Design Principles - Task 1: Exploration
3/2/25 - 17/2/25 / Week 1 - Week 3
Brendan Fedya / 0376283
Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task
1: Exploration
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Instructions
II. Task
- Principles of Design
- Selected Design
III. Feedback
I. INSTRUCTIONS
II. TASK
➼ Principles of Design
‣ Contrast
Contrast is created when the elements put together have very different characteristics, hence it will have an effect that could express a particular point of the visual more effectively.
In websites, contrast could be used for easier navigation because it could
guide our eyes into the intended area, such as buttons and important content
sections.
I will give examples of contrast applied in
book/movie covers, photographs, and user interfaces or websites below:
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Figure 2.1: 'Miyazaki's Spirited Away'
movie poster. |
Source: Pinterest |
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Figure 2.2: 'Karina - aespa' photoshoot. Source: Pinterest |
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Figure 2.3: WhatsApp user interface. Source: WhatsApp |
WhatsApp is a very popular app used for messaging online. In my opinion, it has great contrast usage between the whites and greens. For example (Figure 2.3), they use green colors in contrast of white to represent the number of notifications in a chatroom, and buttons or pages that you're in. This will make the user experience far better because of the ease in navigating throughout the application.
‣ Gestalt Theory
This theory describes how the human's eye perceive visuals as a whole, even when using simpler shapes or patterns. Psychologically, the human mind tends to visualize these things according to their own logical thinking.
There are 5 type of principles in gestalt theory, which are:
1. Principle of Similarity
This principle perceive elements that have similar visuals more related. In this example (Figure 2.4), It uses repetitive cloud-like shapes which are consistent,
making the design feels connected as a single harmonious design.
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Figure 2.4: Indonesia's 'Batik Mega Mendung' pattern. Source: Pinterest |
2. Principle of Continuation
People tend to follow the direction of curved, smooth, and organic lines compared to jagged, sharp lines. This principles is commonly seen in the making of logos, sometimes even posters.
In this example (Figure 2.5), this particular logo utilizes this principle a lot. It used curved lines for the elements (trees, lips, bird, etc.) eventually forming the letter 'U', which creates the brand identity of Unilever up until now. The arrangement of the elements creates a smooth visual flow, guiding the viewers eye throughout the logo letter 'U'.
When we see something with incomplete parts, our eyes will automatically perceive it into something recognizable by us, could be patterns, shapes, etc. This technique is to balance the negative and positive space in a design effectively.
In the logo below (Figure 2.6), it seems like a person is hitting a ball with a bat, but its actually just blank space. It conveys the intended meaning effectively while not making the design too crowded.
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| Figure 2.6: 'Major League Baseball' logo. Source: MLB |
4. Principle of Proximity
Design elements that share the same characteristics and are related to each other should be placed closely rather than elements that are not. In websites, designers could make the grouping of elements based on the functionality (grouping payment methods, event announcements, etc.). This will make the design easier to understand.
This is a poster of a Netflix series titled 'Wednesday' (Figure 2.7), the Netflix logo is placed in proximity of the series title, release date, and tagline. It contains all those important information in the same place, making it less confusing for the viewers.
People sometimes perceive things as either the foreground or the background, so this principle helps them to quickly distinguish the focal point of the design.
For example, this Snow White cover (Figure 2.8) could show either the apple, or the character silhouettes as the focal point. The black serves as a ground, creating contrast with the apple to make it stand out. It also works in reverse, which makes the characters stand out. With this technique, we can create designs that are impactful, have a lot of meanings behind it, but in a simple way.
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| Figure 2.8: 'Snow White' cover design. Source: Pinterest |
There are also 4 laws in Gestalt Theory, which are:
1. Law of Symmetry & Order, elements that are symmetrical to each other will likely appear to belong to the same group.
2. Law of Uniform Connectedness, elements that have the same visual characteristics (shape,color,etc.) will likely appear to belong to the same group.
3. Law of prägnanz, elements that are complex are likely to be perceived as simple as possible by the human eye.
4. Law of Common Fate, elements that are moving in the same way to each other will likely appear to belong to the same group.
