DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Design elements refer to the visual components that make up a design. They include:

a) Point - It the simplest element of design, used as repetitive mark forms a line.

b) Line - Lines can be active or static, aggressive or passive, sensual or mechanical. They can indicate directions, define boundaries of shapes, imply volumes and suggest motion or emotion.

c) Shape - Shape becomes visible when a line encloses an area or an apparent change in value, colour or texture. There are 2 general category of shapes : geometric (regular) and organic (irregular).

d) Form - 3D area is called a form. When form encloses space, the space is called volume. Form is a major element in sculpture and architecture.

e) Texture - Texture refers to the tactile qualities of surfaces or to the visual representation of those qualities. There are 2 categories of texture : actual (experienced by touch) and simulated/implied created to look like the real texture).

f) Space - Space is the indefinable, general receptacle of all things : the seemingly empty space around us. The actual space of each picture's surface is defined by its edges. In graphic design, space can be defined as positive (filled space) or negative (empty space).

g) Colour - It is the light wavelengths that the human eye receives and processes from a reflected source.

Hue : Colours of spectrum.

Value : Lightness or darkness from white to black.

Tint : Pure Hue + White

Tone : Pure Hue + Grey

Shade : Pure Hue + Black

Intensity : Saturation/Chroma, refers to the purity of a hue

Design principles refer to the rules and guidelines that designers follow when using design elements to create a design. There are 11 principles of design:

a) Contrast - It is created by visually reinforcing something we want the viewer to pay attention to. This is often used to train the viewer’s eyes on the center of interest, or a focal point – the area of interest the viewer’s eye naturally, instinctively skips to.

b) Balance - It is the distribution of interest or visual weight in a work. A balanced work will have all the elements arranged such that the work will have a sense of visual equilibrium or stability. It can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial.

c) Emphasis - It is the part of the design that catches the viewer's attention. Usually the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could be different in size, color, texture, and shape.

d) Rules of Third - The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.

e) Repetition/ Pattern/ Rhythm - Repetition of elements in regular or cyclic fashion creates interest. Repetition strengthens a design by tying together individual elements and bringing a sense of consistency. It can create rhythm (regular, alternating, flowing, random, progressive) and patterns.

f) Movement - It is a visual flow through the composition. In some works, movement is implied by the use of static elements to suggest motion and direct a viewer’s eye along a path through the work. In a still image, aspects such as lines, diagonals, unbalanced elements, placement, and orientation can play the role of active elements. In others, movement can be real, giving some elements the ability to be moved or move on their own.

g) Hierarchy - Hierarchy is the control of visual information in an arrangement or presentation to imply importance. Hierarchy influences the order in which the human eye perceives what it sees.

h) Alignment - It helps create a sharp, ordered appearance for ultimately better designs by ensuring your various elements have a pleasing connection with each other. Center, right, or left-aligned text is the most common, but you can also align text to other objects in your graphic.

i) Harmony - It brings together a composition with similar, related elements (adjacent colors, similar shapes, etc.). Harmonious elements have a logical relationship, connection, alignment, or progression. They work together and complement each other

j) Unity - It is created by using harmonious similarity and repetition, continuance, proximity, and alignment. It is the visual linking of various elements of the work. This allows the disparate elements and principles to create a unified whole that can be greater than the sum of its parts

k) Proportion - It 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. Good proportion adds harmony, symmetry, or balance among the parts of a design.

By understanding and applying these design elements and principles, designers can create effective designs that effectively communicate their intended messages and ideas to their audiences.

Gestalt Principles are principles of human perception that tend to organize visual information into patterns or wholes, rather than seeing individual elements in isolation. Designers use the principles to organize content on websites and other interfaces so it is aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand.

a) Principle of Similarity - The human eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete picture, shape or group, even if those elements are separated.

b) Principle of Continuation - The human eye follows the paths, lines, and curves of a design, and prefers to see a continuous flow of visual elements rather than separated objects.

c) Principle of Closure - The human eye prefers to see complete shapes. If the visual elements are not complete, the user can perceive a complete shape by filling in missing visual information.

d) Principle of Proximity - The process of ensuring related design elements are placed together. Any unrelated item, should be spaced apart. Close proximity indicates that items are connected or have a relationship to each other and become one visual unit which helps to organise or give structure a layout.

e) Principle of Figure/Ground - Objects are instinctively perceived as being either in the foreground or the background. They either stand out prominently in the front (the figure) or recede into the back (the ground).

f) Principle of Symmetry & Order - Elements that are symmetrical to each other tend to be perceived as a unified group. Similar to the law of similarity, this rule suggests that objects that are symmetrical with each other will be more likely to be grouped together than objects not symmetrical with each other.

With the theory given at hand, students are assigned to complete the exercises of producing artworks that show design principles.

Exercise 1 :

Gestalt Theory

I wanted to combine two animals that shows principle of figure ground. The drawing of a horse came into my mind, which is a digital artwork I am currently working on, at the same time it is also my Chinese zodiac. I wondered I could add a fish into the negative space of the horse drawing. I asked myself, "What kind of fish?" Then, I was inspired by looking at one of the seniors' blog, Arthalia Teja. I love the red and black patterns on koi fish's body, so I decided to use in my design.

I seldom encounter a design with a combination of horse and fish (they existed, but just not common). They might seem unrelated to each other, but in the field of art, anything can be combined to form a new idea. Rather than saying horse and fish are "not-related", why don't we say they complement each other in this case? Horse can run, fish can swim, if there is a creature with both abilities, I'm sure it will be so cool! That's probably the reason why I want to use horse and koi fish in my design, normally I draw them separately but never think of combining them. Now, this exercise gives me a chance to create this art, called “Horse and Koi".

