Elements Of Design

Elements Of Design

Design Elements And Principles are the components that are used in design and art including fashion, architecture, graphic design, painting, and sculpture. The elements form the basic vocabulary of visual design, while the principles constitutes the broad rules by which these elements can be used for composing the product.

 

• Materials And Tools

A3 Cartridge Paper: Cartridge paper is available in various thicknesses and weights and termed as GSM [Grams Per Square Meter]. For the purpose of this exercise you may select an appropriate medium GSM weight paper. The paper is also available in various sizes ranging from full imperial, half imperial, A3 or A4. You may like to select A3 size for your exercises as finally when your work is compiled in a portfolio, the normal size of a portfolio case is A3.

Pencils HB And 2B Pencils: HB and 2B indicate the softness of the lead in the pencil. Preferably select a clutch pencil with 0.5 lead size. Both HB and 2B are often used for writing and sketching. Pencils with softer leads such as 4B, 6B etc. are softer than 2B and are used for sketching, rendering, smudging etc.

It is not advisable to use these soft pencils for your activities in the practical workbook as the lead may smudge your color work. HB and 2B pencils may be used for drawing the outlines in your activities in the practical workbook. Subsequently you can fill your sketch with colors.

Fashion Magazines: You may source old fashion magazines or other publications that have good quality of relevant visuals. For some of your activities you may cut out visuals from these.

Paper Cutter And Scissors: Paper cutter is mainly used to trim papers or cut out forms. Be careful while using the cutter as the blade is very sharp. Hold the cutter diagonally and make sure the cutter does not slide across the scale and cut the hand that is holding the scale. Paper cutting scissors are also very convenient and safe for this purpose.

Glue Stick: A glue stick is an adhesive in a twist or push-up tube. It is convenient to use it to stick paper or fabric on a thicker sheet.

Scale: You will require a 12″ steel scale while trimming paper with a cutter.

 

• Point And Dot

A Point is a coordinate without any dimension. It may or may not be tangible. A Point is the simplest and fundamental element of design. A Dot is the first contact of point on a surface; it forms the building block of every line, shape or form. Any mark beyond a Dot is another Dot in combination. Every recognizable mass is essentially a Dot irrespective of its size. The common perception of a Dot is that it is circular in nature even if it may not be so e.g. when paint spills on the floor, then irrespective of size, the splotches that are formed is recognized as dots. As the size of the Dot increases, it is perceived as a shape while it retains its core dot-like characteristics. A black mark on a white space is still a Dot that attracts attention.

Increasing or decreasing the number and size of dots changes the meaning and perception of the visual image. Over the years, dots have been used in various art forms by a large number of artists. Pointillism is a technique of painting where multiple small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form a composition. When viewed from a distance, the collection of dots are blended by the eye to form a recognizable visual.

Dots are also especially popular owing to the Ben-Day Dots Printing Process, named after illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day Jr. These colored dots were always equal in size and evenly distributed within a specific area. The spacing could be close, wide or overlapping, thus creating a variety of patterns and optical illusions. When put together, dots form an endless variety of arrangement, creating lines, shapes, or curves. The combination of dots may indicate density, imply direction or movement by forming lines.

 

• Lines

Paul Klee, The Famous Swiss Expressionistic Painter described a line as a ‘Dot that went for a walk‘. A line is formed when the dots are so close to each other that they cannot be recognized individually. With such a ‘collection of dots‘, the sensation of direction increases, hence forming a line. A line is perhaps the most fundamental of all elements of design. Line is the starting point for most design/artistic creations. Be it fine arts, painting or ideation drawings for a garment, all designs begin with a line. Line can also be classified as a ‘history of a dot’s movement‘. The primary function of a line is to connect to elements. A line does not always attract the eye towards a point; it may also direct the eye away, hence causing the eyes to move.

A line is an essential element of design. It can express calm or restlessness, order or chaos. It is seldom static. Mood lines can express different moods in design and graphic art e.g. a vertical line may indicate nobility, strength and aspiration. There are many types of lines: short or long, thick or thin, straight or curved, zigzag or serpentine, angular or curvilinear.

