Principles of Design

The Principles of Design are guidelines artist use to organize the elements of art into a composition.

Think of it as extra special techniques and touches artist may use to advance or create a higher level of work. The artist's goal is to make you think and manipulate your eyes. He or she can control your eyes by adding the following principles of design.

Balance -The way an artwork is deliberately and equally arranged by specific elements within a composition purposely organized by the artist. Balance can be symmetrical, assymmetrical, or radial.
Contrast/Variety- A deliberate way of arranging elements of art that are not alike in order to draw attention, create emphasis, and/or break up a monotonous area. Artist use this principle to add a little "pop" to their work.
Unity - The quality of feeling whole, together, and complete by manipulating elements of art. Artists will pull it together by working with or adding similar elements. For instance adding the same shape, same color in various points of the artwork gives it a feeling of being unified.
Emphasis -The importance given to certain areas of the art. The area that dominates the eyes of a viewer. An artist might give emphasis to an area by making it bigger, using contrast, using bright or hot colors, or using complementary colors.
Movement- An illusion created by the artist to convey action in a piece of stationery art. This can be achieved by repetition, adding lines, or careful placement of objects.
Pattern - Repeated lines, shapes, colors, forms, and or textures in an artwork.
Rhythm - Movement in art created by repeating certain elements of art.

Test your knowledge: How did Van Gogh use the principles of art in his painting "Starry Night?" How many principles can you recognize?