9.1: Defining the Design Principles

Design principles are indispensable tools for artists, serving as the cornerstone for creating and interpreting visual art. These principles—balance, rhythm, scale and proportion, emphasis, variety, and unity—are the fundamental building blocks that guide artists in arranging visual elements within a composition to produce works that are harmonious, engaging, and imbued with meaning. By adhering to these guidelines, artists can ensure their art is visually appealing and communicates effectively, evoking emotions and engaging viewers. These principles often intersect and overlap within a composition, illustrating their complexity and the dynamic ways they can be applied in practice. Furthermore, these principles act as a critical framework for education, enabling students to critique art and experiment with creativity. Mastering design principles is essential for artists to convey messages, express ideas, and connect with their audience, making them crucial for impactful visual communication in the art world. Let's explore how these principles are applied in practice, enhancing our understanding and appreciation of visual art.

Balance (Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial)

Balance refers to how the visual elements within an artwork, such as objects, colors, textures, and space, are distributed to achieve a sense of stability. To understand balance, one must consider the concept of visual weight, which is the perceived heaviness or lightness of these elements in a design. Imagine the artwork as a scale: to create a stable and harmonious composition, these elements need to be arranged so that they are evenly distributed across the artwork's axis. This axis can be vertical, where elements are balanced on either side to create symmetry or asymmetry, or it can be horizontal, with elements balanced from top to bottom. By carefully observing and adjusting the visual weight of these elements, artists can ensure that the artwork feels stable and balanced to the viewer.

• Symmetrical balance creates a sense of order and stability by mirroring elements on either side of the design.

• Asymmetrical balance is a visual concept involving elements different in weight but visually balanced. This approach requires careful planning and is different from symmetry or radial symmetry. It can create a natural and organic feel, but it also demands a deep understanding of design principles and aesthetics to execute successfully.

• Radial balance refers to the arrangement of elements around a central point, resulting in a symmetrical and circular design. This type of balance is commonly observed in natural objects such as flowers.

"Principle of Balance" by Kristen R. Kennedy is licensed CC BY-4.0.

Emphasis (Focal Points)

Emphasis is a design principle that directs the viewer's attention to a focal point within the artwork. Artists achieve this by using different attributes like size, color, texture, and shape to create a dominant focus point. There are three layers of emphasis: dominant, sub-dominant, and subordinate. The dominant focal point is the primary area of interest that commands immediate attention through stark contrasts with its surrounding elements. Sub-dominant elements support and enhance the narrative around the dominant focus, while subordinate details add depth and complexity.

Limiting focal points is essential to prevent visual competition within the artwork, ensuring a coherent and harmonious hierarchy. By orchestrating these layers of emphasis, artists create a balanced, engaging visual experience that communicates clarity and intention.

Ways in which to create Emphasis include:

• Location of Focal Point: Positioning elements away from the center and along the rule of thirds grid is an effective way to create emphasis and visual interest in a composition. For example, placing a focal point slightly off-center in a landscape painting can add dynamism and guide the viewer's gaze. Strategic placement of focal points is crucial for creating impactful artwork.

• Implied Lines: Artists use implied lines to guide the viewer's gaze toward a focal point without drawing attention to it. These lines can converge and lead the eye. In a cityscape drawing, a line depicting rooftops or street sidewalks that converge towards a central landmark can capture and direct the viewer's attention (see Linear Perspective)

• Juxtaposition (The Unexpected): Juxtaposing contrasting elements can create emphasis and visual tension in a composition. For example, in surrealistic art, the combination of realistic and fantastical elements highlights the surreal aspect of the work.

• Level of Rendering Varying The level of detail or rendering within a composition can create emphasis by contrasting areas of high detail with areas of simplicity or abstraction. Artists can effectively draw attention to focal points by rendering them with greater precision, clarity, and sharpness compared to surrounding areas. For example, in a portrait drawing, the subject's face may be rendered with meticulous detail, while the background is left more loosely rendered or unfinished, emphasizing the central figure.

• Contrasting colors draw attention to specific areas in a composition. Complementary colors or high-contrast hues create visual impact and highlight focal points. For example, a vibrant red stone in a bed of grey river stones catches the viewer's eye due to the stark contrast.

• Isolating an object or subject within a composition emphasizes its significance. Placing it against a simple background removes distracting elements, allowing it to stand out. For instance, in a landscape drawing, positioning a single tree away from a group of trees against a plain background isolates it and draws attention to its presence.

"Principle of Emphasis" by Kristen R. Kennedy is licensed CC BY-4.0.

Rhythm & Movement

The collaboration of movement and rhythm in a drawing is crucial to guide the viewer's gaze and create visual continuity. For example, in a drawing of a winding river through a forest, the flowing lines of the river direct the viewer's eye. At the same time, the repeated motifs of trees and rocks establish a rhythmic pattern along the riverbanks. This combination of movement and rhythm produces a sense of fluidity and harmony, drawing the viewer into the tranquil beauty of the scene.

