Organization in the visual arts and Principles of Design

ORGANIZATION IN
THE VISUAL ARTS

Principles
of Design

Harmony
Essential to beauty.
Visual arts: achieved by
establishing a pleasing
relationship between the
various elements.

•

Unity: various parts of the
design will give an
appearance of belonging
together.
• Repetition of angles and
curves, shapes, lines and
colors will give a harmonious
effect.
•

To relieve monotony, there
must be variety.
◦ The spice of life and of art.
◦ May be achieved by the
diversity of materials used and
slight contrast in color, texture,
shape and space arrangements.

Balance
All parts are equally distributed
around a central point.
Weights are equally distributed on
each side of a center of fulcrum, as
in see-saw. Gives a feeling of
stability and rest.
Makes an object or room not only
interesting but also pleasant to
look at.

Formal balance
Symmetrical balance
Achieved by making both sides
exactly alike.
Objects of the same size and
shape, when arranged on two
sides of a center, will produce
formal balance.

Informal or
asymmetrical balance
More difficult to achieve the formal
balance; however, the results are more
interesting.
Achieved when objects of unequal weights
or unequal attractions are placed at the
correct distances from the center as when
a large object or an object of stronger
attraction is placed near the center, while
the smaller object or one with less striking
attraction is moved

Proportion
Determined by a comparison
of the sizes of different parts
of an object or of an
arrangement.
Achieved when one part of an
object does not seem too big
or too small for other parts.

Rhythm
Achieved by the regular or
harmonious recurrence of
lines, forms, and colors.
Organized movement, a beat, a
repetition.
Through the repetition of lines or
forms, a pattern is
produced, which the eye follows as
it moves from the right to left.

Emphasis/ Subordination
Some parts easily catch our attention
and interest while other parts are not
noticed at all.
Produced by the design or form that
catches our attention while the rest
are subordinated.
Pattern emphasized usually forms the
center of interest.
Giving importance to the parts or to
the whole.

Principles of Design ways
in which form elements
(inter) act within a
composition, and help
bring order and meaning
to it.

Shape
A two dimensional outline of
an
object
or
its
representation in an image.

Form
A distinguishable three
dimensional image of the
subject matter.

Leading Lines
• Are used to draw the viewer’s eye
through a photograph and are
intentional or unintentional,
natural lines created in the space
of the photograph and are used to
create a visual narrative in the
composition. Also used to draw
your eye to a focal point in the shot
that you would like to highlight.

Texture
• The visible surface quality
of an object adding
character to your picture.
Texture can be smooth and
shiny like a new car, or
rough and edgy as in tree
bark or a cobble walkway.

Color (Hue)- Symmetrical
Balance
• Symmetrical balance can be
described as having equal
“weight” on equal sides of a
centrally placed fulcrum. It
may also be referred to as
formal balance.

Asymmetrical Balance
• Also called informal balance, is more
complex and difficult to envisage. It
involves placement of objects in a way
that will allow objects of varying visual
weight to balance one another around a
fulcrum point. This can be best
imagined by envisioning a literal
balance scale that can represent the
visual “weights” that can be imagined in
a two dimensional composition.

Gradient
• Is something fading like a
sunset and you cant see
where it ends.

Repetition
• Involves the use of patterning to
achieve timed movement and a
visual “beat”. This repetition may
be a clear repetition of elements in
a composition, or it may be a more
subtle kind of repetition that can
be observed in the underlying
structure of the image.

Pattern
• The regular repetition
of several objects,
shapes, or colors in an
ordered or random
manner.

Contrast
• A striking exhibition of
unlikeness.

Dominance
• Dominance is an object or color
that stands out in relation to the
rest of the image.

Proportion
• Refers to the relative size and
scale of the various elements in
a design. The issue is the
relationship between objects,
of a whole.

Unity
• Is the underlying principle that
summarizes all of the principles and
elements of design. It refers to the
coherence of the whole, the sense that
all of the parts are working together to
achieve a common result; a harmony of
all the parts. Unity can be achieved
through the effective and cosistent use
of any of the elements, but pattern- that
is, underlying structure- is the most
fundamental element for a strong sence
of unity.

MOVEMENT
–is the process of
relocation of objects in
space over time.
–We can speak of
movement as;
literal or compositiona
l

Literal movement
is signaled by symbolic forms that
suggest speed and motion.

• Compositional movement
It consider how the viewer's eye moves
through the composition.
How the components relate and lead the
viewer's attention.

•Thank you for
listening 

Organization in the visual arts and Principles of Design

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