Two-Dimensional Design

Using the Principles of Design to Organize Compositions

The Elements of Design

The basic ingredients the artist uses separately or in combination to produce visual imagery.

LINE SHAPE TEXTURE VALUE COLOR SPACE TIME AND MOTION

The Principles of Design

Concepts that guide the arrangement, organization and integration of the elements in achieving a sense of visual order and overall visual unity.

UNITY & VARIETY BALANCE RHYTHM SCALE & PROPORTION EMPHASIS & FOCAL POINT

UNITY & VARIETY

UNITY The oneness or wholeness in a design that occurs when all parts work together to create a cohesive whole. Unity implies HARMONY.

VARIETY The differences that give a design visual and conceptual interest. Variety can be used within Unity to interrupt the harmony of a design with an element that strays from the dominant composition.
Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, 1962, silkscreen

Ways of achieving Unity & Variety

PROXIMITY The distance between elements. Placing images or elements close to one another in a composition.

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930, Oil on board

PROXIMITY

Keith Haring, section of fresco in Pisa, Italy, 1989

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using Proximity to create Unity/Variety

Ways of achieving Unity & Variety

REPETITION The use of the same visual element, effect or shape a number of times in the same composition.

Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931, Encaustic on canvas

REPETITION

Print Ad for Surfrider Foundation

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using Repetition to create Unity/Variety

Ways of achieving Unity & Variety

CONTINUITY A fluid connection between compositional parts.

Frank Stella, York Factory II, 1974, Screenprint

CONTINUITY

Delilah Montoya, Los Jovenes (Youth), 1993, Collotype

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using Continuity to create Unity/Variety

Ways of achieving Unity & Variety

THE GRID The grid creates a visual network; a framework around which images can be organized.

David Hockney, Yellow Guitar Still Life, 1982, Polaroid Collage

THE GRID Grids are the organizing structures for many patterns.

Tile patterns

Wallpaper patterns

THE GRID

Chuck Close, Self-Portrait, 1991, Oil on canvas

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using The Grid to create Unity/Variety

Ways of achieving Unity & Variety

COLOR and VALUE Complex designs can be unified through color and value.

COLOR

Image from Sunset Magazine

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using Color to create Unity/Variety

VALUE

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, Oil on canvas

UNITY / VARIETY

Student sample image using Value to create Unity/Variety

BALANCE

BALANCE An equilibrium among interacting and/or opposing forces in a visual composition. Also the distribution of the weight (actual or visual) of the elements of a composition. ACTUAL BALANCE Balance that is necessary and achieved by the distribution of the actual weight in 3D work, like sculpture. PICTORIAL BALANCE Refers to the distribution of the apparent visual weight of 2D elements.

Polykleitos of Argos, Doryphoros, 440 BCE

Roni Gendler, Untitled, 2005, Digital print

VISUAL WEIGHT The way shapes may seem to float or sink based on their size, solidity and location within a composition.

Rene Magritte, Decalcomania, 1966, Oil on canvas

TYPES OF BALANCE

SYMMETRICAL

RADIAL

ALLOVER

ASYMMETRICAL

TYPES OF BALANCE
SYMMETRICAL BALANCE Occurs when shapes or volumes are mirrored on either side of a vertical or horizontal axis.

US Capital Building, Washington DC Leonardo Da Vinci, Vitruvian Man, 1487

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

HR Giger, Li I, 1974, Acrylic on paper

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image from book project

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image from book project

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image from book project

TYPES OF BALANCE
RADIAL BALANCE Balance that occurs when design elements radiate from a center point.

Mandala

Radial symmetry found in nature

RADIAL BALANCE
Ad for Eden Snacks

TYPES OF BALANCE

ALLOVER BALANCE A composition in which each part has equal visual weight.

Eva Hesse Untitled, 1966, Black ink with wash and pencil on paper

ALLOVER BALANCE
MC Escher Bulldog, 1942, Woodcut

TYPES OF BALANCE

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE An equilibrium that is created among visual elements that differ in size, number, weight, color or texture.