Rhythm closely relates to movement and involves repeating elements in a regular or varied pattern. It creates a sense of motion within the artwork and can evoke feelings of harmony or discord depending on the pacing and arrangement of the repeated elements. Rhythm can be visualized through patterns, contrasts, and spacing in the artwork, echoing the beats and tempo found in music. By repeating and varying elements, artists can create intricate layers of meaning and emotion, leading the viewer through the visual experience in a deliberate manner.

Movement in art refers to the visual path that a viewer's eye follows while looking at an artwork. This path is usually guided along the composition's lines, edges, shapes, and colors, leading the viewer toward focal points. Movement can be either actual, giving a sense of motion to the artwork, or compositional, leading the viewer's eye through a sequence of elements. The illusion of movement can be created through various techniques, such as dynamic lines, repeating shapes, and linear perspective.

Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" exemplifies the principles of movement and rhythm, creating a vibrant and emotional depiction of the night sky. The swirling patterns of the clouds and the rhythmic repetition of the stars and moon guide the viewer's eye in a mesmerizing dance across the canvas, connecting the celestial with the terrestrial. This dynamic use of movement and rhythm not only enhances the visual appeal of the painting but also imbues it with deep emotional resonance, reflecting awe and contemplation of the natural world. Through "The Starry Night," Van Gogh demonstrates how movement and rhythm transform a static image into a lively, emotive experience.

"Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" (1912) by Giacomo Balla is in the public domain, via WikiArt.org.

Repetition & Pattern

Repetition is a design principle that involves using the same or similar elements throughout a composition. This can include shapes, lines, colors, or textures. The purpose of repetition is to create unity, consistency, and cohesion within an artwork, making it appear as a coherent whole. It establishes a visual rhythm, making the composition more engaging and easier for the viewer to understand by providing a predictable pattern of elements.

On the other hand, pattern is a more structured form of repetition involving the orderly arrangement of repetitive elements to form visual motifs or designs. Patterns can be regular, with elements repeating in a predictable manner, or irregular, where the repetition includes variations. Patterns add depth and interest to a composition by creating a sense of order and predictability while introducing complexity through the detailed arrangement of the elements.

When creating a composition, it's important to consider the principles of repetition and pattern. These elements work together to make the artwork more visually appealing and coherent. Repetition creates unity and rhythm, guiding the viewer's eye and making the artwork more engaging. Patterns organize the repeated elements, adding depth and complexity and drawing attention to focal points. An example is "Lizard" by M.C. Escher”, where the repeated lizard motif and tessellating pattern unify the artwork and invite closer inspection. This combination of repetition and pattern creates captivating and harmonious artworks that explore the endless possibilities of visual design.

"Principles of Repetition & Pattern" by Kristen R. Kennedy is licensed CC BY-4.0.

Proportion (Size & Scale)

Proportion is essential in creating a balanced and harmonious composition in artwork. It involves considering the size, scale, and visual weight of different elements to ensure they work well together. Artists use proportion to emphasize elements, direct the viewer's attention, and create specific effects and moods. It's about how the parts of the artwork relate to each other and the surrounding space. Artists may use realistic proportions or intentionally deviate from them for specific effects or messages.

Size in art refers to the dimensions of objects, including their actual or perceived weight, volume, or scale. It can greatly influence how a piece is interpreted and its overall impact, affecting how viewers perceive the relative importance of different elements. Manipulating size can create contrast, highlight differences, or suggest movement or depth, all of which contribute to the narrative or thematic expression of the artwork.

Accurately depicting proportions and manipulating sizes can help artists create visually engaging drawings that effectively communicate their intended message or narrative. Artists use composition techniques such as the Golden Mean, linear perspective, and spatial depth cues to achieve accurate proportions and spatial relationships.

"Principles of Size & Proportion" by Kristen R. Kennedy is licensed CC BY-4.0.

Unity & Variety

Unity refers to the sense of harmony and cohesion in a work of art. It is achieved when the elements of art (such as line, shape, color, texture, and space) and principles of design work together to create a consistent, orderly look or feeling. Unity gives the viewer the sense that all the parts of the piece belong together in a coherent whole. Techniques to achieve unity include repetition, proximity, and continuation of visual elements, guiding the viewer’s eye around the composition and making it appear as a unified object.

Variety introduces diversity and contrast into a work of art. It involves using differences and changes in the elements of art to create interest, excitement, and complexity. Variety can be achieved through variations in size, color, texture, shape, and orientation among the elements within the artwork. While unity brings a sense of order, variety adds intrigue and prevents monotony, engaging the viewer’s attention and encouraging them to explore the piece further.

When creating a drawing, it is crucial to balance variety and unity to achieve a visually appealing and harmonious composition. For example, in a still-life drawing, an artist can add visual interest by using various objects in shape, size, and texture (variety). However, to ensure a balanced and harmonious composition, the artist must arrange these objects to relate well to each other (unity). By balancing variety and unity, the artist can create dynamic, cohesive, captivating artwork while conveying a sense of completeness and harmony to the viewer.

"Irises" (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh is in the public domain via WikiArt.org