consistency in
page designs, such as using the same
style of headlines, the same style of
initial capitals, or repeating the same
basic layout from one page to another.
4. REPETITION

If you limit yourself to two strong

typefaces or three strong colors, you’ll
soon find you’ll have to repeat some
things.
4. REPETITION

Excessive repetition (monotony) may

lead to boredom and uninteresting
compositions. If one cannot avoid
excessive repetitions for any reason, do
not forget to add some visual breaks and
white spaces where eyes can rest for a
while.
Monotonous design
 ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
PROPORTI
ORPOINTPO Times
Up

ON
R
5. PROPORTION

PROPORTION is the visual size and

weight of elements in a composition and
how they relate to each other. It often
helps to approach your design in
sections, instead of as a whole.
5. PROPORTION
•This indicates the relative visual size
width, and weight of a particular
graphical elements in a design
composition.
•Visual elements create a sense of unity
where they relate well with one another.
5. PROPORTION
•PROPORTION is the relationship of
two or more elements in a design and
how they compare with one another.
Proportion is said to be harmonious
when a correct relationship exists
between the elements with respect to
size or quantity.
5. PROPORTION

For example, when you’re reading a

blog post you expect headings to be
larger than the body text. Or if you were
looking at a realistic drawing of a
tortoise and a hare, you expect the hare
to be larger than the tortoise.
5. PROPORTION

PROPORTION is about finding

harmony between two elements. You
want to make sure things look “right”—
that the elements look as if they belong
together.
Notice in the proportionate example how
the logo and text share the same scale. It
gives the design continuity and makes it
aesthetically pleasing, whereas the
second is quite jarring and uneven.
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
MOVEME
MOEVTNE
Times
Up
6. MOVEMENT

MOVEMENT is controlling the

elements in a composition so that the eye
is led to move from one to the next and
the information is properly
communicated to your audience.
 What/event

Who/bands

Ticket
price

Where/ When/Date
venue

duration
Poster design by Stefanosp for Great American Music Hall
MOVEMENT creates the story or the
narrative of your work: a band is
playing, it’s at this location, it’s at this
time, here’s how you get tickets. The
elements above—especially balance,
alignment, and contrast—will work
towards that goal.
ACTIVITY: JUMBLED WORDS

06
10
01
03
07
04
05
02
08
09
WHITE
ETWHI
Times
Up
7. WHITE SPACE

All of the other principles of design deal

with what you add to your design.
WHITE SPACE (or negative space) is
the only one that specifically deals with
what you don’t add. WHITE SPACE is
exactly that—the empty page around the
elements in your composition.
7. WHITE SPACE

For beginning designers it can be a

perilous zone. Often simply giving a
composition more room to breathe can
upgrade it from mediocre to successful.
WHITE SPACE isn’t sitting there doing
nothing—it’s creating hierarchy and
organization.
7. WHITE SPACE

Our brains naturally associate ample

white space around an element with
importance and luxury. It’s telling our
eyes that objects in one region are
grouped separately from objects
elsewhere.
Poster design for pmoretti
7. WHITE SPACE

The logo above uses active negative

space to communicate multiple ideas in
one fun, creative design.
7. WHITE SPACE

Even more exciting, it can communicate

an entirely different image or idea from
your main design that will reward your
audience for engaging with it.
 THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

EMPHASIS REPETITION
BALANCE & PROPORTION
ALIGNMENT
CONTRAST MOVEMENT
WHITE
SPACE
PARTING WORDS

A design doesn’t have to strictly follow

these rules to be “good.” Some
absolutely mind-blowing designs ignore
one or more of the principles of design
in order to create an eye-catching and
effective work.
THANK YOU!
REFERENCES
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Graphic_Design/Principle
s_of_Design

https://99designs.com/blog/tips/principles-of-design/

https://gomedia.com/graphic-design/

https://paperform.co/blog/principles-of-design/#5-propo
rtion