Defining The Principles Of Design

By Chris Kincaid

I write a lot of articles about what design is and how to go about creating design that works. I often talk about the elements of design like color, line, etc. You can have all of the right elements in design and still go terribly wrong. And that's because you need to know how to apply the elements of design. What a person "does" with design is, or should be, an artful application. Here I define design principles so that designers can make the most of them. Note that this is the base of design work. The more you can do with this information, the better and more successful your designs will be.

The first design principle we should define is balance. Basically, design elements like color or shape need to counter each other in way that equals out. The best way to understand it is to use examples. A little mark close to a border will counter a big mark in the middle of a design area. The same is true for light and dark. The darker the shape, the heavier it appears, so make sure to balance your lights and darks accordingly.

Gradation may not be as familiar of a term as some of the other principles I've listed. It's pretty simple to see, though, as it adds a sense of motion to design. For example light to dark gradation forces the eye to move with its changes. So, we can define gradation as size and direction moving together to make linear perspective.

It isn't hard to figure out what repetition means in design. So, I'll simply mention that repetition with variation is what's important. Without it, design will be blas or tedious. It will take some practice to create the appeal that repetition done well will give a design.

One of my favorite design principles to work with is contrast. Too much contrast and the design will lose its impact. So, make sure the deepest contrast is at the point where you want the eye to focus. Examples of contrasting elements are verticals vs. horizontals, darks vs. lights, and colors opposite each other on the color wheel. So, we can define contrast as the way we position opposing elements.

Harmony is similar to contrast because it deals with how elements interact with each other, but instead of opposing elements working together, harmony is about adjacent elements working together. Examples are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel or ovals next to circles. Harmony gives subtlety and depth to design.

Dominance is important in design because it's where the eye lands first. But what is it? It's the emphasis in design. So while you're playing with contrasting or harmonizing elements, one is surely going to show up as the leading actor so to speak, and that's dominance.

Unity is the way all the elements pull together to relate the idea in your design. If you have a client who is, say, about organic fertilizer, and you need to create a logo, you'll want your elements to communicate growth, earth, and health. So, choosing harmonizing shades of green, vertical lines, and rough texture might work well to communicate those things.

About the Author:

Chris Kincaid is a twenty year marketing professional and writes extensively on business including local topics such as graphic design in Michigan and Ann Arbor web design.