Design Principles Project 1 (2025/02/9)

09/02/2025 - 17/02/2025(Week 1 - Week 3)

YANGYANG/ 0363575

Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media  / Taylor's University

Task 1 

Exploration

LISTS

- Lectures

- Instructions

- Design

- Feedback

- Reflections

Lectures

- Intro

 

- Notes

In this lesson seven different design factors are mainly explained and listed, from which variations and combinations of these seven elements are used to form different styles of design.

Point – The most fundamental design element, used to draw attention, create patterns, or establish rhythm.

Issac Ferrer

Painter

Line – Defines direction, shape, and movement, influencing the overall feel and flow of a design.

huajian sun

Painter

Shape – A two-dimensional element with defined outlines. Shapes can be geometric (structured and precise) or organic (free-flowing and natural).

Narciso de Alfonso

Painter

Form – A three-dimensional element that adds volume and depth, enhancing the sense of space in a design.

awwwards.

Painter

Texture – The perceived surface quality of an object, which can be either tactile (physically felt) or visual (simulated through design).

Atlanta Designer Rugs

Painter

Space – The area within a composition, divided into positive space (occupied by elements) and negative space (empty areas that enhance balance and composition).

Dutch Uncle

Painter

Color – Defined by three key properties:

• Hue – The pure color itself (e.g., crimson, blue).

Judy Robinson

Painter's Home Page

• Value – The lightness or darkness of a color.

Ying

Panter's home page

• Saturation – The intensity or purity of a color.

Antonio

Painter's Home Page

Common color schemes include monochromatic (variations of a single hue), analogous (adjacent colors on the color wheel), and complementary (contrasting colors that enhance vibrancy).

- W1：Contrast & Gestalt Theory

• Contrast - is the stark juxtaposition of distinctly different elements. By placing these opposing elements side by side, contrast enhances visual interest, draws attention, and strengthens the overall composition.

Dystopia Prints

Painter

• Similarity - The human eye naturally perceives similar elements in a design as part of a whole with similarities - whether it's a complete picture, shape or grouping. Even if these elements are separate in a physical sense, the brain instinctively connects them based on their similarity, creating a sense of unity and organisation.

Info

Painter

• Continuation - The viewer's eye follows the path, lines and curves of a design. Most viewers prefer to see a continuous flow of visual elements rather than separate objects, while the guidance of a line path can help the designer focus the viewer's attention. 

Clifford Schmitz

Painter

• Closure - The human eye likes to see complete shapes. If a visual element is incomplete, the brain can perceive the complete shape by filling in the missing visual information, in this way increasing the white space in the design allowing the viewer to be more imaginative.

Irene Martinez Hurtado

Painter

• Proximity - Placing related design elements together and separating unrelated design elements. The purpose of this is to show that the elements are interconnected or related to each other and combined into a visual unit that helps to organise or structure the layout of the overall design picture.

Julia Eleni

Painter

• Figure/Ground - This type of typography enables the viewer to perceive objects as being either in the foreground or in the background.

Oleksandra Filonenko

Painter

• Symmetry and Order - Objects that are symmetrical to each other are more likely to be grouped together than objects that are asymmetrical to each other, and objects that are asymmetrical to each other are more likely to be grouped together.

Camilla Comunian

Painter

- W2：Balance & Emphasis

• Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight, creating a sense of equilibrium in a composition. It can be achieved in several ways:

• Symmetrical Balance: Equal visual weight on both sides of a central axis (horizontal or vertical).

Алена

Painter

• Radial Balance: Elements arranged evenly around a central point.

DeAnna Sampson Downey

Painter

• Approximate Symmetry: Similar but not identical elements placed around the fulcrum line.

Tate Gallery

Painter

• These principles help establish harmony and stability in design.

• Asymmetrical Balance - Asymmetrical balance occurs when the centre of visual gravity is unevenly distributed in a composition. A major element on one side can be balanced by multiple smaller elements on the other side. This approach is more capable of creating a sense of movement and energy, providing more visual variety. However, due to the complexity of the relationships between elements, trying to achieve asymmetrical balance may require the designer to be more skilled in the techniques of design concepts.

Principle

Painter

• Golden Ratio - The Golden Ratio, also known as phi (≈1.618), is a mathematical concept derived from the Fibonacci sequence, which is abundant in nature. It has long been associated with perfect beauty and is used in architecture and art to create visual balance. For designers and artists, applying the Golden Ratio helps to achieve harmony, balance and beauty in their work.

Lady Sepia

Painter

• Rule of Thirds - The Rule of Thirds is a compositional guideline used in design, photography, film and painting to create a more dynamic visual effect. It involves dividing an image into three equal parts horizontally and vertically and placing the subject at intersections or along lines to enhance balance and visual interest.

