We are surrounded by design. The majority of human experience is shaped by design, whether or not we are consciously aware of it.
From the artwork on the album cover of your favorite band to the poster for the upcoming movie, you can’t wait to watch it. Everything you encounter in the modern world has been designed.
How do you define good design? The aesthetic value of a design may be as open to interpretation as a work of art in a museum, but first impressions aren’t always accurate.
Although aesthetics have a role in attracting and holding the observer’s attention, the primary goal of design is to accomplish some practical task or address some problem. The looks are secondary to the messaging and functionality.
These design tenets emphasize the cornerstones of what makes the design not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and usable in our daily lives.
1. Balance
Compositional balance is achieved when its constituent parts are placed symmetrically, asymmetrically, or radially to appear of equal value.
2. Scale
How large or little anything is may be determined quickly and easily. A thing’s equilibrium changes depending on its scale. In design, the maxim “bigger is better” is not universally true. It’s not always the big things that get people’s attention, but the little things. Simply put, it’s the intended meaning of the visuals.
3. Contrast
Have your eyes ever hurt from staring at something? Can you imagine ordering from a diner menu with a yellow font on a red background?
Or perhaps you’ve encountered a newspaper ad with nearly illegible grey font written against black ink. This results from a lack of contrast or the juxtaposition of contrasting aspects.
Because of their proximity on the color wheel, red and yellow create visual confusion and, ultimately, a headache for the viewer.
4. Pattern
In art, a pattern is a design element’s recurrent appearance, whether a single shape or a complex arrangement. Balance, order, and consistency in the surface organization can all be achieved with patterns and can also be utilized to generate contrast.
Flooring tiles in a department store are a good illustration of this. They look nice, but they also guide the customer around the store.
5. Rhythmic Motion
Movement is how the eye travels around a composition, from one element to another. For this purpose, employing components or patterns that repeat or alternate is helpful.
Rhythm is created through the repetition of a pattern and the starkness of its contrasts.
6. Emphasis
Emphasis!!! What do you think? This occurs when a feature that stands out from the rest of a group is given its unique attribute. Thus, the ideas of contrast, movement, scale, and balance can all help you do this.
7. Unity
When everything is together, what happens? How do these parts interact with one another? A captivating composition is a method in which its constituent parts are arranged to be viewed as a whole.
Signing Off:
These are the fundamental rules of good design, and now you know them. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have realized that the seven tenets are interdependent.
Changing the weights around throws off the symmetry of things.
Contrast is a tool for highlighting key points. In addition, changing even the smallest detail can throw the whole thing out of whack. Also, etc. Design is the seamless integration of form and function.
