Design and Composition
More on Composition Click Here

Lessons and Examples

ART AND DESIGN TERMS
YOU NEED

VISUAL ELEMENTS Line, Direction, Weight, Form or Shape, Color, Texture, Size, Space, Light, Tone Line edges all forms and shapes, may occur alone; produces movements and textures Direction indicates the direction and manner lines moveWeight the heaviness or thickness of a line from delicate to massiveForm defines an object or shape. Form may denote ""mass"" a 3d form. Color Defines any Hue, colors we name, primary, secondary tints, etc. Texture defines both natural patterns of line or tactile roughness or smoothnessas well as patterns created by drawing or painting tools Size is the reference to the amount of space occupied by an element. Space the area occupied by the elements 2dimension or 3 dimensional. 2Dimensional Space has the appearance of flatnes; 3Dimensional has the appearance of depth of perspective or modeling of form to appear to have mass.Light defined as illumination from a light source will influence modeling and cast shadows. Tone Tonality or Value; is any effect of shadow, values, dark, light, or shading. All colors also has relative tone.
DESIGN ELEMENTS:Movement (direction) , Rhythm, Repetition, Contrast, Variety, Unity, Emphasis, Tension, Similarity. Movements the directions the line or edges move through a space. Rhythm are the effect of repeated similar line movements or similar shapes. Repetition refers to repeating any element, see above list. Contrast differences found comparing any single element. Such as contrast of
DESIGN TERMS CONTINUED "colors" red contrasts with black.... texture: rough contrasts with smooth. Variety expresses numbers or differences, different kinds of elements or content. Unity expresses the appearance of oneness or harmony that every design requires. Emphasis is the effect of bringing some parts out or making prominent or dominant. Integration is when parts appear to fit together and have a sense of oneness.Tension results when elements do not fit harmoniously; but cause opposition or dissonance. Tension happens when line movement paths crash into another path Similarity of elements is the main method of making the composition harmonize.Harmony is the feeling of apparent correctness of having parts appear to belong together and to work together visually in a pleasant way. There is sufficient variety to cause the forms to be interesting and not boring but not so same and unvaried as to become boring.

2 Aims of Design:
Variety in UnityForm Follows Function

Updated 02-02-2023