introduction to the elements of design

7/29/2019 Introduction to the Elements of Design

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INTRODUCTION

ELEMENTS OF

DESIGN

Presented by:

JEFFREY M. TAPAC, MAEd-THE


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INTRODUCTION TO THE

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

Not all of the highest-quality equipment in the world

can guarantee that you take great pictures. Even knowing

how to use the camera effectively, setting exposures, depth

of field, etc., will not necessarily give your photos thedescription that all photographers strive for: art. Certainly,

these things help, but capturing that elusive artistic quality

requires special skills that every photographer worth his

tripod must possess. For this, we turn to what are calledthe Elements and Principles of Design.These are few

basic concept that anyone can learn and will allow you to

lay out your photos in an eye-pleasing way, or even snare

that rare beast we call art.


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INTRODUCTION TO THE

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

ELEMENTS

components or parts which can be isolatedand defined in any visual design or work of

art

the structure of the work

can carry a wide variety of messages.


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INTRODUCTION TO THE

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

All designs have certain basic elements orbuilding blocks chosen to convey the

message beyond the actual words or

photos used.


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INTRODUCTION TO THE

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

What are the different

Elements of Design?


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

1. POINTEven if there is only one point, one mark on a

blank page there is something built into the brain that

wills meaning for it, and seeks some kind ofrelationship or order, if only to use it as a point of

orientation in relation to the outline of the page. If there

are two points, immediately the eye will make a

connection and "see" a line. If there are three points, itis unavoidable to interpret them as a triangle; the mind

supplies the connections. This compulsion to connect

parts is described as grouping, orgestalt.


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GESTALT

a general description for the concepts that

make unity and variety possible in design.

a German word that roughly translates as

"whole" or "form.


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Gestalt Theory

involved with visual perception and thepsychology of art among other things

concerned with the relationship between

the parts and the whole of a composition


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Five (5) Gestalt Concepts

1.Closure

2.Continuance

3.Similarity

4.Proximity

5.Alignment


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A. Closure

- the mind supplies the missing

pieces in a composition
http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/mona.gif


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B. Continuance

- the eyes continues in the direction it isgoing


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All kinds of pointing devices are used indesign. Many of these are more subtle than

a pointing hand or arrow:


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Eye Direction:

If the subject of a composition islooking in a particular direction, you will look

to see what they are looking at. It is an old

trick to look up into the sky and see how

many other will look with you.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

Paths:

Rivers, roads, railroads tracks and rowsof trees or trees or telephone poles are just

few of the devices that artists have used to

lead viewers to particular places in their

compositions.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

Perspective:

Lines of perspective, like paths, can beused to direct attention to a focal point in a

composition


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C. Similarity:-what an item looks like and how that effects

gestalt

D. Proximity:

-where items are in relationship to each other

and how that effects gestalt

E. Alignment:

-lining up objects to organize and form

groups


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

2. LINELine is one of the simplest concepts to describe. Basically,

it is including things with strong, defined lines in your photo.

Examples are like the edge of buildings, train tracks, road lines,and sidewalks. Line is usually used to either portray a sense of

movement (One of the Principles of Design), or to lead the

viewers eye to the subject of the photo, though it can also imply

shape. It is not limited to simply solid objects like buildings, or to

even straight lines. Light and shadow, with a clear edge betweenthem, can create line. Many photos have curved lines, such as

roads as they bend to the right or left, or footpath that winds

between the roots of large trees, as well.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

2. LINESometimes a designer uses a line to divide or

unite elements on a page.

Lines can denote direction

of movement (as in diagonal

lines and arrows) or provide

an anchor to hold elementson a page (such as lines at

the top, bottom, or sides of a

page).


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2. LINE


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2. LINE Upper Left: Uniform vertical black and white lines alternate at

even intervals. Static. Orderly. Conservative.

Upper Right: Uniform horizontal black lines are widely, but

evenly spaced. Static. Stable. Orderly. Middle Left: Uneven spacing of otherwise uniform lines

creates the impression of movement. Dynamic. Orderly

progression.

Middle Right: In this example the progression moves in fromeither side giving the illusion of roundness. Dynamic. Orderly

progression. Dimension.

Lower Left: Varying line widths and distances create arandom pattern. Dynamic. Chaotic. Disorderly.

Lower Right: While the uniform size and spacing of the linesin the upper examples are static, make the lines into curves

and you get movement although it is a controlled movement.

Dynamic. Orderly flow.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

3. SHAPEShape refers to including that appears

two dimensional, and have a specific form to

them. The most common Shape used is thecircle. We can see that in tapestries, or in arched doorways. The

wave is another strong shape, found in almost any coastal

photograph. Other shapes include the triangle, and square,

though those are less commonly used in photography. Shape can

also lend to other Elements and Principles, just as line does.Usually, Shape is used to create a sense of Space(Again, arched

doorways are a good example), though it works well with Form,

Value, and Line.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

4. SPACEMy personal favorite, Space refers to the area of unused

or unoccupied area in a photo. Basically, the space between

objects. In general, Space helps to lend a sense of 3-dimensionality to a photo. By itself, Space can create beautiful

photos, such as a photo of clouds, but its real strength lies with

using it in combination with Line, Form, or Value. Perhaps the

most stirring example of using Line or Value with Shape would be

a photo looking down a long road, with tall buildings on eitherside. This is not to say Space must be a large, open expanse. A

set of carefully arranged small objects, such as pebbles, can use

both Space and Form very effectively.


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5. FORMForm is very similar to Shape, but different enough to create

a different feeling in your photographs. This is also probably the least

used of the Elements of Design. Basically, Form is a 3-dimensionalobject. Spheres, cubes, and cones are good examples. Its difficult to

portray a 3-dimensional object with film, which is by nature 2-

dimensional. Still, Form used well creates a very interesting photo.

The idea behind Form is to show each indentation, each curve, each

bulge, and each edge-the objects Form. Space is the mostcommonly used Elements in conjunction with Form, allowing us as

viewers to recognize the different objects as being in different places,

instead of overlapped right on top of each other. Line and Value play

a large part in Form, as well.


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6. TEXTUREPerhaps the most self-evident Element,

Texture is simply the tactile quality of an object.

This ranges from glass-smooth to as rough assandpaper. Texture is an extremely good way to capture a viewers interest,

as it invokes more than simply their sense of sight. It appeals to the sense of

touch very easily, thus adding another dimension of interest to the photo.

Texture can also be easily used with Value and Repetition ( A Principle of

Design ), with very good effect. When taking photos where Texture is the

main concept, you should light the object from the side or from the back.These positions will emphasize the Texture. Axis lighting, or lighting the

object from the front, will produce the least Texture. Some ideas of things to

photograph with good Texture would be wrinkled cloth, a piece of wood, the

bark of a tree, or a pitted stone such as pumice.


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7. COLOR & VALUEThis element requires a somewhat

practiced eye to implement successfully.

Color is used to attract attention.It can be subtle or bold.


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7. COLOR & VALUEBasically, value is the organization

and magnitude of light and dark in your

photo. The deep shadow, the brightwhites, and all the gray tones in between

are what make up value. It can be used to highlight certain

aspects, such as a bright subject against a dark background, or

to obscure unpleasant features in dark shadow. In most

photos, the value is roughly balanced. The number of strong

white areas and strong dark areas are about equal. We do this

by instinct. However, value can be tipped out of balance in

order to provide meaning and visual interest.

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