‣ Balance
Balance is achieved when the visual elements are properly arranged with even weight distribution throughout the design without overpowering other elements. Weight in a design element could be seen by the size, color, texture, etc.
Balance is divided into two, which are:
1. Symmetrical Balance
This balance means that the elements are arranged with even weight in every sides from the center.
A term called bilateral balance (Figure 2.9) is achieved when either side has equal arrangement, seemingly like a mirror. These 2 toucans are identical to each other.
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| Figure 2.9: Bilateral balance - toucan birds illustration. Source: Pinterest |
Elements that are arranged equally around a center axis is called radial balance (Figure 2.10). The airplane is the focal point that is led by the background.
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| Figure 2.10: Radial balance - airplane photography. Source: Pinterest |
While approximate symmetry (Figure 2.11) is a balance achieved from seemingly equal composition, but not identical. At first glance, you can see that it looks equal from either side. But when looking at it closely, you will notice that the back of the zebra is slightly tilted to the right.
This is the opposite of the aforementioned balance. It will have a particular dominant side in the layout which then will be balanced by lesser focal points on the other side.
In this poster (Figure 2.12), the heavy design elements on the upper right corner that extends through the poster is balanced by the human figures and the light font of the text. Symmetrical balanced poster might seem too repetitive and static, while an asymmetrical balanced poster looks dynamic and visually engaging.
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| Figure 2.12: Asymmetrical balance - poster design. Source: Pinterest |
3. Golden Ratio
It is initially a mathematical concept, but then perceived by people as a perfect beauty, psychologically. Until now, it's used as a guide to create visual balance, hence making the design more appealing.
In this picture (Figure 2.13), it guides the viewer's eye dynamically from the buildings towards the focal point (the lamp). This creates a natural looking environment, using subtle asymmetry to create balance.
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| Figure 2.13: Golden ratio - Street photography. Source: Pinterest |
4. Rule of Thirds
This is also another composition guideline besides the golden ratio. A layout is divided into thirds evenly with vertical and horizontal lines. Then, the focal point is placed on the intersection of the lines, leaving the other two thirds open.
In this example (Figure 2.14), the subject is placed in the upper left intersection of the lines, this acts as the focal point. The other open lines guides the viewer towards the background, adding more visual interest. As a result, the negative spaces in the scene are more evenly distributed, preventing the scene from looking too empty or unbalanced.
Emphasis is to create a focus to a particular point, where it could be achieved with using contrast, shapes, scales, or something that is different from the rest of the design to achieve dominance.
For example (Figure 2.15), the door is the emphasized object as it's considered otherworldly compared to the background. The background is realistic with watery grounds and ruins, but the door seemingly unusual appeared out of nowhere. The viewers will definitely know that it's the main interest of the scene.
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| Figure 2.15: 'Suzume no Tojimari', anime movie. Source: Youtube - Rotten Tomatoes Trailers |
‣ Repetition
The repetition of design elements creates a unique pattern, which makes the design look interesting. With variation (in sizes or colors, for example), the design will become even more engaging.
For example (Figure 2.16), this advertisement of Coca Cola uses repeated illustrated Coca Cola bottles to form a smiley shape, it uses variation in sizes to create the effect. It looks consistent, and everything seems to be in unity which makes it appealing, even though it's just a simple process of using the same objects over and over again.
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| Figure 2.16: 'Coca Cola' advertisement. Source: Instagram - @kail.designs |
‣ Movement
Movement refers to how the eye is led throughout the design. In an image, objects with this technique seems to be moving, even when it's not.
A character named Arlecchino (Figure 2.17) in the game Genshin Impact uses a lot of movement for the character design which I find very interesting. The forms (fiery aura spreading from her body) used in the design tends to lead us to interpret it as a movement spreading from the character's body rather than a static visual. This movement is achieved through the colors chosen (darker shades resemble where source of movement is from) and the shapes (fading shapes at the end resemble the direction of the movement).
