FUNdamentals of Design
What comprises the design process? What is a project's components? Its building blocks?
First topic of exploration will be a series on the fundamentals of design. This will include design elements, principles and the language of design
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As a novice freelance designer it is my opinion that one needs as solid of an understanding of the processes of design from research and concept through to finished project.
From my research and the few basic courses in Design Principles I have taken from Alison.com and other free academic upgrading sites I have found that the Fundamentals of Design comprise of Processes, elements and principles.
4 Phases of the Design Process
Planning: Includes client’s needs, researching content and intended audience
Design Conceptualizing: Basic layouts, sketching out elements
Developing the Design: Inserting content into the chosen layout(s) and creation of all elements
Deploying the Design: Gaining approval for final design and delivering it to the client and/or posting it live online.
Elements of Design
Design Elements are the individual parts of a design, they structure and carry the work.
Period: Simplest and most basic element. Can vary in size and shape can be used alone or in a group. Can be used torepresent distance value or pattern depending on the distance between the points.
Line: Two connected points used to represent motionand emotion depending on the direction (horizontal, vertical or diagonal)
Shape: Defined as an area that stands out from what surrounds it by way of a border (line) or differences in color or textures. Formed when a line encloses an area. Shapes are 2 dimensional with length and width and can be geometric or free form.
Form: Shows the space the volume, mass or positive space it occupies and/or the 3rd dimension of an object. Forms can be viewed from any angle.
Space: A 3 dimension volume that can be empty or filled with objects. It has height width and depth. Various techniques can be used to imply visual depth or space. The area between objects is also called negative spaces.
Colour: Has three aspects: Hue, Value and Intensity
Hue: is the actual color name. It is a part of a colour wheel can be complimentary,analogous,primary,secondary, or tertiary.
Value: Lightness or darkness of an object or hue,
Intensity: the purity of a hue.
Principles of Design
Design Principles are the artistic concepts, they affect the content and message of the work.
Hierarchy: Purposefully using basic design elements and principles to visually lead the eye through specific points within the order of importance within a composition. Order of importance is the order that elements are seen within a composition.
Emphasis: Using elements and principles to give an element more importance in the composition. It catches a viewer’s attention first.
Balance: The arrangement of elements within a composition used to maintain a sense of equality. Can be either Symmetrical or Asymmetrical.
Symmetrical: Balance is achieve by giving equal weight to both sides of a central point. Also known as formal balance
Asymmetrical: The placement of elements that allows for differing heights of the elements involved to balance one another around a central point. Also known as informal balance.
Movement: Occurs in a composition when elements seem to be moving within a visual. Movement can come from the use of shapes, forms, lines and values. Similar objects connected or overlapping can imply movement and a sense of restlessness. A series of images in separate frames also can imply movement through time. A comic book would be an example of this.
Rhythm: A visual tempo or beat achieved by the deliberate and regular repetition of elements to produce the look and feel of movement. Repetition can be random, regular, alternating, progressive or flowing in nature.
Pattern: Regulated arrangement of alternated or repeated elements or motifs within a composition.
Unity: The arrangement of elements within a composition that gives the viewer a sense that all elements contained within are a part of a larger whole. This enables the composition to be seen as one complete design or piece of art.
Contrast: Used to emphasize or highlight key elements in a composition. It is achieved by the placement of elements in close proximity to each other in order to create a focal point, highlight differences or create visual interest. For example; rough/smooth, dark/light, solid/fluid
Variety: The difference in elements that add interest to a composition. Can be achieved by the use of opposites, strong contrasts, changing the size, point of view or the element of a single object within a composition.
Sources:
Wikipedia.com Smashing Magazine Alison.com Udemy.com Linked In University of Kent
