Principles of Design - Basics
It seems to me that there are basically two ways of picking principles of design. One way is to assume that all visual design areas are an off-shoot of traditional visual art. The other way focuses on a particular field (web design, business publishing, or whatever) and generates principles that apply best to that area. Both methods are quite useful, though neither apply in all cases.
Here's a contrast of two sets of principles, each assuming a different starting point. The first comes from a web designer working with high-level theory, the second from a web designer taking an applied stance.
Joshua David McClurg-Genevese posted a design-theory crash course at Digital Web in 2005. He discussed and defined five principles of visual design:
- Balance - the arrangement of the objects in a given design as it relates to their visual weight within a composition.
- Rhythm - the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them.
- Proportion - the comparison of dimensions or distribution of forms.
- Dominance - varying degrees of emphasis in design.
- Unity - the relationship between the individual parts and the whole of a composition
... then continues with other concepts which help describe how elements (visual objects) may interact on the page:
- Contrast or Opposition
- Positive and Negative Space
- Rule of Thirds
- Visual Center
- Color and Typography
Joshua takes the stance that good electronic (ie web) design is strongly influenced by Gestalt theory and traditional practices in visual arts. His principles and elements reflect that stance.
In contrast to the Digital Web article above, Jacci Howard Bear encourages a different but similar set of principles at About.com. Her starting point is desktop publishing, so she integrates a concern for layout of information instead of physical forms:
- Balance
- Proximity and Unity
- Alignment
- Repetition and Consistency
- Contrast
- White space
Jacci explains that good principles of design depend upon the author's assumptions, so her list understandably shows her own influence. Nonetheless, most of the basic ideas are the same.
Jacci promotes 'alignment' to a high-level concept. Her justification is that alignment can direct the flow of information on the page. Joshua, however, uses 'continuance' as a sub-topic of the higher principle of 'unity.' Eggs and chickens, in the end.
Also in contrast, Jacci identifies the 'organization and guidance' as a key function of repetition, white space, and contrast in printed material. Repeated use of symbols, clear typography, and spatial organization all help both the reader and the publisher avoid confusion.
You should probably check out those sites for Joshua & Jacci's explanations:
Principles of Design at Digital Web
Principles of Design at About.com
