The Principles of Design are guidelines for putting the basic building blocks of Art, the Elements, together. They're "how" art is made.

Unity - Unity is simply making sure the work looks like one work and not several that are stuck together with little or no relation.

• Repetition creates unity.
• Overlapping creates unity.
• Focal Point or Hook is the focus of the work. One focal point unites visual art; one hook repeated throughout a song unites audible art. A major theme or a main character is the focal point that unites written art.

Interest - Just as a work needs to feel like it is one piece, every part of it should not be identical. That's boring. No one will give it a second look.

• Variation creates interest. Each repeating element should be slighty different from the other unless the concept is uniformity.
• Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements. It may be bright against dull or large against small. It could be loud just after quiet or rough next to smooth. It may be a foil such as a sweet old grandma talking to a sleezy used car salesman.

Heirarchy - Heirarchy is the ordering of the elements from the most important to the least important. Elements should not compete for the same place in importance unless that tension is essential for the message.

• Stepping is the transition between contrasting or opposing elements. It may be big, medium, small. It may be dark, medium, light. It may be a note or a phrase that starts out soft then builds up to be booming. It may be a sequence of actions that leads a reader from one scene to another.
• Dominant-Subordinate - Each element needs to be more important than another and less important than another exept the focal point or hook which is the most important.

Elements of Art | Color Theory | Cartooning Tips

©2004 Jeff Thomason