Website

• Emphasis - is a design principle used to create focus and visual dominance. It can be achieved through a variety of elements such as colour, shape and value, directing the viewer's attention to key areas of the composition.

Gohar_7

Painter

W3：Repetition & Movement

• Repetition - creates rhythm and pattern through repetition, adds energy and movement to the design, keeps the composition attractive and vibrant, and prevents monotony.

Lucy Pope Doughty

Painter

• Movement - The ability to direct the viewer's eye across a composition to create a visual path. It directs the eye and enhances the sense of movement through the strategic use of shapes, forms, lines and patterns to give the impression of movement in an image, and can also have the effect of focusing the viewer's eye.

sorenselleslagh

Painter

• Hierarchy - is the arrangement of elements in a composition with overlapping front and back overlays, which establishes visual order and ensures that the most important information is seen first, while directing the eye through secondary content.

Website

• Alignment - is the arrangement of elements along common edges, rows, columns, or a central axis to ensure uniformity and cohesion. It enhances visual stability and acts as a guiding structure.

Website

For More:

Harmony & Unity are key principles in design that ensure visual coherence and overall consistency.

• Harmony emphasises the coordination of elements, such as the use of similar colours, shapes or styles, so that the design looks natural and uncluttered.
• Unity ensures that all elements work together to create a complete sense of wholeness, keeping the design organised and uncluttered.

Denise

Painter

Symbol is the use of simple, representative visual elements to communicate a message, concept or brand image.

Vecteezy

Painter

Word and Image is a key principle in design that refers to the combination of words and visual elements to enhance the presentation and visual appeal of a message.

Freepik

Painter

Task 1

Instructions

、

Design

Painter: Yu Qinger

Painter's homepage

Artist: Yu Qinger

Year: 2024

Size: 50 x 70 cm

Medium: Digital Painting

Why did I choose this Artwork?

I chose this artwork because of its strong emotional expression and dynamic composition. The strong facial expressions of the figures, combined with the bold lighting and vibrant background, create a striking visual impact. In addition, her skilful choice of colours reflects her deep understanding of colour theory. Her bold yet harmonious use of high-purity hues creates a striking visual effect without overwhelming the viewer. Her skilful use of colour, coupled with her ability to effectively convey emotion and structure her compositions, makes her artwork vibrant and memorable.

Observed design principles:

• Kinetic: Her compositional structure is also meticulous. The forward leaning posture of the figure is contrasted with the upward movement of the hand and the small animal on the shoulder, forming a crossed diagonal line. Their intersections are aligned with the centre, ensuring balance while avoiding the feeling of a disjointed image.
• Balance: Despite the chaotic energy of the background, the composition remains balanced. The centrality of the figures, along with the carefully arranged diagonal lines, avoids instability in the image while maintaining a sense of visual excitement.
• Proportions: The work is energised by exaggerated facial features, sharp expressions and the elongated figures of the animals. These distortions emphasise the emotional intensity and dramatic tone of the work.

Feedback:

Week 1 Feedback

• Specific feedback: During the first week, I familiarised myself with the course structure and academic programme, as well as the assignment submission process. Going forward, I will ensure that I keep my blog up to date and regularly ask my tutor for advice to refine my assignments.
• Overall feedback: The tutor's explanation of the course was concise and provided me with a solid foundation for understanding design principles. I am excited to apply this knowledge to further improve my skills as I progress through the course.

Week 2 Feedback

• Specific Feedback: This week, I identified and corrected issues in my blog post based on class discussions and feedback from my instructor. In addition, I was able to improve my own blog content by observing and learning from my classmates' blogs.
• Overall Feedback: Mr Fauzi Yusoff introduced us to the key design principles and emphasised the importance of expressing a design overview in your own words.

Week 3 Feedback

• Specific feedback: I have made further improvements on what I learnt in the previous sessions and have successfully updated and submitted my ePortfolio Task 1.
• General Feedback: My assignment met the required standard and demonstrated a growing understanding of design. I will continue to refine my assignment based on the feedback I receive.

Reflections

Through this assignment, I have developed a more systematic and in-depth understanding of design concepts. Previously, my understanding of design was largely intuitive—I could distinguish between good and bad layouts, but I couldn’t fully explain the reasoning behind my judgments. However, after completing this practical assignment, I have gained a deeper and more detailed insight into *why* I find certain designs visually appealing. I am now able to analyze and understand the techniques artists use in composition, such as balance, contrast, and visual hierarchy. This newfound knowledge not only strengthens my foundational understanding of design but also provides me with a clearer direction and greater confidence when creating my own work in the future.