The Principles of Design | FREE COURSE

to create successful design pieces we need to understand the rules that make it work the principles of design are a set of rules that designers use in order to create visually pleasing work in an organized and functional way hi my name is laura kyung and i am a graphic designer with over 15 years of experience in this course we'll talk about the principles of design and i will show you real life examples and templates from avatar elements so you can understand all about these principles envato elements is a great resource for high quality templates photographs

fonts and much more every design piece has a structure below the surface that make it work to look balanced and visually pleasing so once you understand how these principles work you can then break the rules so let's get started with the first principle balance balance creates stability in a design piece so every element on a page carries a visual weight and that can be through different scales shapes colors and even textures a lack of balance in a design piece can make a poster or really or on a page look like it's falling toward one side

so balance would be something that feels grounded let's take a look at some examples on this cover design for a book we can see that there is symmetrical balance so if you were to draw a vertical line through the cover we can see that there is an equal amount of elements on the left side and the right side and the colors are the same so this is a very basic definition of what balance is the way this book cover achieves movement is by multiplying the title of the book and making different scales right so we

can see that there is depth to it on the second example from envato elements we have a flyer and again if we were to draw a vertical line through the center of the flyer the pineapple is slightly off center and to counteract that we have the title of the flyer summer party on the left side with a bigger typeface so this helps counteract that weight and balance the poster beautifully a lack of balance like again it will make the poster feel like it's falling toward one side so it is very important to check for that

the next principle of design is unity unity is the harmony produced by all of the elements in a design piece and how these elements create a relationship as organically as possible let's take a look at some examples this first poster for the whitney design museum is loud but it is still organized and that is the challenge with unity museum design pieces tend to be a little bit more creative so we can see here that there is a relationship between the pictures being very creative and also the way the typography is set we have big numbers

and the months are rotated vertically so that makes it already look different the way the captions are next to each of the pictures and then the relationship all of these have and create with the big numbers is just very natural and that is what you want with this design principle on the next example we have an enviro element flyer for back to school and the way that this flyer is incorporating unity is by having a very specific color palette and also the elements on the illustrations that are being used they're all related the illustrations have

the same style so the basketball is not different from the airplane let's say and this just works beautifully and very natural a lack of unity can make a design feel disorganized and cluttered so it is very important that unity can point the viewer to the right information the next principle of design is contrast contrast refers to the level of difference between design elements to create visual hierarchies so this can help the viewer go to certain elements because they stand out more and you can do so through the use of different colors shapes and textures let's

take a look at some of the examples on this first poster contrast is used with two different colors so the yellow and the purple this really makes the whole poster stand out a lot and then if we examine a little bit further we can notice that there are two different typefaces if not three because of the language difference there is a sun serif in a slab serif font so these also create contrast and then we can see contrast in shape where it says taiwanese waves that is a circle or a circular shape and so are

the waves right and then we have the typefaces or the text boxes that are just blocks so that creates also contrast in shapes on our next example from enviroelements we have a magazine template and there are multiple typographic elements using contrast here it is important to create hierarchy especially magazine design because the readers need to know what elements are more important than others and which ones should be read first so on this cover the company profile text is bigger and also in all caps and that hints that this is the title of the publication and

then the rest of the text is just supporting so contrast can create a focal point and without it we can confuse the user the viewer or the reader of the design let's take a look at the next principle of design and that is emphasis emphasis is a strategy used to get the viewers attention to a very specific design element and you can do so through the use of color lines and positive and negative relationships here the key is that as long as you have contrast you will have emphasis let's take a look at some examples

on this book cover we can see that emphasis is created by breaking the repetition of the heads and changing the color of this head element the head direction also enhances the title of the book the uncommitted so again here as long as you have contrast you will create emphasis on our enviroelements example we have a design with a pineapple and we can see that there are multiple lines going to the center and pointing to the pineapple so this is these are called leading lines and these give a hint to the reader to go to the

most important element here or the element that is key in the design so in this case that will be the pineapple and it has a very cool treatment to it lack of emphasis in the design piece would make it look dull and boring and we want to do the opposite of that so we can get the viewers attention let's take a look at our next principle of design repetition repetition is repeating the same element through a design to create consistency so this can be the same typeface the same graphic element or even the same grid

if we're talking about a magazine on this first example we can see a minimalist poster featuring a leaf-like shape at the top and this shape is repeated four times and to make it more interesting it is set in different colors and it has a very cool effect with this superimposed look the rest of the poster looks very minimalist very straightforward and simple to let the leaf shapes shine through on our enviro elements example we can see a branding suit and the repeating element here is the yellow wavy shape and the color we can see that

on the letterhead and the envelopes they have in the sketchbook as well they have the wavy shape and in brand design this helps create consistency and cohesiveness so our brand can look put together the next design principle is pattern pattern is the repetition of multiple design elements that will help enhance the viewer's experience of the final design so while repetition focuses on a single element pattern is multiple elements that just expands through on this first example we have this intricate pattern and we can see that the waves in the background have no clear direction but

they start from the bottom left towards the bottom right or sorry top right and when using patterns we have to be cr careful not to create a a clumpy or disorganized design or something easy so in this case the text is kept white and there aren't multiple text boxes uh scattered through the poster they it is just one text box with the date the important information and then the pattern in the background if it was the opposite the user wouldn't know where to look so they wanted to keep this as simple as possible on our

enviro elements example we have a business card so in brand design it is important to create a pattern in order to extend the graphic line in this case we have an elephant icon and it is a very simple pattern yet it is very impactful and very strong so this is also really good to create an atmosphere through brand design through the pattern in brand design so it is excellent the colors are great and and very punchy the next principle of design is rhythm rhythm is the visual tempo of a combination of elements used repeatedly throughout