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| Figure 2.17: 'Arlecchino' from Genshin Impact. Source: Genshin Impact Wiki |
‣ Harmony & Unity
I took example again from the game Genshin Impact (Figure 2.18). It has an open environment for the players to play in, unity is achieved when the building uses similar characteristics for the architectural style (Chinese culture). The scenery also applies the same color palette (shades of orange light and red building with green roofs), and varieties of design is represented by the different building types, which the colors are complemented by the bluish waters, and the greenish mountainous scenery, contributing to create a harmonious design without looking monotonous.
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| Figure 2.18: 'Liyue Harbour' from Genshin Impact. Source: Genshin Impact Wiki |
‣ Symbol
Symbol is something that could provide information more effectively without using long-winded text or paragraphs. Graphic symbols are divided into 3:
1. Pictorial symbols
These usually contain images but looks like a simplified version of that particular thing, usually for education materials.
For example (Figure 2.19), this image shows a person doing the assignments, which symbolizes studying. We could tell it right away without a need to understand deeply.
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| Figure 2.19: Pictorial symbol - studying. Source: Pinterest |
2. Abstract symbols
These symbols look like the objects they are going to represent, but only using little details. It requires minor interpretation by the human's mind to know what object it represents. These symbols usually appear quite distorted, and are mostly found in logos.
For example, this fire symbol below (Figure 2.20) is only represented by geometrical shapes and colors that resembles fire.
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| Figure 2.20: Abstract symbol - fire. Source: Pinterest |
3. Arbitrary symbols
These symbols does not represent the real meaning at all. We could only understand the symbol if we know the association with it.
For example, the infinity symbol (Figure 2.21) is associated with mathematics. If we don't know about it, then we don't know what the symbol is all about.
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| Figure 2.21: Arbitrary symbol - infinity. Source: Pinterest |
‣ Word & Image
It's important to use suitable images for a particular design. The chosen typeface and the positioning of the typeface that accompanies the image also plays a major part in enhancing the design.
An example is a promotional design poster for a world tour from a prominent singer-songwriter, NIKI (Figure 2.22). The theme of the poster represents a very personal, teenager side of the artist, using muted colors and nostalgic imageries which are effectively supported by the clean, thin typography that suggest intimacy. This aligns very well with the album that she brought in the tour, the signature songs in the album include Oceans & Engines that tells about moving on from a past relationship.
Additional Notes:
Visual hierarchy means it leads the viewers from the most important until the least important section of the layout.
Alignment means the arrangement of the design to make the design structure easier to understand.
Scale and proportion is essential to achieve a harmonious and united composition. Scale is the comparison between one object and another, while proportion is the relationship between the elements in the composition (could be a comparison of sizes, shapes, colors, and even quantities) which will create a cohesive visual.
➼ Selected Design
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| Figure 2.23: ‘Our Beloved Summer' a Korean drama series promotional poster. Artist: [STUDIO N] 홈페이지 Year: 2021 Size: 40.5cm*29.5cm Medium: Digital poster & photography Source: Wikipedia |
This design caught my attention because the aesthetics suit my style. In the last semester, the theme I used mostly goes around about clean, minimalist designs. In my opinion, these designs could stand out because it doesn't have too much things going on that could potentially cause confusion to the viewers. I want my design to communicate the message more effectively, and easier to understand by every type of audience.
This poster successfully captured the mood of the series, which is a slice-of-life, romance drama that has a nostalgic feeling to it. I believe this is because of the poster composition being consistent into that theme (the thin script text, the elements like leaves and sunlight rays along with the face expressions of the characters), resulting in harmony for the design.
To connect it with the other principles of design, firstly it shows emphasis through the character smiles, because the drama typically revolves around the romantic life of those 2 main leads. Additionally, Word & image plays a vital role to enhance the mood, the scripted font uses cursive strokes with white color which is a neutral color that aligns with the mood, along with the minimal text weight that makes it blend in very well with the poster. Principles of proximity from Gestalt theory is also applied, as the series’ information is put together in the same area, so it doesn’t interfere with the photograph and makes it easier for the audience to process the information as a whole.
III. FEEDBACK
➼ Week 1
➼ Week 2
• Make sure that the blog structure is organized well.
• Don't use abstract artworks when choosing the artworks, because it's quite difficult to describe the principles within.
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