The Principles of Design

POST ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION

Starting this project was more difficult than it appeared it would be. Thinking of ideas for designs that accurately represented the principles of design proved to be a challenge. I found that it was easier to think of one principle, pick three geometric designs, and make the design as I went. By keeping the principle I was working on in mind, I could make a design that worked well for that principle without planning it out extensively. Sometimes I started making a design for one principle, but ended up changing the principle after finishing the design. I enjoyed playing around with Photoshop to make the different designs, because I liked the different patterns and shaped I could make. To improve upon my designs, I could have used more of a variety of geometric shapes, because for the most part, I found myself using triangles, rectangles, and circles.

 Balance

Variety

GEOMETRIC INSPIRATION

My geometric inspiration came from the designs I found on Noupe.com. 

These designs use simple shapes and lines to draw the viewers eye along and through the design. They are simple but the use of repetition and pattern make them more interesting. The first design uses color in such a way that the eye is drawn toward the center where the warmer color are and along the grid-like lines. The second design is in a way disorienting, and it is hard to focus on one spot. I think that it is interesting how this can be achieved using very simple shapes. These designs are great examples of how the principles of design can affect how someone views a design.

PRE-ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to use and understand how the six principles of design work. By using geometric shapes only, we will make six designs, each of which will represent one of the six principles of design. The goal of this project is to learn the principles of design and to start to learn the basics of Photoshop. The exact project assignment is the following:

Design Assignment 1: Tell a story with geometric shapes

You will create a composition using three shapes.  See samples of work at this site:
Design Project 1

Use this template for your project:

Create a 9"x9" square, under that square put three 2.5" x 2.5" inch squares.  In the three squares put the three shapes you will use in the large square.  In the large square you don't have to use all of the shapes if you do not want to, but you do have to use at least one of them.

You will create six of these templates -- look at the site for inspiration and we will talk about it.

Each of your six large designs must illustrate one of the six design principles: BALANCE, EMPHASIS, REPETITION, MOVEMENT, VARIETY, HARMONY.

Basic Elements of Design

The six basic elements of design include line, shape, value, space, color, and texture. Lines are basic straight lines that can connect things and create shapes. Shapes can be simple or complex and can create images or symbols to convey a message. Space can be negative or positive. It can spread things in a design out and give the eye a break in an image. Value is the shadow in images and designs that give depth and perception. It gives the design more realism, as opposed to a flat image. Texture gives designs a quality that can visually make it appear rough or smooth, and adds character to the design. Color is used in designs to convey messages and especially to catch someone's attention. Colors can create different moods or feelings.

Colors trend from year to year and some of the colors that are predicted to be popular in 2014 are shown in the color palettes below.