"Horse and Koi"

Horse and Koi , one is mammal while another one is fish, one lives on land and the other one lives in water. They are different, in terms of size, shape, habitats, food... but these do not stop them from being friends. It is interesting to imagine the friendship between the little koi fish and the strong, spirited horse. Both are my favourite animals and I love the idea of combining both of them in my artwork.

Contrast

What make things contrast? I planned to go for black and white for this artwork. Firstly, I thought of rock and balloon/feather, because one of it is heavy and hard, while another one is light and soft. Secondly, the idea of life versus death came into mind. I decided to go with something more organic and curvy. I thought plant is more suitable to represent life and death (other living things like human or animals will be more complicated).

"A Pot of Life and Death"

Life and death, the inseparable concepts that everyone will encounter. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, we witness how fragile human lives are. Instead of using real human, plants are the best to represent life and death in a more calming manner. Black and white contrast are being applied in this artwork, as white resembles life and black resembles death.

Exercise 2 :

Emphasis

Since I am yet to introduce any colour in my previous exercise, I thought I could try adding colours from now on. Colour emphasis works well as our eyes are easily attracted by high contrast colours. When colour is introduced in a black and white picture, it makes the subject attractive and special.

I wanted to use human figures for this exercise. There were several people falling down, holding flower/plant (as parachute) in their hands. One of them would be in different colour, action and size to make it stands out from the crowd. When I was digitising the sketch, I decided to use chrysanthemum as the "parachute" because I like its blooming petal.

"Where?"

Reflecting my own feelings, this gloomy and contemplative artwork is expressed in a simple way, no fancy elements —— just 3 colours, and simple human figures. Choosing chrysanthemum as the "parachute" is not intentional. But in fact, chrysanthemum is traditionally viewed as a death flower. People are falling from the sky from nowhere, having no idea where to go. Where are we going? Am I the only one who is conscious in this world?

Movement

It was time to play with some acrylics. I mixed with some water to dilute the paint, and poured it on top of another, slightly moved the canvas and formed fluid acrylic paintings. It was super fun to play with acrylics. The outcome is unpredictable but they are very unique for me.

"Acrylic Fluid Art"

Sprinkling and pouring paint on the canvas is just soothing and mesmerising. Each piece of acrylic fluid art is unique because the paint creates various irregular lines and markings on the canvas. Layers of acrylic paint are poured, which then react with each other when combined to create organic movement and free-flowing abstract compositions. This is my first time experimenting with different forms of art and I really enjoy creating abstract painting.

Exercise 3 :

Harmony

I was fascinated by the colourful imaginative illustrations with plants as their main elements. I think trees and flowers can form many interesting shapes, either in a static and rigid form, or more dynamic and curvy form. Since I have decided my direction, which was nature scenery and fantasies, I jotted down the elements I wanted to include. First of all, plants. They could be trees, flowers, leaves or mushrooms. I could also use hills, castles and fruits. At this point, I felt something is missing. Then, I looked at my mood board again and again, and realised I could add a living thing into my design. It would help to add some vitality and to avoid monotony.

"The Cozy Afternoon"

A cat (-bun) and a (roundy) bird are resting on the mushroom-like tree canopies. Warm colour palette is used to portray a warm, cozy afternoon. All of the elements (animals, trees, fruits) come together in a unified way. The different levels of tree canopies and the colour usage add variety to this piece of art, keeping it from looking monotonous and boring. The resonance of similar organic shapes, as well as the repetition of colours, are harmonious in this work of art.

I would like to stand under the trees and immerse in this peaceful atmosphere for a moment, would you?

Symbol

I am interested to create my own symbol since I have not done any before. Symbol is important as it acts like a reminder and you will understand its message without any aid of word. I wanted to create a symbol as my own reminder/alert.

Okay, time to think of the concept. I started with identifying the problems around me. Environmental pollution? Child abuse? Equality? Mental issue? I decided to go with something related to mental issue. During August 19–31, 2020, through December 9–21, 2020, significant increases were observed in the percentages of adults who reported experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder (from 31.4% to 36.9%), depressive disorder (from 24.5% to 30.2%), and at least one of these disorders (from 36.4% to 42.4%). The issue of depression has become a "common" illness but we should never underestimate its consequences. Even I often feel stressed out, ended up with sweating hands and insomnia due to the academic pressure.

So, I decided to make a symbol about "3R" (definitely not reduce, reuse, recycle) —— it is rest, recharge and restore, it is for both physical health and mental health. There is a Chinese idiom called "Taking a break is for accomplishing a longer journey." This is true but people often ignore about it. We are tend to rush to meet deadlines and tell ourselves "Ah, I can rest after I finish this," and then staying up whole night just to finish the task. This is clearly an unhealthy lifestyle.

"Rest, Recharge, Restore"

This is an arbitrary symbol I created to remind myself to take enough rest. The heart is placed in the centre, representing our mental health, our heart, our emotions that need to be take care of. The lightning symbol, resembles "charge", is purposely joined with the heart to make it looks like a heart cracking, further emphasis on the importance of taking time to heal your heart. The circle around the heart indicates the circulation or recharging.

In this fast-paced technological era, people tend to overwork, staring at screens all day and night until they forget to rest. Many are not aware that rest is vital for mental health. Sometimes, we have to unplug ourselves from the busy world for a moment. Take time to rest, recharge and restore.