Elements and Principles of Design

At times, while shopping around, we come across extremely exquisite art on a piece of cloth that makes it unique. That's the power of design.

So if you are one such creative soul searching for top design colleges in India to master the art, let us brief you about some of the fundamental principles and elements of design. Designs are a fascination for an artist, but the fascinating they are, the complex is their process and understanding. Design works on making decisions with creating and organizing elements in an accurate way in order to convey a message. This process requires a thorough knowledge of principles as well as the elements of design along with a well-planned procedure. Designers use the technique of creating the image in their heads so as to emphasize particular aspects. A successful design is the one that uses the principles of design to arrange the elements so as to create the desired effect.

The elements of design are the parts that describe the visual tools and components that a person uses to develop a composition. On the other hand, the principles of design apply the elements to create a visual and convey a message accordingly. These elements and principles of the design represent a set of guidelines that have the purpose of helping you create aesthetically pleasing visuals. Graphic design has its principles and rules that they generally follow to create stunning visuals

• Line

Lines are an essential element of design. They can also be defined as linear marks, shape, or outline. They can be thick or thin, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal, or they can create texture.

• Color

Color is one of the most critical elements of design because it helps in evoking emotions. As the presence of the darker shade of the ceiling creates a visual effect making the rooms look small.

• Shape

Shapes can be geometric, realistic, or abstract; it has two dimensions: height and width. The principles of design combine with the elements so as to create a composition; these are termed as the guidelines which are being used to arrange the elements. Each principle included is a fundamental concept used to organize or arrange the structural elements of design, and it applies to each component of a composition and to the composition as a whole.

• Balance

Balance refers to the accurate arrangement of the objects in a certain design to create the impression of equilibrium. It is in 2 forms:

 Symmetrical  Asymmetrical • Movement

The movement can be created along edges, shapes, lines, colors, etc. The movement is added to create unity with eye travel. By arranging the proportion of elements in a certain unique way, a designer can control the movement of the viewer's eyes in and around the composition.

• Pattern

A pattern is an object or symbol that repeats in the design. It can be a pattern with a regular repetition or an alternate pattern that uses more than a single form of repetition.

• Repetition

Repetition generates unity and consistency in the composition. It is the repetition of similar or different objects throughout the design. This repetition can be regular, even repetition, irregular, or uneven repetition.

• Proportion

The proportion principle is used to create a sense that has an order between the elements used and to have a visual construction. This can occur in two ways:

• Harmonious or in proportion
• and Unbalanced or disproportion

• Unity

Unity is described as the relationship between the individual elements and the whole compilation.

Apart from the technical skills such as space design, technical drawing, and design tools, one must develop a polyphony between relational and communication skills so as to keep moving interaction with the clients. Although it is possible to spend years learning the different shades of design, there are a handful of basic elements that every budding designer or even an experienced designer should know and keep in mind before beginning any project.