Visual Communication Design Theories

1. Visual Communication

2. Content vs. Form
Content is the message or idea we
are sharing.
Form is how we share it.
(Costello, ch. 4)

3. Applied Aesthetics
Industry-specific rules and guidelines used in trade crafts
such as cinematography, graphic design, television
production, website design, and photography.
Each field is guided by its own design rules and
guidelines, a set of formal and informal practices that
influence the choices made during each phase of the
creative process.
(Costello, ch. 4)

4. Design
The strategic arrangement of visual elements within a
two-dimensional space to form a unified and holistic
impression.
Sometimes, the word composition is used as an
alternative way of describing the same process.
(Costello, ch. 4)

5. The Elements of Art
The basic building blocks of design.

6. Line
A continuous point (mark)
used to delineate an edge,
or to lead the eye through
a design.
A line is just a continuation
of a point (dot), which is
the smallest unit of design.
2001:A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

7. Types of Lines
Static
Horizontal = sense of peace
and calm.
Vertical = power, strength,
grandeur, and awe.
Dynamic
Diagonal = speed,
movement, and depth
Curved = Create a sense of
peace and tranquility.
Bedroom at Arles (1992) Roy Lichtenstein

8. Leading Lines
Lines that guide a viewer’s
eyes around, or through, a
design.
Scanno (1953) Henri Cartier-Bresson

9. Shape/Form
An area with clear
boundaries.
Shape is 2D, Form is 3D
Organic shapes occur
naturally.
Geometric shapes are
mathematically calculated.
(squares, circles, etc.)
Shell (1927) Edward Weston

10. Space
Used to create a sense of
depth, and is made up of
two kinds of space:
Positive space – the
object(s) in the artwork.
Negative space – the area
around/between the
object(s) in the artwork.
(also known as whitespace.
Includes line breaks,
margins, tabs & spaces.)
(Costello, ch. 4)

11. Digital Workspaces
Measured in pixels—tiny
rectangular or square
blocks of color.
Width is measured along
x-axis (horizontally), and
height is measured along
y-axis (vertically).
Coordinates are an x:y
position. The upper left-
hand corner is (0:0).
(Costello, ch. 4)

12. Texture
How a surface looks and/or
feels.
In some forms of art &
design, the artist can create
a surface texture that can
be felt by hand.
In other forms of art, such
as photography or graphic
design, the texture is
implied but cannot be felt.
Georgia O’Keeffe Annie Leibovitz

13. Value
The range from light to
dark in a design.
Migrant Mother (1936) Dorothea Lange

16. Color
Color is what we see when
light reflects off of an
object.
The three dimensions of
color are Hue (actual color
such as “blue” or “orange”),
Saturation (intensity), and
Value (brightness).

17. Complimentary Colors
Directly across from each
other on the color wheel.
Make each other appear
brighter and more intense.
Afghan Girl (1984) Steve McCurry

18. STEM Conference Program Art Director: Seamus Duerr Designer: Kristina Fick

19. Analogous Colors
Next to each other on the
color wheel.
Create a feeling of
harmony.
Image Source: https://photographyicon.com/analogous

20. Think You Can’t Write? Think Again! Art Director: Patricia Meyer Designer: Patricia Meyer

21. Warm Colors
Indicate safety
Draw the viewer into the
frame
Can build excitement
Life of Pi (Ang Lee, 2012)

22. Cool Colors
Indicate uncertainty
Push the viewer from the
frame
Can dampen the mood
The Revenant (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2016)

23. The Principles of Design
Ways to combine the elements of art to make a more
powerful design/composition

24. Pattern/Repetition
An element (color, shape,
form, etc.) that occurs over
and over in a design.
It is more visually
appealing to vary the
repetition to some degree.
Hats in the Garment District, New York (1930) Margaret Bourke-White

25. Contrast
Most often, people think of
contrast as pertaining to
value (the range of light
and dark) in a design.
However, contrast can also
be created using color,
shape, or any other
element that provides a
sense of visual discord.
Self-portrait (1976) Samuel Fosso

26. Proportion
Our perception of an
object’s size is related to
the size and position of
other objects within the
field of view.
North by Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock

27. Alignment
Position objects that
belong together along a
common edge or implied
line.
Barnes & Noble Website: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

28. Balance
Balance is a sense of visual
stability within a design.
Symmetrical - objects are
the same size, color,
and/or shape
Asymmetrical - achieved
with a combination of
objects of varying sizes,
shapes, and colors.
Festival de las flores (1925) Diego Rivera

29. Movement
Movement can be a literal
representation, or implied
through repetition of shape
(rhythm) or the alternation
of lights and darks.
Commuter on the New York New Haven line running to catch train pulling out of Grand Central Station (1961) Alfred Eisenstadt

30. Unity
Occurs when all of the
elements work together to
support the overall
theme/object of the work,
rather than distract the
viewer.
Technology Innovation Commercial Payments Infographic Art Director: Aaron Steinfeld Designer: Sara Haney

31. Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization
Gestalt is a German word meaning “shape” or “form.”

32. Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization
Founded by German thinkers Max Wertheimer,
Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka
The whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

33. Law of Similarity
“Elements that share
similar characteristics are
perceived as more related
than elements that don't
share those
characteristics.”

34. Summer Fun Art Director/Designer: Natalie Ede

35. Law of Focal Points
“Elements with a point of
interest, emphasis or
difference will capture and
hold the viewer’s
attention.”

36. Sunshine Bracey and a Friend, Brooklyn, NY, (1990) Dawoud Bey

37. Law of Pragnanz
Pragnanz is a German term
meaning "good figure"
“People will perceive and
interpret ambiguous or
complex images as the
simplest form(s) possible.”

38. Saul Bass

39. Law of Proximity
“Objects that are closer
together are perceived as
more related than objects
that are further apart.”

40. Alvin Lustig

41. Law of Symmetry
“People tend to perceive
objects as symmetrical
shapes that form around
their center.”

43. Law of Continuance
“Elements arranged on a
line or curve are perceived
as more related than
elements not on the line or
curve.”

44. Broadway Boogie Woogie (1942-43) Piet Mondrian

45. Law of Closure
“When seeing a complex
arrangement of elements,
we tend to look for a
single, recognizable
pattern.”

46. Ivan Chermayeff, NBC logo

47. Law of Figure-
Ground
“Elements are perceived as
either figure (the element
in focus) or ground (the
background on which the
figure rests).”

48. Rebuild the Ranch Identity Designer: Heather Barbis