Design Principles: Exercise 1

24.08.21 - 17.09.21 (Week 1 - Week 4)
Chai Yi Xuan / 0346645 / B' Creative Media
Design Principles
Exercise 1 / Contrast, Gestalt Principle

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LECTURES

Week 1 (Elements & Principles of Design/Contrast & Gestalt)

Visual communication plays an important role in design, as it impacts consumers of the market to make a decision in their daily lives. It also sends a purposeful message to target audience, which is why designs must be well-made to achieve effective communication. Hence, it is important to understand the elements and principles of design.

Elements of design:

• Point
• Line
• Shape
• Form
• Texture
• Space
• Colour

 

Principles of design:

• Contrast
• Balance
• Emphasis
• Rule of Third
• Repetition/Pattern/Rhythm
• Movement
• Heirachy
• Alignment
• Harmony
• Unity
• Proportion
  

Contrast: Juxtaposition of two strongly dissimilar elements.

This principle creates visual interest, emphasis and expresses content. Without contrast, a design can appear monotonous and boring.

Contrast can be made through colour, size and shapes. It exists in many art forms such as photography, interior design, architecture, posters and so on.

 

Gestalt Theory: The rules that describe how the human eyes perceive visual elements.

Gestalt is a German word for shape/form. This principle explains how complexity in visual elements can be reduced to simple ones, and how it perceives the design overall rather than the separate elements that made it.

• Principle of similarity
• Principle of continuation
• Principle of closure
• Principle of proximity
• Principle of figure/ground
• Principle of symmetry & order
  

Week 2 (Balance & Emphasis)

Balance: Distribution of visual weight in design

This principle is about visual equilibrium, where elements are arranged in a way to make the composition feel balanced. There are two types of balance.

• Symmetrical balance
• Asymmetrical balance
  

 

Golden Ratio: A mathematical concept

The Golden Ratio is commonly known as the composition in the shape of a seashell. Even after many centuries, the Golden Ration is said to the epitome of beauty that is only found in nature.

In design, the Golden Ratio is used as a guide to create visual balance, harmony and structure to one's work. And subsequently, the visual appeal of an artwork.

Rule of Third: A composition guideline

The Rule of Third creates dynamism in one's work. It is a guide which divides a composition evenly into thirds(three horizontal and three vertical lines), then placing the subject on any of the lines.

Emphasis: A focal point in a design

This principle creates dominance of an element or focus onto an artwork. Emphasis can be made through size, colour, and shape.

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INSTRUCTIONS

To-Do List:

• Create two designs for the principles Contrast and Gestalt Theory

 

CONTRAST

I am familiar with the principle Contrast, however it would do me good to look for examples for any inspiration for my design.

Figure 1.1.1: A photograph of matchsticks (Link)

 

This photograph is simple and straight to the point. The burnt part of the match is placed against the white background; while the non-burnt ones are placed against a black background. It is a clear example of what a strong contrast looks like.

Figure 1.1.2: A row of legs (Link)

In this sample, the principle Contrast is used in a more playful and thought-provoking way. The legs wearing high heels are in white, while the the legs wearing men shoes are in black. Not only the colour is contrasting each other, even the subject are doing the same thing.

Figure 1.1.3: A photograph of a man feeding swans (Link)

The photograph here is my personal favourite— not only for it's strong contrast but also the composition. There is a clear divide between the two subjects(in this case, species), but the two subject interacts with each other without making it feel like it was two different compositions. And, of course, the subjects contrasts with each other and the background, making them stand out equally.

Design Process

After having a feel for what kind of design I should produce, I created a work with a clear inspiration from the third example for Contrast.

Figure 1.1.4: Draft for the principle Contrast

After receiving some feedback in class, I made some adjustments to the composition of my work.

Figure 1.1.5: 2nd design, adjusted according to feedback received

Figure 1.1.6: Finalised design for the principle Contrast

GESTALT PRINCIPLE

Gestalt Theory was a new principle to me, and therefore I had to search up on some designs to get a clear idea on what it is.

 

Figure 1.2.1: An apple with two human figures. (Link)

This is a design that uses Gestalt Law of Figure-ground. At first, we can see an eaten apple. Upon further examination, the eaten part of the right side resembles a side view of a face— similarly reflected by the shadow cast by the apple.

Figure: 1.2.2: An artwork named Criminal Underworld (Link)

 

Like the previous example, this design also uses Gestalt Law of Figure-ground. The designer carefully composed the silhouette of the two figure without taking away their significant traits. Not only have the characters kept their iconic looks, they also managed to be equally divided in attention, allowing the audience to see two different figures easily.

Figure 1.2.3: A cat and a mouse (Link)

Again, the Law of Figure-ground is used in this work as well. The first thing the viewer would notice is the cat in a red-magenta colour. When our eyes trace the outline of the cat, we would then notice the figure of a mouse between the cat's neck and arm. It a smart play on the cat's figure, using the negative space in between to create a different subject.

Design Process

After viewing more examples and reading up on the Gestalt principles, I started to create my design.

Figure 1.2.4: Initial draft for Gestalt principle

At my initial draft, I was not very happy with the outcome. I managed to use the Law of Figure-ground, but the sheep's figure and the wolf's teeth did not mash well together. Therefore, I kept the idea of using the wolf and sheep, and scraped the design. I came up a different design that would hopefully convey my message more clearly.

Figure 1.2.5: 2nd draft for Gestalt principle

The second design came out better, and I was more satisfied with it. While it is a greater idea, I felt like it could do better. Therefore, I added some elements to enhance the Gestalt principle.

Figure 1.2.6: Finalised design for Gestalt principle

PDF File of Exercise

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FEEDBACK

Week 3

7th September, Tuesday

Dr Charles asked me what I wanted to convey in my designs, and told me his thoughts when he looked at my drafts. Contrast has an interesting idea, and suggested if I can tilt my composition to further enhance the reflection in the water. For Gestalt principle, he mentioned that he didn't received what I wanted tell in my design, and advised that I play around a little more with the idea.

Week 4

14th September, Tuesday

Dr Charles was shown the tilted composition for my Contrast design, and suggested that I add on a little more to make the composition more balanced. He was satisfied with the new design for Gestalt principle, as the message I wanted to convey was more clearer.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience 

The lectures are quite informal as they are all prerecorded and posted on Microsoft Teams. I found it easier as I can watch them any time I want and refer back if I need to. At the same time, I can get a little lazy and sometimes push off watching the videos.

Tutorial and practical were more engaging, as those were live classes. It was a great opportunity to ask for feedback and see others work for inspiration.

 

Observations

I noticed that despite our exercise only needing one principle per design, I found myself using multiple principles(or at least, principles that correlate) in my works. I also observed that, even though I searched up for a work with a specified design principle, most of them would have multiple design principles in it.

 

Findings

I found that for a design to work, we would need multiple design principles to create it. If we strictly stick to one principle, our design might not stand out or be eye-catching— and worse, not able to convey a purposeful message.

I also realised that design needs a meaning and purpose. Not only does it make the creative process much easier, it also puts meaning in our works. It is better than blindly creating something and then try to fit it in a category that it does not belong.

 I should improve my understanding on all design principles, to ensure that I can create something visually appealing— and something that speaks to the target audience.