DESIGN PRINCIPLES / EXERCISE 1

on
25/08/2021
Angelyn Valencia / 0349573 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Design Principles 
Exercise 1

Shortcuts:

LECTURES

LECTURE 1.1: ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Week 1: Tuesday, 24/08/2021


Elements of design are the individual building blocks. 
Principles of design guide the arrangement of the elements.

Elements of design:
  • Point 
    • the simplest element of design. 
    • when used repetitively forms a line.
  • Line
    • can indicate directions, define boundaries of shapes and spaces, imply volumes, suggest motion or emotion.
    • can be grouped to depict qualities of light and shadow and to form patterns and textures.
  • Shape
    • two-dimensional area
    • becomes visible when line encloses space.
    • two general categories of shape : 
      • geometric (precise and regular, e.g. circles, squares) 
      • organic (irregular, often curving or rounded, seem relaxed and informal)
  • Form
    • three-dimensional area
    • when form encloses space, the space is called volume.
    • with two-dimensional media, form must be implied.
  • Texture
    • tactile qualities of surfaces.
    • two categories of texture : 
      • actual (experienced by touch) 
      • simulated or implied (made to look like the real texture)
  • Space
    • indefinable, general receptacle of all things
    • is defined by its edges, the two dimensions of height and width
    • three-dimensional space is experienced when we are in it
      • from outside : we experience mass
      • from inside : we experience volume
    • in graphic design, space refers to the area that a shape or form occupies
      • positive : filled space
      • negative : empty space
  • Colour
    • the light wavelengths that the human eye receives and processes from a reflected source.
    • three variables :
      • hue : colours of the spectrum
      • value : lightness or darkness
      • intensity : purity of a hue. 
Figure 1.1  Colour Value

    • colour schemes : colour groupings that provide distinct colour harmonies.
      • monochromatic : variations in value and intensity of a single hue.
      • analogous : adjacent to one another on the colour wheel.
      • complementary : directly opposite each other on the colour wheel.
Figure 1.2 Colour Schemes

LECTURE 1.2 : GESTALT THEORY & CONTRAST

 CONTRAST
  • juxtaposition of strongly dissimilar elements.
  • can provide visual interest, emphasize a point, and express content.
Figure 1.3 Example of Contrast


GESTALT THEORY
In 1920, a group of psychologists developed a theory called Gestalt Principles on how people perceive the world around them. Therefore, Gestalt principles are rules to describe how the human eye perceives visual elements.
  • aim to show how complex shapes can be simplified.
  • aim to explain how the eyes perceive shapes as a single united form rather than separate simpler elements involved.
Principle of Similarity
  • the human eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete picture, shape or group even if those elements are separated.
Principle of Continuation
  • the human eye follows the paths, lines, and curves of a design, and prefers to see a continuous flow of visual elements rather than separated objects.
Principle of Closure
  • the eye prefers to see complete shapes, and the user can perceive it by filling in missing visual information.
Principle of Proximity
  • the process of ensuring related designs are placed together. The close proximity indicates that items are connected which gives structure to a layout.
Law of Proximity
Figure 1.4 Proximity

Principle of Figure/Ground
  • Objects are perceived as being in the foreground or background. (object stands out either in the front (the figure) or back (ground).
Figure 1.5 Figure/Ground

Law of Symmetry & Order
  • elements that are symmetrical to each other than to be perceived as a unified group.

INSTRUCTION

DESIGN PROCESS
VISUAL RESEARCH

Week 1: Contrast and Gestalt

1. Contrast
For my contrast design, I looked through Pinterest for inspiration.

Figure 2.1 MUA Andrew Gallimore and photographer Rankin collaboration piece.

I came across this picture of a thermal makeup look on Pinterest. It's not necessarily a 2d artwork, but this makeup look by makeup artist Andrew Gallimore and the overall photography shot by photographer Rankin, shows me contrast especially in color. Both Andrew and Rankin collaborated on creating this  piece by putting vibrant-colored makeup to imitate body heat and being shot in a dark background. This piece inspired me to do a thermal artwork for my contrast exercise.

Figure 2.2 Reference

Figure 2.3 First Sketch of Contrast Design


Figure 2.4 Final Outcome of Contrast Design

I decided to make contrast in color for my contrast design. I used vibrant colors to imitate body heat on the face and neck and use a less vibrant color like brown on the hair and the shirt to create contrast on the skin area.  And since there are a lot more colors on the skin rather than the rest of the body creates contrast too in terms of complexity.

 
Figure 2.5 Final Outcome of Contrast in PDF

2. Gestalt
 As for Gestalt, I decided to do the principle of figure/ground. As I searched for inspiration I found some designs on Pinterest that caught my eye.
Figure 2.6 Gestalt Principle of Figure/Ground Visual Research

In this design, it can be seen that other than the dog, there's also a cat that is seen in the back (ground) using the negative space which shows the principle of figure. So after seeing this principle of figure/ground artwork I was interested and I decided to apply the principle of figure in my design for Gestalt exercise.

Figure 2.7 First Sketch of Gestalt Design


Figure 2.8 Final Outcome of Gestalt Design

I decided to make this shark/hand design for my Gestalt Theory design. The negative spaces between each finger are also the shark's teeth which shows the principle of figure. The shark's eyes as well as the red outline of the hand at the bottom can also be seen as drops of blood. This piece was meant to show a sense of danger as it looks like someone was drowning and to be eaten by a shark. I used the color red as the background to emphasize the sense of danger.

Figure 2.9 Final Outcome in Gestalt Theory in PDF

FEEDBACK

Mr. Charles said exercise 1 for contrast and gestalt is overall good. The contrast really works with the thermal effect and really good use of principle of figure/ground in the gestalt work too. But he has some trouble understanding why I chose to put a hand with the shark on the Gestalt exercise, so needs more explanation. 

REFLECTION

Experience: This topic is a bit challenging especially Gestalt, but Ms. Jinchi explained it really clearly and well in the lecture video. We also did an activity in class with Mr. Charles so it was pretty fun.
Observations: I see that the principles of design are really important in creating a great work of design and this week we focused on contrast and gestalt. Contrast is important in making an object stand out and being the vocal point of design whether it's by color, size, arrangement, etc. 
Findings: I find that I have to be more confident in making decisions in my own work because I find that I'm a bit indecisive when it comes to picking one as my final result.





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