Design Principles 101: The Keys to Designing Better, Faster

Proportion affects everything and everything is affected by proportion. Therein lies the reason behind its prominence within this discussion. Harmony is a state of cohesive balance in which similarities are achievable despite contrasts or variances. A harmonious musical chord will have a structure composed of various notes, yet will blend together the instant it is heard. Balance is all about achieving an equilibrium. Three factors control balance: size, value (or color), and location. Some might add a fourth: shape, since some shapes are more attention-grabbing than others. Contrast is the most dynamic expression of proportion. Visual weight refers to the lightness or heaviness of an item as well as the item’s hierarchal or relative importance within a composition. Sometimes contrast and balance are achieved in the same composition. Being able to make the necessary adjustments to achieve such a combination is a measure of craft unto itself.

Achieve a balanced harmony by controlling proportions. Three factors controlling balance: size, value (or color or texture), and position. Some might add a fourth: shape, since some shapes are more attention-grabbing than others. All of these factors have a decided affect on the distribution of visual weight within a composition. Proportion affects everything.

Balance may not be every situation’s objective. Alternately, a need for emphasis might be desired which would then require a sense of hierarchy be established. Hierarchy can help the viewer determine how to navigate a design in terms of enabling where the viewer would go initially and then successively. Towards achieving hierarchy, the same factors we used to achieve balance would be employed: size, value (or color or texture), and position – even shape, but with appropriate changes in proportion.

In a state of perfect balance, nothing dominates or overwhelms. In a balanced state, elements contribute equally despite their inherent differences. As soon as any kind of dominance takes place, hierarchy beginning to emerge. Balance requires a bit of conditioning for the casual viewer.

Of the two image strip resources, the one that includes the donuts represents balance. The image strip with the images of ladies and that of the airplane represents hierarchy.

Of the three exercise resources, Proportion: Controlling Balance & Harmony should be your first exercise, followed by Proportion: Contrast, part one, then part two.

Contrast of Scale – another form of Proportion – is all about comparing varied amount or size relationships. It could be a simple, everyday contrast of scale such as toy car placed upon the hood of a real one, or perhaps in a surreal landscape where an enormous eye replaces the setting sun.

Contrast of Scale plays its strongest role when an artist or designer wishes to heighten tension or extend a sense of depth…or even reverse one

Hierarchy aids in the exploration of any composition. Its helps identify which areas have greater importance over others. It helps the viewer identify which areas will likely be taken in first, second and so on.

A focal point is the most active area in a composition. Some prefer calling it an entry point. Not every composition requires one, depending, of course on the nature of the composition, intention or outcome.

Conduct a search for the painting, The Love Letter by Johannes Vermeer. A focal point can lead the viewer into secondary areas of interest and thus into the heart of a story or narrative by way of creating hierarchy.

Balance can be proportionally affected by visual weight and also by mode of structure. In general terms, the most frequently used modes of establishing structural balance involve symmetry and asymmetry.

Symmetrical Balance involves mirroring an image along an imaginary axis. The compositions immediately below demonstrate four different types of symmetrical balance: vertical, diagonal, horizontal, and radial. In each case there’s an imaginary axis that provides this kind of underlying structure.

On the other hand, asymmetrical balance does not involve a mirrored structure or axis, but rather a felt sense of balance. The sense of structure is typically more fluid and possesses more random qualities. Overall there’s a felt sense of balance borne out of proportional considerations (size, value or color, weight and placement).

Notan is a Japanese concept roughly translated as dark/light and is most apparent where shapes and patterns occur. It’s all about darks and lights (or other visual forms of opposition) composed into harmonic, balanced patterns or relationships; a concept made visible in this painting by Utagawa Hiroshige, (View from Massaki of Suijin,1856; The Art Institute of Chicago). In the painting, neither the flowing tree nor the receding landscape dominate one over the other. Harmony and Notan become the result.

It's reasonable to experience a design that can occasionally display balance and harmony to a point where no single element appears to overwhelm any of the others.

“Darks and lights in harmonic relations – this is Notan…”, Arthur Wesley Dow; educator, painter, art historian.

Time to test what you know about proportion, contrast, balance, and hierarchy.

The difference between direction and movement? Direction directs. Movement moves. These lines of text are perfect examples. Within milliseconds, the eyes flows over, within and around letters, determining word after word. Eventually a line of text is absorbed. Text appears to be a singular line amongst other singular lines that form a paragraph. The letters invoke movement; the lines invoke direction. If the text has a flush left edge, the eye is induced to return to that left edge repeatedly, moving down to the next line and so on. Reading combines direction and movement towards a common goal.

