Introduction
Hello, my name is Jelita Joice Maharani from Bachelor of Fashion Design [ID: 03833466]. During the online module brief, we were asked to explore what Design Principle is... but to be completely honest, I wasn't able to attend the online session as I unfortunately misread the schedules. After watching the recorded session, I understand that we are required to understand and write down in this blog what the elements and principles of designs are, as well as providing an example of a design, why the design is interesting to us (why we want to choose it as an example), and analyze the principles of designs that is applied in the design.
The following are the MIB (Module Information Booklet) and MAT (Module Assessment Task) that will be a guide for me in order to make this blog:
Fig 1.1: Module Information Booklet (MIB);
Fig 1.2: Module Assessment Task (MAT);
Elements and Principles in Design
From my understanding, the principles of designs are something that form, structure, and evolve the elements of the designs we see everywhere. It improves the appeal of the design, enabling us to analyze and figure out how to improve the design by categorizing it into the design principle.
Elements of a Design
- Point
- A point/dot is the simplest element in a design.
- Line
- A line is something that starts and ends with continuous, endless points, and it would be a border of shapes, abstract (or not), or it could be a standalone.
Shape- A shape forms from lines that have connected and thus enclosing a space (2D). There are geometric shapes that are used in math and structure, but there are also abstract shapes that form mainly for its visual.
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| Fig. 2.3.1: A chart of shapes (Source: Pinterest) |
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| Fig. 2.3.2: A koala head image made of shapes (Source: Pinterest) |
- Form
- A form is something that exists when shapes were placed adjacent from one another, turning it into a 3-D version of it.
- In 2D artworks, Form must be emphasized (adding shadows) for those that is trying to show some reality.
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| Fig. 2.4.1: A chart of 3D geometric shapes (Source: Pinterest) |
- Gestalt Theory
- They are principles that show how the human mind perceives a design.
- Similarity: the human mind perceives an element as something similar with things that exists in this world, that they have gain imagery/vision of before.
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| Fig. 3.1.1: Mid Century Toucan Fine Art Print by Mimi & Mae (Source: Pinterest) |
- Continuation: the human eye sees the path, curves, lines that exist in a continuous flow in a design.
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| Fig. 3.1.2: A design depicting a gradual descent of points (Source: Pinterest) |
- Closure: the human eyes are trained to see completely formed shapes. Hence, if an element/s of a design is incomplete, the mind perceives it as a complete element (shape or from), by assimilate it with a figure that they have envisioned in mind.
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| Fig. 3.1.3: A design that depicts number 2 and 3 (Source: Pinterest) |
- Proximity: when related design elements are placed in close proximity, the mind ties these elements with relevancy.
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| Fig. 3.1.4: A design depicting a broken chainmail fence, its broken pieces flew away in forms of birds (Source: Pinterest) |
- Figure/Ground: objects are perceived as being either on the background or up front, taking the main focus alongside it as one of the first main points of the design.
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| Fig. 3.1.5: A design depicting a cat and mouse (Source: Pinterest) |
- Law of Symmetry and Order: elements that are symmetrical to one another are perceived as a united group.
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| Fig. 3.1.6: A fox tarot illustration (Source: Pinterest) |
- Contrast
- A juxtaposition of two or more strongly dissimilar elements. It suggests the main idea/subject of something that is being represented, bringing us to its focus.
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| Fig. 3.2.1: An illustration of a person presumably floating on water, by Koduko (Source: Kafme.com) |
- Emphasis
- It is used to bring focus on a particular subject, dominating the whole design.
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| Fig. 3.2.1: An illustration of a person attempting to pick up a star in the night sky (Source: Pinterest) |
- Balance
- It is a distribution of visual weight on each of the design elements used in a design.
- Symmetrical balance: It has an equal visual weight on two sides of the center point of the design (like mirrored, for example).
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| Fig. 3.3.1: An illustration of a butterfly and its reflection (Source: Pinterest) |
- Asymmetrical balance: It has an unequal visual weight, as one side could appear more dominant than the others.
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| Fig. 3.3.2: An example of an asymmetrical balance in an image (Source: Pinterest) |
- Golden ratio (phi): is a ratio that comes from the Fibonacci sequence, a sequence that appears everywhere (shape of shells, pinecones). It represents the perfect beauty, and it has been a visual balance in artworks, bringing in balance, harmony, and structure.
