Elements of Design

In design there are many elements that you can incorporate into your work. There are simple and basic ones like line, shape, color, texture, and space. There are also some complicated ones like unity, balance, hierarchy, and emphasis.

Line, shape, color, texture, and space are all very simple design terms. They all describe something about the image you have designed.  A line is a part of what you have created. Shape and color describe what is in your design. Texture is how something looks or feels in a design. Space is what you have left empty to work for your image.

Unity, balance, hierarchy, and emphasis have tricky meanings to them. Unity is when the whole design comes together and looks unified and complete. Balance is when you have not too much of one thing on the same design. (Remember from last post that repetition is good but in this case you want to have balance as well.) Hierarchy is how your eyes read a design. There is a certain way in which your brain tells your eyes to see it and the visual itself can help to determine what to look at first.  Emphasis is rather simple it is just whatever you have focused on.