Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What is Aesthetics?
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the definition of beauty.
What is design?
To design, is the process of originating and developing a plan for an artistic
or architectural object, which may require countless hours of thought,
modelling, iterative adjustment, and re-design. The noun, a design, is either
the finalised plan of action, or the result of following that plan of action.
The elements of design:
A design is an arrangement. It can be reduced to seven basic elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Point
Line
Form
Shape
Space
Texture
Colour
What is a point?
Colour:
Colour is electromagnetic radiation. Visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, TV
and radio waves, etc. are all forms of electromagnetic energy which travels
in waves. Different wavelengths= different colours.
The word Colour is the collective term which applies to the whole subject - red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black and white and all possible combinations
thereof. Hue is the correct term for the pure spectrum colours commonly referred to
by the "Colour names" - red, orange, yellow, blue, green violet - which appear in the
hue circle or rainbow. Theoretically all hues can be mixed from three basic hues,
known as primaries.
Primary colours
The primary colours consist of three hues from which we can theoretically mix all
other hues. There are two commonly used definitions of primary colours: Additive
and subtractive
Additive or light primaries
Additive primaries - red, green and blue: These are used
when dealing with mixing emitted light. All colours (or
hues) can be produced by mixing these three. An
example of their use is on a computer monitor, where
varying intensities of red, green and blue light are used
to create the colours we see. If full intensity red, green,
and blue are mixed the result is white light.
Value
are
are
Hue: The term for the pure spectrum colours commonly referred to by the
"colour names" - red, orange, yellow, blue etc.
Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue.
Value/Luminance: A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue.
Those hues with a high content of white have a higher luminance or value.
Chroma: How pure a hue is in relation to grey.
Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue. One may lower the
intensity by adding white or black.
Balance
Proportion
Rhythm
Emphasis
Unity
Balance
Balance is the concept of VISUAL EQUILIBRIUM.
Most successful compositions achieve balance in one of two ways symmetrically or asymmetrically
Symmetrically balanced:
Can be described as having equal weight on each side.
When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the
result is Bilateral symmetry.
It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally
around a central point, resulting in radial symmetry, which is used in
publishing.
There is a variant of symmetrical balance called approximate symmetry in
which equivalent but not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum
line.
Asymmetrical balance:
involves placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying
visual weight to balance one another around a fulcrum (pivot point) point.
Unequal weights can even be balanced by shifting the fulcrum point on our
imaginary scale.
A darker colour looks heavier and is said to have a greater weight.
Radial balance:
The third main type of balance is radial balance, where all elements radiate
out from a center point in a circular fashion.
Rule of thirds:
Composition is balanced around the frame by dividing the image into thirds.
The rule of thirds is a compositional tool that makes use of the notion that
the most interesting compositions are those in which the primary element is
off center. Basically, take any frame of reference and divide it into thirds
placing the elements of the composition on the lines in between. This
technique is particularly popular with photographers.
Rhythm:
Rhythm is the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined
intervals between them. Rhythm can create a sense of movement, and can
establish pattern and texture. The presence of rhythm creates predictability
and order in a composition.
Rhythm can be created in several ways:
Linear Rhythm:
Linear rhythm refers to the characteristic flow of the individual line. A
repetition of a line with a small interval.
Alternation: linear rhythm with 2 shapes/ colours, etc. Alternation is a
specific instance of patterning in which a sequence of repeating motifs
is presented in turn; (short/long; fat/thin; round/square; dark/light)
Flowing rhythm
Progressive rhythm: Progressive rhythm employs a series of motifs
patterned to relate to one another through a regular progression of
steps. Graduation: object changing colour, angle etc.
5. Continuance
a. Continuance is the idea that once you begin looking in one
direction, you will continue to do so until something more
significant catches your attention.
6. Dominance
a. Dominance relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design. It
determines the visual weight of a composition, establishes space
and perspective, and can be used to direct the eye around a
composition. There are 3 stages of dominance:
i. Dominant
1. The object given the most visual weight
ii. Sub-dominant
1. The element of secondary emphasis
iii. Subordinate
1. The object given the least visual weight.
7. Visual involvement
Unity:
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 in concept
Minimal- the bare minimum for the structure. The elements and
principles can be selected to support the intended function of the
designed object; the purpose of the object unifies the design.
Lecture 5: 2D illusion of a 3D Form:
The techniques for creating the illusion of 3D space are:
Describe objects
10
Top down:
Free-ranging solution
Bottom Up
Lecture 9: Posters
What is a poster?
An effective poster is a VISUAL communication tool.
11
12
13
14
Point
Line
Form
Shape
Space
Texture
Colour
Point
The simplest element in the form generation process.
The smallest possible visible mark on a 2D plane or within a 3D space
Line
A mark with greater length than width.
Lines can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or
thin.
Used for the representation of shapes forms, objects, and structures.
Lines can bring meaning, symbolism, and expression to visual forms and
their messages
The principles of Design:
Balance
Proportion
Rhythm
Emphasis
Unity
Golden Section
15
The Golden Section is also known as the Golden Mean, Golden Ratio and
Divine Proportion.
It is a ratio or proportion defined by the number Phi
( =1.618033988749895... )
The ratio of the line A to segment B is the same as the ratio of segment B to
segment C
This occurs only where A is 1.618... times B and B is 1.618... times C
16