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The Principles & Elements of Design

The Principles of Design	The Elements of Design
The principles are abstract concepts that are used to create and evaluate design. Good designers use these principles to achieve a purpose, look, mood, feeling, or reaction. Proportion Balance Rhythm Emphasis Harmony	The elements are the tools used to accomplish the principles. Point Line Shape Mass Space Color Texture Pattern Light

The lists may differ slightly for various design fields and between different sources, but the basic ideas are the same. For example, some sources include Contrast as either a principle or element of design.

Resources for the Principles and Elements of Design:

• Handout from the book Beginnings of Interior Environments by Allen. Jones, and Stimson
• Art, Design, and Visual Thinking, Charlotte Jirousek, Cornell University
• Color Theory Tutorial by Worqx
• Color Matters
• BBC Homes: Color

Although different cultures may have a different design aesthetic, some of the principles and elements, and their meanings, seem to be universal. For example, which shape is bouba and which is kiki?

Read the article The Meaning of Metaphor from Discover Magazine to learn more about the bouba/kiki relationship.

Which of the following images is correct ?

- or -

The image at the left more accurately portrays "calm" because of the use of gently curved lines, simple rounded text, location of the focal point, and the hue and tone of the colors.

Exercise: Choose a word from the list below. Using the elements of design, create a graphic using the word that conveys the feeling of the word, similar to the example above. Use only the elements of design (line, shape, color, etc.) - no text other than the word you choose, and no representations of actual objects.

groovy elegant sleek palatial massive

elaborate gloomy chaotic swanky whimsical

Now, use what you know about the principles and elements of design to create a logo for your "company."

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