Principles of Design
There is no definitive list or systematic description of the principles of design; there are so many variations and different terminologies that it can be hard to know what to refer to. Here, I have referenced distinguished art educator and writer Olivia Gude's Principles of Design list. Gude has created a simple and practical guide that meets the needs of IB art teachers in this department.
( some) Principles of Design
- Unity
- Balance
- Pattern
- Rhythm
- Contrast
- Emphasis
- Proportion
Why teach the elements and principles?
Our students need to have the vocabulary and understanding to conduct visual analysis. The elements of art give students essential vocabulary for describing what they see in an artwork. While not all the elements - shape, line, color, value, texture, space, scale, and form - will be visible in a single artwork, even the most simple conceptual artwork (a blank, white canvas) could be described in terms of value, shape, and color. The principles of design require a bit more effort to be applied. Usually, students first need to understand the fundamental building blocks of vocabulary (the elements) to understand how the visual organization of an artwork can be analyzed and explained through these terms.
This language and design framework can be a means for students and teachers to work together to build a vocabulary for noticing, describing, analyzing, and discussing works of art. The understanding gained from studying the elements and principles of art and design can be applied to the student's own art-making and become another tool for exploring choices and decision-making.
Gude reminds us: "However, it is important when we teach from lists of elements and principles that students understand that this is not a universal and timeless list, but rather an attempt by people to describe and systematize visual phenomena. It is important to teach students that thoughtful people understand that the map is not the territory, that attempts to describe and represent are never as complex as the thing itself. The actual experience of the visual is always more complicated, more interesting, and more beautiful than can be captured in even the most elaborate attempts at systematic description."
Principles of Design and the Formal Elements of Design
Although there is certainly overlap, the Principles of Design relate more to the overall composition and organization of the work, expressing how the Elements of Art have been applied. The Formal Elements function more as the building blocks upon which the Principles of Design are laid. Interestingly, the design principles could easily be applied to other media, such as music (another discipline focusing on composition), whereas the formal elements are more closely bound to visual arts.
Further explorations of the formal elements on these pages:
Resources
Olivia Gude's guide to some of the main principles of design. I have embedded the PDF here for your use, Thank you Olivia!
Looking for graphics or posters for your art room?
Berkeley Library has some good visual examples of Design Fundamentals: Elements & Principles with accompanying short texts.
Tyler Museum of Art has a graphic chart that includes both the elements and principles of design with accompanying images (not the most stellar selection but they make the point) you can download from the website or view here.
Footnotes
- ^ Gude, Olivia. “Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st-Century Art & Culture Curriculum.” Art Education, vol. 60, no. 1, 2007, pp. 6–17. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27696187. Accessed 21 Sept. 2024.