Elements and Principles Design

 

Design is everywhere we look in our world today. The elements and principles of design are basically the things that make up good design. The elements of design are line, space, shape, form, texture, pattern, color, and light. The principles of design are balance, rhythm, emphasis, proportion, scale, unity, variety, and harmony. A well-designed space does not necessarily have to have all the elements and principle of design but it will include some of them. An example of a space that has some of these aspects of design is located in the picture above.

            The elements of design are fairly easy to pick out in this picture. The main element that I saw first in this picture was line. Line is seen everywhere in this room. Lines are created on the ceiling with the exposed ventilations tubes. Line is also seen on the back wall, the chairs, and the wood flooring. Another element is shape. An example of shape in this space is the squares that make up the chairs. Together, the squares combine and make box-like forms. Color and light are very important to this room because they set the tone for the room. The colors are dark, warm neutrals with pops of green with the plants and the lighting is a combination of natural light coming through the large window and warm artificial light achieved by the use of the lamps on the side table and the fixtures on the ceiling. There are many elements of design seen in this room but one cannot forget about the basic principles of design.

            There are a few principles of design that are very important to this space. The first to identify would be the emphasis in the space. The emphasis is the large picture/paining on the wall. Your eye immediately goes to the picture because of its size and color. The picture really gives an interesting touch to the room since it is mainly done in neutrals. The other principle that immediately sticks out is the symmetrical balance in the space. This is seen first in the seating arrangement, which is exactly the same on both sides. Also, the balance is seen in the plants that are directly across from each other in the space. If one were to cut the space in half right through the window, both halves would be nearly the same.

             This picture was a good example to choose to write about the principles and elements of design because it incorporates so many of them. These elements and principles of design can be found in spaces everywhere, not just this picture. They are the foundation of which good interior design is based.