design and with variation so this helps create movement but it is an organized type of movement and here the that's the key word you won't really notice rhythm unless you really start to take apart a design piece and it sits more in the background but it really makes a difference on our first example we can focus on the background rectangle and the colors on each block repeat without a very clear system and depending on their vibrancy they are bigger or smaller so for instance the yellow blocks seem bigger than say the red blocks and there

are only two green blocks and the blue blocks are shorter there is rhythm to this design but not a clear system on how things repeat on our next example we have this enviroelement flyer and we can see that rhythm is created with a triangle element so if we were to have just that one triangle in the center it would just be heavy and very static and because this is a concert we want to make it exciting and by adding those triangles in different sizes and colors it just has more movement we can see that the

yellow triangles are sort of the same size the same with a couple of the green ones so there's no clear system but it is there the rhythm is there and the movement is there which is actually our next design principle movement refers to the path our eyes take through a design composition so if we have a dynamic composition our eyes will move from different elements to different elements and if we're smart enough we will use that to lead our viewers to a very specific element or to the most important element in a composition so on

this very first example we have a poster and it is a very very strong let's say it has a very energetic image and that adds movement toward the bottom right of the poster and here we have the motorcycle that occupies about two-thirds of the poster the wheel leads the eyes to the kit on the opposite side and to counteract these lines we have at the top of the poster the text which is very simple very straightforward on our enviro elements example we can see that movement is added through the branches so organic shapes tend to

add movement and we can see that very clearly on this example because at the bottom of the poster where the information is or some of the information it is contained in a capsule or underlined and that helps create stability and that also grounds the poster but towards the middle of the poster there is movement with the branches there if there is movement with the illustration and that just creates a more interesting piece we can see also repetition of the movement with this detail here and that helps enhance the title of the flyer so movement is

important again for the viewers so they know to what elements they should go to the next principle of design is proportion proportion is the sense of unity created when all of the design elements in a composition relate well to each other and that can add balance and harmony so for instance on this specific poster we have a good sense of proportion with the different typographical elements so at the very center we have the name of the can be the subject and then we have the supporting elements on the sides and when we talk about proportion

we're talking about how the main information is big and clear and then the supporting information it is in a smaller type size point because that is secondary that is smaller almost like a body copy in a magazine and that is our next example from the vital elements and in this example the main title is worked over the image on the left page it says hero so that is the title and then we have the other two elements are the quote and the body copy and these are different sizes as well so the body copy it

is usually the heavy text that's where all the information goes into or an interview and then we have the quotes that are used to enhance important parts of this body copy the size of this quote would be in between the main title and the body copy so that's what we called a good sense of proportion if there was no proportion in a design then everything would look exactly the same it would look very static and the viewer or the user wouldn't know which information is most important so the next principle of design is harmony harmony

is the sense of cohesiveness between the elements in a design composition the element in a composition shouldn't be all the same but it should be somehow related and this can be done through the same color palette similar typefaces or the same typefaces sometimes and also similar styles so on our first example we have this book cover and there are a few things going on here we have the sans serif all caps text in the background yellow is a bright color but a little bit close to white so it's still it is subdued let's say and

then we have the multiple text details that are handwritten and the handwriting is not the same on all of them they are related and well well these are different they're all still made by hand so they're cousins not siblings let's say and the same can be said for the organic arrows circles and scribbles use they add a very specific personality to to the whole uh cover but it still contrasts the background and brings it all together nicely and that's what we want when we talk about harmony on this environment example we have a cd cover

that features pastel colors that work very well together and that is why it is important to spend some time choosing the right colors the right hues and shades so your color palette can work in harmony we have multiple geometric shapes that contrast beautifully with the organic image hidden in between the lines that is nice variety but also the diagonal strokes that go downward enhance these geometric shapes so they're not the same but they are very similar to just enhance everything and add some movement and some repetition without it being the same so we want them

to be cousins we don't exactly want them to be siblings the next principle of design is variety variety creates contrast and tension in a design composition and it can be intriguing for the viewers so for instance mixing organic shapes with geometric shapes it is different but as long as it enhances the theme or the concept of the design it can work really really well on this poster we can see that variety is added through the use of a couple of different typefaces so we have this dichotomy of using a very strict and a very rigid

grid that is then broken up by the use of the image and the handwriting so we have a sans serif text block at the top left corner and then at the bottom right too in all of this or these only two elements that establish rigidity this is broken up by adding a handwriting font right in the middle and then we also have this very dynamic image on an angle and also we have a background this blue green background that just sort of establishes commitment and is very heavy and again it is broken up by the

use of the handwriting and this image on a perspective angle so that is a really good use of variety key here is to have contrast so let's take a look at this next example from avatar elements and here we have the mix of different colors and typefaces variety is added through how each compartment is used so sometimes there is text sometimes there is an illustration or also an image so there is enough repetition to know that all of these compartments belong together but also enough variety to know that they're not again they're not siblings but

they're cousins the principles of design are as the foundation for creating a composition they can help you create a structure that is strong and that is presented in the right way these principles can also help you understand how other designs are built or if you're missing a piece of the puzzle and i call this the editing process when you're designing something if you're missing an element or maybe you need to add another element so you're sure that your design can work with these rules and the use of these principles will help you design with purpose

by giving function to every single element in a composition and you can communicate a clear message that it isn't only about the message but how we carry it to deliver it cleanly and clearly and when you look at a design piece from now on you will be able to decode it and understand why each piece is there and what is its function if you're looking for creative templates be sure to check out envato elements it is a great resource with photographs and fonts and just multiple graphic templates there are so many different assets you can

find there for your next project if you're new to design be sure to check out our courses and videos on our channel my name is laura kyung and from all of us at enviro tets plus thank you for watching and we'll see you on the next one [Music] you