Characteristics Of Lines: Lines may be flat e.g. pen line on paper, or three-dimensional e.g. rod with grooves forming lines. Lines may be obvious e.g. lines painted on a pavement, or implied e.g. the edge of a shape or form. Lines are often used to outline, to shade with hatching and cross hatching techniques. Lines are used to decorate and express emotions. Lines can be of different types:

• • Horizontal
  • Vertical
  • Diagonal
  • Curved
  • Irregular
  • Looped
  • Scribbled

Lines can be straight, sharp, smooth; or they can be organic, soft, lumpy and curved. Lines can remain constant or vary in width/thickness along their length. Lines stoop, drip or break across a surface. The strokes of lines express the sentiment of the maker – shorter, lighter strokes indicate nervousness and uncertainty, while a line made with a single stroke indicates confidence and focus. Lines can loop around to form an enclosure with no end point.

Lines In Garments: Lines play an important role in the visual design of a garment. It may refer to the outline/silhouette of a garment or to the style lines that divide the space within a garment to create optical illusion e.g. seam lines on a dress lead the eye in a particular direction. Line direction usually has the strongest physical visual and psychological effect. It physically emphasizes that direction on the body. The interaction/interplay of lines create illusion regarding the size, space, shape, or length of the garment and therefore create certain impressions of the figure/body. It tricks the eye into seeing images that do not exist.

As a designer you can design the garment using variation, direction and location of the lines incorporated within the garment decoratively and structurally. Structural lines include techniques such as:

• • Construction lines such as seams, darts, tucks, or shirring.
  • Garment edges such as the silhouette, outer edges of collars, sleeves, belts, hems, pockets or openings.
  • Folds made by pleats, gathers, tucks or draping.

Decorative lines include trims such as braids, piping, rows of buttons, insertions, bias binding, trims, laces, ribbons, top stitching, fabric patterns such as stripes, checks etc. to create vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved lines.

 

• Shape

Lines Lead To Shapes; Two Dimensional-Shapes Turn Into Three dimensional (3D) Shapes And Become Forms. When a line crosses itself or intersects with other lines to enclose a space, it creates a shape. Thus, shape is the outer edge or contour of an area surrounded by a closed line. When a garment is worn, the outline of the shape is termed as ‘silhouette‘. What does one perceives when they see a shape? What is a circle or a square? How different is a shape with curves than a shape that has a rough jagged edge? Just as different lines have meanings, different shapes also have meanings. Therefore, it is important for a person to understand visual grammar and build a visual vocabulary that can be used while designing.

There Are Three Kinds Of Shapes – Geometric, Organic And Abstract

Geometric Shapes: Some of the familiar geometric shapes are circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. They have regular patterns of exact sizes, are measurable and can be constructed mathematically.

Organic Shapes: Examples of organic shapes are found in nature such as a leaf, seashell, and rock. They are irregular, irreplaceable, and not regulated by exact patterns or dimensions in their angles, curves, or length.

Abstract Shapes: Also known as non-objective shapes, the abstract shapes are neither geometric nor natural; they may be man-made or unintentional.

1- Geometric Shapes: Any discussion on shape often tends to bring geometric shapes to the mind. Geometric shapes form an important component of mathematics. These shapes denote regularity, structure and order. Geometric shapes are symmetrical and balanced; and can be made by straight or curved lines. The standardized shapes make for easy reproducibility which explains its frequent and extensive use in man-made objects. Apart from natural crystals and snowflakes which are naturally-occurring forms, geometric shapes are usually man-made.

However, not all man-made shapes are necessarily geometric. Designs may have irregular shapes e.g. the kimono is rectangular i.e. geometric in silhouette and in construction but the fabric surface is organic and irregular in design.

2- Organic Shapes: Organic shapes represent the natural world as free-flowing and irregular, with curvilinear outlines. Organic shapes have asymmetrical forms and are usually found in nature, such as the shape of a leaf, flower, cloud etc. Organic shapes evoke relaxation and a sense of freedom as they break the monotony and restriction of rigid structures which adds interest to a design. One most commonly used examples of organic shapes used in psychological testing is the Rorschach Inkblot Test.