In the attached single resource image with a blue violet background, a pattern of black dots is shaped into a line with a decidedly diagonal direction. This line also has a sense of movement. It is a bit bumpy and fairly active in addition to flowing diagonally. The diagonal direction being expressed by the dots is entirely the result of alignment and of the dots being close enough (tension) for a sense of unity to take place. This same line of dots reinforces the overall direction (or orientation) of the canvas which is diagonal.

Movement is reflected by internal forces within the line contributing to a felt sense of advancement or progression. There is also a counterpoint or balance: an orange line which acts as an alternately diagonal, subordinate source of direction. The direction of both the dotted line and the orange line are echoed and repeated by the lightish blue strokes behind each. Attached are some additional examples of direction and movement.

Alignment provides one of the simplest and most direct means for conveying direction and creating unity in a composition. Overlapping creates a continuous mass of shape. On the other hand, alignment implies a direct link from one independent object to another independent object. For example, the text on this page runs in a tight sequence of letters and words on an imaginary horizontal path. This text also happens to be aligned on the left edge (“flush left”).

Alignments require a certain degree of tension or closeness from one object to the next and an imaginary path, otherwise the connections tend to weaken. Alignments assert control.

Orientation reflects the overriding position or relationship of visual elements to the viewer. The video splash images such as the one above, are each dominantly horizontal in their orientation. This orientation is supported or determined by the dominantly horizontal direction. Alignment can support or simply create direction as well as orientation. Alignment can be created easily, such as by using dots to define a shape or a path, as well as connecting one contour edge to another contour edge.

Fractured space can express movement or even shape a story. Anytime you watch a movie, a TV show or most any video, something about what you’re watching has likely been edited, spliced, trimmed or reconfigured. This is fracturing at its core and at its most everyday. It’s alternately a product of natural forces or a human contrivance. In terms of the latter, think of fast forwarding with a remote control or the precise instance when a media selection has suddenly changed.

Movement can be expressed by the wave of a hand, the bounce of a ball, or even suggested as in the sweeping, overlapping lines of a freeway interchange. Motion tends to produce a trail whether actual or imaginary. Point A to point B has an “in between” stage. Motion has a path, whether it’s straight and simple or convoluted and complex; continuous or interrupted.

Time to test yourself…and learn something at the same time.

Negative Space: so misunderstood. The empty space that surrounds physical objects is generally ignored. Many of us see empty space as “background”; a harmless void, generally considered not too important unless you enjoy things like deep fried doughnut holes. And there’s the hook. Negative space is generally ignored until it provides some sort of reward or feedback.

Positive/Negative Space is merely the beginning of a deeper dive into visual relationships. This dive involves tangible and intangible things (form and space), as well as foreground and background things (figure and ground).

Figure/ground relationships are similar to positive/negative relationships but allow for more involved variations in which multiple layers of relationships can occur. Figure/ground, positive/negative – and even form/space – have each evolved from the Japanese sensibility of notan.

Notan has no literal translation in English but, according to 19th century educator, painter and researcher, Arthur Wesley Dow in his book Composition, should be understood to mean, “darks and lights in harmonic relations“. Through this sensibility, harmony and beauty is achievable through the selection and arrangement of dark and light spaces – and not just extreme dark (black) and extreme light (white), but in an infinite variety of combinations.

There are two types of continuity: Visual and Physical. Visual continuity is about alignment. In the example above, text aligns along both left and horizontal edges. Physical continuity occurs among the horizontal bars.

An image of a clothesline – with the line removed – exhibits both types – all garments are unconnected and overlapping. In the end, it’s about how the eye navigates. Displayed below are examples of images with both visual and physical continuation.

Repetition and variation are each independent principles that are frequently combined with engaging results. Repetition is perhaps the most ubiquitous form of unity in the visible world. Repeat something and you’ve created that something’s twin. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Three hundred identical gray dots could become a bit predictable especially if identically spaced. Change just one of those gray dots to red or white and you’ve created a dynamic event called variety. Change the spacing of, say 10 of these dots and you’ve created a more dynamic form of rhythm than was previously there.

Repetition is logical. Variety can be playful and graceful or wild and unpredictable. Tall grasses swaying with the wind can express both qualities at the same time. The same can be seen in the pattern variety of a bird’s feathers or the color variations found in produce at a farmer’s market. Similarities with differences can also be discovered when comparing the dashboard design of some automobiles to their exterior profiles.