Otto Steinert, Passerby, 1950, Gelatin silver print

Ways of achieving Asymmetrical Balance

VALUE & COLOR High contrast values or contrasting colors can provide visual weight.

Sergio Larrain, Valparaiso, Chile, 1957, Gelatin silver print

Daniel Zeller, Disquisition, 2007, Ink, Acrylic on Paper

VALUE

Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998, Acrylic, collage, and glitter on unstretched canvas

COLOR

Yoshitomo Nara, There is No Place Like Home, 1995, Acrylic on canvas

Ways of achieving Asymmetrical Balance

SHAPE & TEXTURE

Shapes are often used to offset other shapes or to contrast similar shapes in different sizes.

Texture can also be used in this way.

SHAPE and TEXTURE

Wangechi Mutu, Backlash Blues, 2004, ink, acrylic, photocollage, contact paper, on mylar

Ways of achieving Asymmetrical Balance

POSITION The placement of objects of varying visual weights can create an asymmetrically balanced composition.

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow, 1930, Oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red, 1921, Oil on canvas

POSITION

Ad from Living Magazine

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image using Value, Position and Texture to create Asymmetrical Balance

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image using Value, Position and Texture to create Asymmetrical Balance

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE

Student sample image using Value, Position and Texture to create Asymmetrical Balance

RHYTHM

RHYTHM
The repetition of multiple parts to create a pattern of positive/negative, sound/silence, or other contrasting forces. Rhythm creates a sense of movement.

Think of visual rhythm in terms of musical rhythm:

METER: basic pattern of sound and silence ACCENTS: emphasis on certain notes TEMPO: the speed at which the music is played

Bridget Riley, Cataract 3, 1967, Tempera on Hardboard

Ways of achieving Rhythm

REGULAR REPETITION A means of creating rhythm in which elements are duplicated at an orderly or fixed interval.

A B A B A B A B

A B C A B C A B C

Donald Judd, Untitled, 1990, Anodised aluminium, steel and acrylic

RHYTHM

Student sample image using Regular Repetition to create Rhythm

Ways of achieving Rhythm

ALTERNATING REPETITION A type of rhythm in which different elements in a work repeat themselves in a predictable, alternating order. A B A C A B A C A B A

ABA CDC ABA EFE ABA

Graci Tabi, Cow Pattern

Ways of achieving Rhythm

PROGRESSIVE REPETITION A type of rhythm in which elements in a work change slightly as they move or progress toward a defined point in the composition. AB

AB

AB

AB AB
ABCDE

A AB

ABC

ABCD

Spyros Horemis, from Optical and Geometric Patterns and Designs, 1970

RHYTHM

Student sample image using Progressive Repetition to create Rhythm

RHYTHM

Student sample image using Progressive Repetition to create Rhythm

Ways of achieving Rhythm

PATTERN Designs that are composed of repeated elements that are usually varied, produce interconnections and a sense of rhythm.

Fabrics and quilts are known for using pattern

RHYTHM

Student sample image using a Pattern to create Rhythm

SCALE & PROPORTION

SCALE Size in relations to other objects or humans.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-1988, aluminum, stainless steel, paint

SCALE Size in relations to other objects or humans.

Rene Magritte, Personal Values, 1952, Oil on canvas

SCALE

Ad for Holland America Cruise Lines

Pepsi Ad

SCALE Size in relations to other objects or humans.

Tim Hawkinson

Egg 1 x 1.5 x 1 inches

Bird 2 x 2 x 1.75 inches

SCALE

Student sample image from book project

SCALE

Student sample image from book project

SCALE

Student sample image from book project

PROPORTION The comparative relationship between the parts to a whole; the ratio of one thing to another within a larger whole. The relative size of visual elements within a composition.