3- Abstract Shapes: Abstract shapes are simplified versions of organic shapes. They refer to shapes that are recognizable but not realistic. For example, a stick drawing of a tree has a recognizable shape yet it is abstract and not realistic. Some examples of abstract shapes are alphabet glyphs, icons and symbols.

 

• Form

While shape is a two-dimensional structure with width and height, form is three-dimensional structure with width, height and depth. Forms can also be described as either Organic or Geometric. Organic forms are often considered as naturally occurring, such as snow-covered mountains typically are irregular and asymmetrical in outline. Geometric forms are three dimensional which correspond to two-dimensional geometric shapes. For example, a square leads to the cube, rectangle leads to cuboids, triangle leads to pyramid and circle leads to sphere.

Shape In Fashion: The shape of garments may refer to the cut or the silhouette of the garment. Garments are three-dimensional forms as they are viewed from front, back and side. The body contour under a garment gives it shape; in turn the garment alters the apparent shape of the body by concealing or revealing its true form. The human body comes in various shapes and sizes. To conceal or highlight some of these varied features, design attempts to attract or deflect attention as per requirement. The human figure can broadly be categorized into four body types:

1. 1. The Trapeze/Pear Shape: Figure with lower half is heavier than the top.
   2. The Wedge Shape: Broad shoulders tapering to narrow waist and long legs.
   3. The Hourglass Shape: Proportionately heavy top and hips with a slim waist.
   4. The Tube Shape: Equally proportioned, rectangular shaped, shoulder to hip figure.

When garments are designed with straight lines and in regular shapes of cubes, rectangles, and squares, they appear stable, confident and powerful. Sharper angles and diagonal lines and shapes of triangles, diamonds and pyramids appear unstable yet dynamic. Curved shapes convey a soft, gentle appearance suggestive of femininity. A shape or space which is divided vertically appears longer and narrower than one which is divided horizontally. Horizontal divisions make the figure appear shorter and wider.

 

• Texture

Each object or surface has a particular look and feel of smoothness, roughness, shine, matte, frizz and so on. Texture is the surface quality of an object – rough, smooth, soft, hard, glossy, dull etc. In fashion design, texture refers to the nature of the surface of fabrics and trimmings used in a garment. Texture may be tactile or visual. The tactile aspect or ‘hand’ of the fabric refers to the way it feels when touched; the visual aspect of the fabric refers to its appearance. The ‘hand’ and appearance dictate the silhouette and kind of garment that would be right for that particular fabric. A soft fabric that drapes softly cannot be converted into a stiff, structured garment without using a firm lining. In other words, due to the functional requirements of garments, texture should not be randomly created.

As a unique element in fashion and textile design, surface texture can be used to express a designer’s aesthetic perspective and design concept. The appearance or visual aesthetics is an important aspect of fashion design. As the texture of fabrics and materials is an important characteristic that determines the appearance of a garment, it is important for a designer to recognize textures through sight and touch.

At Glance

• • Where Is Texture Found? In the thickness and appearance of fabrics.
  • What Words Describe Texture? Loopy, fuzzy, furry, soft, shiny, dull, bulky, rough, crisp, smooth, and sheer.
  • Why Is Texture Important In Fashion? Texture give the illusion of a body appearing or smaller.
  • Can Texture Create Illusion? The weave and texture of a fabric have an impact on the way it drapes, which, in turn, affects the way in which the garment appears when it is worn. Textures have weight, size, bulk and light-absorbing or reflecting properties. To appear thinner, one can look for fabrics that are medium to lightweight and which are crisp. Examples include flannel, percale, velveteen, crepe, linen, shantung, seersucker, wool challis etc. Stiff fabrics appear to add weight to the body. Fabrics will not add weight unless they are thick such as twill, gabardine, most double knits and fine- wale corduroy. Dull or matte finish textures absorb light and generally make the figure look smaller. Look for fabrics such as raw silk, taffeta, denim, wool jersey, broadcloth and chambray. A smooth texture is slimming and tends to hide irregularities of the figure.