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| Fig. 3.3.3: The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, 1831, Katsushika Hokusai (Source: metmuseum.org) |
- Rule of Thirds: It is when an image is divided into 3 (grids), vertically and horizontally, and the subject of the image is placed in between some of the lines of division. It is a guideline to create a more dynamic piece in a design.
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| Fig. 3.3.4: An example of rule of thirds; River Styx (Source: Pinterest) |
- Repetition
- It gives a design a pattern, formed by repetitive elements. A variety of elements used in a design would fight off the monotony of a design.
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| Fig. 3.4.1: An illustration depicting a person surrounded by eyes (Source: Pinterest) |
- Movement
- A pathway that would suggest a motion made by a subject/s or an object/s of the design.
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| Fig. 3.6.1: An original work depicting three goldfishes swimming in a pond, by onedayfour (Source: onedayfour.com) |
- Harmony & Unity
- Harmony is a selection of a variety of elements that complement one another into a visually pleasing design. This selection is often created to curate an aesthetic that would accommodate the theme of the design.
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| Fig. 3.7.1: Lord of the Rings illustration by overflow8 (Source: Tumblr) |
- Unity is a repetition of a particular elements of a design that unites everything on a design template to appear harmonious, or united.
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| Fig. 3.7.2: An example of unity in design depicting a man being grappled by multiple hands, by Eric Pause (Source: Pinterest) |
- Symbol
- A line, shape, or form that represents a subject or an idea. It suggests meaning and it holds information of words in forms of elements.
- Pictorial symbols: symbols that refer to an image.
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| Fig. 3.8.1: An example of pictorial symbol (Source: Pinterest) |
- Abstract symbols: symbols that can look like objects, but with less details.
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| Fig. 3.8.2: An example of an abstract symbol (Source: Pinterest) |
- Arbitrary symbols: symbols that doesn't look anything like the object they're representing. (Most are based on geometric shapes and colors)
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| Fig. 3.8.3: An example of an arbitrary symbol (Source: Pinterest) |
- Word & Image
- Word (Typography) refers to the design and arrangement of words in order to convey its messages with more emphasis, or make it more visually attractive on a design.
- Image is a vital part of a design, and it is important to use a relevant image that represents the idea of a design.
- The relevancy between words and images should exist in order for the message to be delivered.
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| Fig. 3.9.1: An example of typography and image by Cosmic Design (Source: Pinterest/Instagram) |
Chosen Design
Designer: Lindeman and Associates (LA) Year: 2023
Size: 1895 x 3000
Medium: -
Knock At The Cabin Poster #4 is one of the 3 finalized designs that I was able to consult with my lecturer. I picked this design as the chosen one (in favor of Moana 2 Poster #7 and a fan-made Stranger Things poster in Imgur) due to its simplistic yet intense feeling of intrigue when seeing it (the giant hand and the cabin in the sea of red caught my eye). I also picked this design for further analysis due to how several principles of design are used in this movie poster, and how well it worked out. I personally haven't watched the movie yet, but this project would in turn be one of the reasons I'll be watching it, preferably soon in order for me to understand how the poster is relevant with the plot of the movie its being promoted. I love how they portray the four antagonists (I'm not entirely sure if they are, to be honest) on the hand (which I will be looking for its symbolism) and the lone cabin in the middle of a red hill brings me the chills. It would be an interesting study for me for this project.
List of design principle applied:
- Typography
- Emphasis
- Figure/Ground
- Contrast
Feedback from Lecturer
- For every image that you feature for each design principle, they must be accompanied by a figure number, a short caption, e.g. Fig. 1 Example of contrast, and the source.
- Include a reference list at the end of Task 1 for the research you have conducted.
- Your chosen design is suitable. Through reading your rationale, I understand your reason for choosing it.
- The design principles of that poster are on point.
- Please complete Task 1 by the time we meet next week in class so I can give you further comments.
- The designs inserted to o the blog as examples of each principles are well thought.
- The hierarchy of the blog is visible. The different sizes of fonts between the heading, paragraph, and caption of images, alongside the decision to bold or highlight the important descriptions are also making the blog easy to read.
- The overall blog is really well put already, and the past feedbacks are already met with great results.
References
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