Chuck Close, Big Self-Portrait, 1967-68, Acrylic on canvas

Lucian Freud, Reflection (Self-Portrait), 1985, Oil on canvas

Philip Pearlstein, Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Pillsbury, 1973, Oil on canvas

Amedeo Modigliani, Self-Portrait, 1919, Oil on canvas

Francis Bacon, Self-Portrait, 1969, Oil on canvas

PROPORTION

Student sample image showing skewed Proportions

PROPORTION

Student sample image showing skewed Proportions

EMPHASIS & FOCAL POINT

EMPHASIS Designers use emphasis to compel the viewers eye toward a certain part or area of a composition. FOCAL POINT The focal point is an area or part of a composition that seizes and maintains the viewers attention.

Trenton Doyle Hancock, The Second to The Last Big: Symphony Masquerades as War, 2006, Mixed media on canvas

EMPHASIS & FOCAL POINT

Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-1498, Tempera on plaster

Ways of achieving Emphasis & Focal Point

SEPARATION / CONNECTION Any anomaly or break from the norm tends to stand out. Our eye searches for similarities, so differences attract attention.

Dorothea Lange, White Angel Bread Line, 1932

SEPARATION / CONNECTION

Laylah Ali, Untitled, 1999, Gouache on paper

SEPARATION / CONNECTION

Student Example of using Separation/Connection to create a Focal Point

Ways of achieving Emphasis & Focal Point

LOCATION / PLACEMENT Emphasis on a particular area in a composition can help to direct the eye towards a focal point.

The Luo Brothers, from their Welcome the Worlds Famous Brand series, 2005-2008

LOCATION / PLACEMENT

John Trumbull, The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, 1817, Oil on canvas

LOCATION / PLACEMENT

Student Example of using Location/Placement to create a Focal Point

Ways of achieving Emphasis & Focal Point

CONTRAST Created when two or more forces are in opposition Static / Dynamic Small / Large Solid / Textured Curvilinear / Rectilinear Grayscale / Color Light / Dark

Consider contrast with SIZE, SHAPE and COLOR

CONTRAST

Georgia OKeeffe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. IV, 1930, Oil on canvas

CONTRAST

David Adam Edelstein, Tilt-Shift Shinjuku at night, 2007, Digital print

CONTRAST
Ida Applebroog, K-Mart Village II,1989, Oil on canvas

CONTRAST

Student example using Contrast to create a Focal Point

Ways of achieving Emphasis & Focal Point

ISOLATION The placement of one image or element apart from others in a composition.

Pablo Picasso, Family of Saltimbanques, 1905, Oil on canvas

ISOLATION

Ger Van Elk, Lunch II, 1976, Photograph, drawing and oil on ivory and metal

ISOLATION

Student example using Isolation to create a Focal Point

Ways of achieving Emphasis & Focal Point

DIRECTIONAL LINES Line can be used to direct the viewers eye to the focal point of a design.

Oskar Schlemmer, Bauhaus Stairway, 1932, Oil on canvas

DIRECTIONAL LINES

Irving Norman, From Work, 1978, Oil on canvas

DIRECTIONAL LINES

Student example using Directional Lines to create a Focal Point

DIRECTIONAL LINES

Student example using Directional Lines to create a Focal Point

The Absence of a Focal Point

The purposeful absence of a focal point can be used to further a particular theme or idea.

Vija Celmins, Untitled (Big Sea #1), 1969, Graphite on paper

Vija Celmins, Untitled (Night Sky #10), 1994-95, Oil on linen

EMPHASIS / FOCAL POINT

Student sample image from book project

EMPHASIS / FOCAL POINT

Student sample image from book project

EMPHASIS / FOCAL POINT

Student sample image from book project

The Elements of Design

LINE SHAPE TEXTURE VALUE COLOR SPACE TIME & MOTION

The Principles of Design

UNITY & VARIETY BALANCE RHYTHM SCALE & PROPORTION EMPHASIS & FOCAL POINT