 

• Space

No object/form can exist without context. This leads us to space. Space is the area which contains other design elements of line, shape, color, texture and pattern. It may be either two-dimensional [flat] or three-dimensional [with volume]. Space can be described in two ways: Positive space which is represented by highlights or by an object; and Negative space which is represented by open space or by shadow. Positive space refers to the main area of focus in a composition while negative space refers to the area around the object of focus. The balance of space creates a composition.

For example, if you focus on the white vase at the center, it becomes the positive space and the black section becomes the negative space. On the other hand, if you focus on the two dark faces, they become the positive space with the white in the center becoming the negative space.

 

• Color

“The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good, on you!” – Coco Chanel

This topic introduces the basic theory of color, what colors are made of and how color is perceived. Color is the most expressive element of art, fashion, textiles and graphics. Color is used extensively by designers to convey a theme or a mood and thus it is important to understand its aspects for application to textiles and apparel.

Color is an important element of design and is perhaps the most dominant of all the elements to grab the viewer’s attention. It is possible to highlight selected areas of a composition with intelligent use of color based on its visual properties so that some parts stand out and other parts recede. Color generates an instant reaction of like or dislike while a form and texture are considered only after the response to color has been completed. For instance, while buying a garment you are likely to reach out for a color that you like before you check out other details of fabric texture, style of the garment or even the price tag. These emphasize that:

• • Color has no physical substance.
  • Color is a visual experience.
  • Color is a powerful form of non-verbal communication.
  • While using color the focus is on its effect rather than the cause.

What Is Color: Color is a property of light; in fact, it originates in light. Sunlight is perceived as colorless when in reality, all the colors of the spectrum are present in white light, as seen in a rainbow. To experience color three factors must exists:

1. 1. Light: Which is the source of color.
   2. Surface: Which reflect color.
   3. Eye: Which perceives color.

it is seen that light is generated from the source, the sun, falls on the green surface and finally is perceived by the detector which are the eye and the brain, which results in experiencing the color. When white light containing the color spectrum of seven colors called VIBGYOR [violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red] falls on a surface, all colors are absorbed by the surface except the one specific color wavelength which is reflected. It is this color that is seen by the eye.

When white light falls on a black surface all the wavelengths are absorbed. As no color is reflected, the eye and the brain perceive it as black color. In the case of the white surface, all the seven colors of white light are reflected and the resultant mix of rays is perceived as white. Similarly, grey surface absorbs all the colors partially and the resultant mix of rays is grey.

Colors look different in different light source. As light generates color, it follows that without light no color can exist. The English Scientist Sir Isaac Newton was the first to discover this phenomenon in 1666. He realized that when pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into its seven constituent colors. The light is separated by wavelength and a spectrum is formed. The seven colors of the spectrum – Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red are known by the acronym, VIBGYOR.

Warm colors such as red and yellow have longer wavelength and thus seem to advance towards the eye. Cool colors such as blue and violet have shorter wavelength and thus seem to recede from the eyes.

The color with the longest wavelength travels fastest and thus is the first to be observed by the eye. Red has the longest wavelength, while the color next to it has a relatively shorter wavelength, progressively reducing with violet having the shortest wavelength of all. Thus, in VIBGYOR red would be observed first and violet may not be noticed at all. This phenomenon is used to maximum effect by designers, advertisers and visual artists in functional and aesthetic applications.

Color Wheel: A color wheel illustrates how the VIBGYOR colors are organized and placed in a circle The three primary colors of red, blue and yellow are placed at an equidistance with the secondary and tertiary colors at equally spaced positions.

Purpose Of Color Wheel: The Color Wheel is an easy tool that explains color interaction and combinations. It provides an understanding of the properties of the colors by their placement on the Color wheel, their relationships with each other and the properties that form different combinations.

• • Color Wheel is a tool for organizing colors.
  • It is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship.
  • It shows the relationship between colors categorized into primary, secondary, and tertiary color schemes.
  • It is used to find complementary, adjacent and split complementary color combinations.

 

• Color Theory

The Color theory offers practical guidance to color mixing and the visual impact of specific color combinations. This makes the understanding of Color theory essential for design students and for designers as a visual tool. According to the color theory, there are three primary colors: red, yellow, blue. These basic colors cannot be mixed or created by the combination of other colors. In fact, all other colors are derived from these three primary hues.

