The document discusses key formal principles of design including unity and variety, balance, emphasis, scale and proportion, rhythm, and economy. It provides examples and ways to achieve each principle. Unity can be created through repetition, alignment, and continuity while variety is achieved through contrast, hybridity, and fragmentation. Balance can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Emphasis is created through isolation, framing, pointing, and contrast. Scale relates to size while proportion relates to the size of parts. Rhythm can be flowing, increasing, or staccato. Economy aims for simplicity and essential elements. The document shows examples applying multiple principles together in compositions.

1. Formal Principles of
Design (composition)
• Unity and Variety
• Balance (Symmetry and Asymmetry)
• Emphasis or Dominance
• Scale and Proportion
• Rhythm
• Economy

2. Unity and Variety
• Unity = oneness, wholeness, elements go
together
• Variety = difference, contrast, enlivens

3. Ways to Achieve Unity
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Continuity

4. Unity thru Repetition

5. Unity thru Repetition

6. Unity thru Alignment

7. Unity thru Alignment

8. Unity thru Continuity

9. Ways to Achieve
Variety
• Contrast (of lines, shapes, values, etc)
• Hybridity (mixing differing elements,
genres, styles, media etc)
• Fragmentation (breaking apart) and
Discontinuity

10. Variety and Contrast

11. Variety
Fragmentation Hybridity

12. Unity and Variety

13. Unity and Variety

14. Unity and Variety

15. Balance
• Feeling of the counterbalancing weights of
visual forms and effects
• Two types: Symmetry and Asymmetry

16. Symmetrical Balance

17. Symmetrical Balance
(approximate)

18. Asymmetrical Balance

19. Asymmetrical Balance

20. Asymmetrical Balance

21. Asymmetrical Balance

22. Emphasis
• An element that is the most dominant or
noticeable in a composition
• A focal point

23. Ways to Achieve
Emphasis
• Isolation
• Framing
• Pointing
• Contrast

24. Ways to Achieve
Emphasis or Dominance

25. Ways to Achieve
Emphasis or Dominance

26. Ways to Achieve
Emphasis or Dominance

27. Ways to Achieve
Emphasis or Dominance

28. Scale and Proportion
• Scale - Relative size of object to similar
objects
• Proportion – Relative size of parts of
object relative to other parts

29. Scale

30. Scale

31. Scale

32. Proportion

33. Proportion

34. Rhythm

35. Rhythm
• A repeating pattern creates a sense of
flowing, increasing, or staccato movement
• Similar to music or dance rhythm

36. Flowing Rhythm

37. Increasing Rhythm

38. Increasing and Flowing
Rhythm

39. Staccato Rhythm

40. Staccato Rhythm

41. Staccato Rhythm

42. Staccato Rhythm

43. Economy
• Getting to the essential elements,
distillation, “less is more”, part of
abstraction

44. Economy

45. Economy

46. Economy

47. Economy

48. Elements and Principles: Putting it all
together
• Foregrounded elements =
color, shape, space
• Complementary color
scheme
• Unity from repetition and
alignment (shapes and
colors)
• Unity working with variety
• Flowing rhythm

49. Elements and Principles: Putting it all
together
• Foregrounded elements =
color, shape, texture, value
• Implied Diagonal lines
• Unity from repetition and
alignment (shapes, hand, and
colors)
• Unity working with variety
• Emphasis on Kennedy

50. Elements and Principles: Putting it all
together
• Foregrounded elements =,
shape, texture, value
• Vertical Forces gives it
power
• Economy
• Variety through contrast
• Emphasis

51. Elements and Principles: Putting it all
together
• Foregrounded elements =,
shape, texture, value
• Implied vertical line
• Unity from continuity (heads
looking like they are one)
• Variety through contrast
• Approximate symmetry

52. Elements and Principles: Putting it all
together
• Foregrounded elements =
color, line, texture,
• Flowing rhythm
• Unity from repetition Unity
working with variety
• Complementary color
scheme (red and green)
• Economy

53. You try

54. You try

55. You try

56. You try

57. You try

58. You try