Repetition and variation can occur among color selections, shape selections, type selections. Additional examples are posted as a single resource file.

Rhythm can seem as well-behaved as a parade formation or as chaotic as a swarm of bees. Rhythm is borne out of our experience with the flow and pacing of the natural world, and serves as a means to understand underlying patterns that intrigue and engage us. This phenomenon doesn’t need a title or a name, however, we do. Several modes of rhythm will be discussed in this module, both individually and collectively.

The next five sessions deal with introductory level rhythm. The remaining nine sessions deal with more advance applications, but nothing you can't tackle after taking in the first five. The advanced section reflects a dualized approach to combining rhythms. That means any of the preceding, basic modes rhythm can endlessly be combined with one another.

An uninterrupted sequence is as simple as a rhythm can get. All rhythms involve a sequence – whether it be regular or irregular. Repeating shapes can create a pattern that – depending on which kind of sequence it assumes – may result in a sense of movement. When patterns vary or when they take on a quality of movement, this effect is generally referred to as rhythm. It’s hard to find movement in truly static patterns, that’s why not all patterns are rhythmic. Patterns with even the slightest degree of variation or the hint of a visual flow can still produce a rhythm.

Creating a more dynamic rhythm. Imagine an uninterrupted sequence of dots, strung across like a pearl necklace. Now imagine removing one dot at a time while attempting to sustain an implied continuous line of dots. How many circles did you end up removing until the line finally fell apart? Five? Six? More? Notice how the line or sequence seems to continue despite the fact that some of its circles are missing. (FYI, this effect is called Closure. Find out more in the video on Unity.)

The main point is that the interruptions create their own rhythm among the remaining dots – even a pulse. The missing circles (aka, open or negative space) now deliver their own sort of pacing or rhythm.

Creating an Altered Sequence. Now let’s explore an additional form of a rhythm; one where a sequence starts to alternate in a variety of modes. The varied “pulses” within the each of the two individual attached images of sequencing circles has wide reaching, interesting consequences. What if just a few alterations are involved? Or just one? Black, white and gray may be interesting, but also think about how this can apply in the use of color, or in other modes of proportion such as large vs. small (and in-between), heavy vs. light, strong vs. weak; contrasting textures, alternating spacings, etc. How many unique applications can you come up with? Repeating and varying visual elements typically creates rhythm. The possibilities are quite limitless.

A progressive sequence involves a logical sequence of alterations not only in size but potentially in color, value, shape, texture, space, time, etc., individually or in combination with each other.

Altered-Progressive Sequences are everywhere. Cross your fingers. Watch water come to a boil. View clouds going by. This could be the stuff that dreams are made of – though the stranger the dream, perhaps the more altered the sequence. It’s all about the scrambling of an otherwise rational, gradual sequence of visual elements whether by one degree or by several.

Now let’s changes things up a little bit and add another layer of elements to coordinate. Symmetry is a relatively precise form of balance. It typically involves a center axis, whether actual or implied. The left half looks like the right half; upper half like the lower half and so on. Think mirror-like. Multiple layers of symmetrical items may actually begin to form their own coordinated type of carefully crafted rhythms, potentially making compositions far more dynamic and interesting.

Different symmetries working in harmony. This type of rhythm is all about symmetrical sequences where one or the other sequence displays some degree of variation from the other. One sequence may be perfectly symmetrical and the other sequence isn’t…and it works.

Symmetrical sequences can act as a dominant sequence in a composition or it can act as a reclusive counterpoint and something to play off of. Opposing rhythms working in harmony, part 2. This type of engagement brings along its own kind of contrasting elements: an agitated orderliness vs. a whisper-quiet orderliness; excitedly precise vs. quietly daring; light-hearted chaos vs. bloated stability. (Clustered image resource shows: upper right, Mask, Kru peoples [Northern Africa, 19th to mid 20th century]; lower left, Untitled, [Workers, West Carlton Yamhill County, Oregon], Dorothea Lange, 1939, Library of Congress.)

Asymmetrical balance is all about achieving a felt sense of balance. Asymmetric arrangements can be chaotic, random and even playful. They certainly do not embrace an axis of any sort and have nothing to do with mirroring. In fact, just the opposite. Popcorn never pops symmetrically. Water never boils symmetrically. Asymmetrical balance becomes very reliant on an individual’s awareness and sensitivity to the role played by size, value (or color), and location.