The three primary colors of Red, Blue and Yellow form an equilateral triangle within the circle. They are mixed to form the secondary colors – Orange, Green and Violet, which are located between the primary hues.

The primary and secondary colors can be mixed together to form tertiary colors namely Red-Orange, Blue-Violet, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Red-Violet and Yellow-Orange.

Properties Of Color: Color has three distinct properties: Hue, Value and Saturation. To understand color, it is important to understand how these three properties relate to each other.

Hue: Hue denotes the color name of a specific wavelength of light. Hue is a pure color in the spectrum without addition of pure white or black. A hue is a primary or secondary color namely red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. It refers to the main color family e.g. a color may have a blue hue leaning towards violet which means that the original color was blue and then the secondary color violet, was added.

Value: Value is the lightness or darkness of the color. It indicates the quantity of light reflected. Hues have a natural value where they look the purest. A color like yellow is naturally lighter in value while violet is naturally darker. In terms of pigments, adding white to a hue gives a high-value color; adding black to a hue gives low-value color. For example, the addition of white to red turns it to pink which is a high-value color; the addition of black to red turns it to maroon which is a low-value color.

Intensity: Also known as saturation or chroma, intensity indicates the brightness or dullness of the hue. It is determined by the amount of the complimentary hue that is mixed with the hue. A saturated color is bright and therefore it is high in intensity. An unsaturated color is dull/muted and therefore low in intensity. A color without any brightness or hue, is achromatic [black, white and/or grey].

 

• Color Harmony

We may feel that certain group of colors look pleasing together and others may create unexpected feelings. It is important to understand the interaction and relationships of various colors of different shades and values with other colors/hues. This post will explain color interactions and how to choose the right group of colors to depict or create the desired mood and look.

Color harmony refers to the pleasing results of combining more than one color. A designer creates color harmony with the combination of certain colors to create different looks or feelings. In order to plan successful color combinations you need to begin with the understanding of color relationships. Some color combinations are more psychologically pleasing than others. Using a color wheel and a template, the relationships between colors are easy to identify.

Importance Of Color: Human responses to colors are more emotional in nature. Color perception is more immediate, personal and largely subconscious. The combination of practical properties and emotional properties can be utilized by a designer in a clever way in designing products or the environment.

Color Can:

• • Attract immediate attention.
  • Evoke emotional response.
  • Direct eye movement across the form.
  • Enhance the visual appearance of the form.
  • Enhance the spatial qualities of the form.
  • Flatten the form, making it seem less three-dimensional.
  • Create illusions of concave, convex and negative areas.
  • Disrupt the visual continuity.
  • Contrast or merge the form with its environment.
  • Soften or harden a form.
  • Create the illusion of transparency and translucency.
  • Show your mistakes?
  • Conflict with the form/be wrong for the form?
  • Change the thermal qualities of the form?
  • Create tension?

Significance Of Color In Design: We first see colors in nature from where the colors and dyes came originally. Pigments were ground by hand from natural ingredients or adapted from plant dyes. The Egyptians found blues from minerals, Greeks and Roman made purple from molluscs, yellows from sunflower, reds from madder and blues from indigo. However, the development of synthetic dyes by William Perkin during the 19th century has meant that virtually any shade can be achieved today and ‘rare’ colors have become a thing of the past. Consequently, as color has become widely available, it has not only become an indicator of social trends, environments and cultures but also has significant commercial implications.

It is used in two general ways: as Marketable Color and as Functional Color.

1. 1. Functional color is objective in presenting legible information and enabling visual perception. Functional color serves a purpose e.g. colors of traffic light or for indicating safety hazards on industrial equipment.
   2. Marketable color involves personal factors of aesthetics, socio-cultural and emotional attitudes about color preference.

Essentially the designer recognizes that color can help to sell products. For example, the use of primary or bright colors for toys appeals to children and therefore is an important visual promotional tool. On the other hand, toy companies have to be very careful about using safe, non-toxic quality of colors irrespective of the visual appeal or cost effects. As a designer, you need to be aware of trends and other attributes of color that affect consumer preferences.

 

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