Symmetrical and asymmetrical sequences can combine to form greater harmonies. Opposites can attract. Managing their similarities – or their point of interaction – is where design truly becomes an activity and not merely a noun. This is also a good time to review this course’s section on Unity > 11.01. The rational meets the dynamic. An explosion inspires a network. Chaos is modified by control.

A focal point can give rhythm a starting (or a culmination) point. A focal point can be created by some form of distinguishing event: contrast of color, size, value, texture, pattern, location, containment, and inference – just to name a few. Directing one’s attention to where the cascade of activity begins or to where it ends up – is a valuable way in which focal points support underlying compositional dynamics.

Good rhythm has pacing. Pacing surrounds us. The tempo of a walk, the pulse of a dance, the movements found in nature;  the layering of a sunset.  Sometimes pacing is vertical. Sometimes it’s horizontal. Sometimes it spirals. Sometimes it meanders.  Sometimes chaos finds contrast and balance with symmetry, asymmetry or other forms of pacing. Sometimes pacing is as seemingly innocent as a random counterpoint. Sometimes pacing is progressive and predictable.

Sometimes pacing can sneak up on you while hiding in plain sight before quietly delivering a surprise.  Sometimes pacing can compress and recede inwardly. Pacing can expand; it can recede; it can also do both at the same time! Pacing can be serpentine, wandering, interrupted and resumed. The pacing of an open space can replace a lot of words.

Pacing can be about how the eye travels around, within and throughout a frame. Does the viewer get abandoned or are they induced to continue? Sometimes pacing grunts, squats and stumbles. Sometimes pacing emerges boldly and gracefully. Sometimes pacing is continually self-referencing. Sometimes pacing fractures, interrupts, then reassembles. And sometimes pacing reflects an open spirit, never conclusive, always evolving.

Pacing can be rollicking, frolicking, tumbling, and very much in motion – and sometimes pacing is layered from front to back to middle. Sometimes pacing advances, sometimes it recedes, while sometimes displaying both qualities at the same time. Pacing can complete a narrative. It can finish a statement; it can set up ironies as well as the “punch line” at the end of a joke.

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve read, you’ve viewed, and created quite a bit, but now it’s time to apply the results of what you’ve experienced to everyday living. View this video and do the exercises – ten of them to be exact. Each exercise is designed to be created without elaborate set ups, etc. Easy does it. The video’s final exercise involves a pizza shell so buon appetito in advance!

Rhythm is all around you. Every time you choose the day’s clothing or arrange what’s on your dinner plate, you have a chance to create a rhythm. So why not take full advantage of what you’ve just experienced?

Test yourself. Can you guess the types of rhythms being used in this video? Much of art and design becomes wrapped up in multiple layers of rhythm. But one doesn’t have to look far to find it. Rhythms can exist at the farthest ends of the cosmos and within the landscape of a fingerprint.

Dominant and subordinate qualities create various levels of interest and emphasis among all visual elements. Think of the term dominant as meaning the same as primary and think of subordinate as meaning the same as secondary. This sensibility can apply to all of the design elements. How much intense red vs. how much muted red vs. how much white? How much movement vs. how much stability? How much order vs. how much randomness? Does a particular composition have a dominant direction (or movement), as well as a subordinate direction (or movement)?

Compositions that have multiple dominant directions or movements have an intuitive spirit, if not chaotic and purely random. Having multiple subordinate directions (or movements) are terrific as long as a dominant counterpoint exists in your work.

Active/Passive relationships are relative. If a composition has a singularly powerful area of visual attention, it is typically considered a focal point. A focal point provides an entry point and a means to help navigate a composition. Active elements may either begin with a focal point or with a much broader visual area before merging into (or juxtaposing against) a more passive area.

Active/Passive relationships involve dynamic vs. far less dynamic elements in a composition. Loud vs quiet and perhaps even quieter. A bright red square against a bleak, neutral gray background may provide another example of active vs. passive areas. The soft texture of a wet, sandy beach can passively juxtapose against a more active, craggy-shaped red crab trying to navigate its way back to the sea.

Advancing/Receding qualities add depth and feed the perception of three-dimension. There exists a variety of modes for expressing this quality, including fore-, middle- and background delineation; relative size and location; warm or bright colors advancing and cool or dull colors receding; active things advancing and passive things receding; physical perspective; overlapping; volume vs. flatness; and relative importance. "The principle of Advancing/Receding drives the idea of space."–Leo Monahan