Design

The Elements of Design

It is generally understood that there are certain qualities that are used to understand what an artist is attempting to communicate.  These qualities are the elements by which art is “measured” and are the basic components, building blocks if you will, by which the artist communicates his/her vision.  Line, shape, form, space, texture, value and color are used in partnership to create the images we call art. The components are combined with the principles of design to compose a piece of art.  Not all must be used at once, but at least two of them are present in every piece of art.

Line is a point moving in space and can vary in width, length and direction.  It can define, limit, include and exclude the space adjacent to itself.  Line is elemental in the creation of most images.

Shape is a two-dimensional area that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric.  Shape can be found in nature or made by humans.  Line and shape can be combined to create basic yet immensely interesting artworks without added elements. 

The space created in art can be either positive or negative.  Positive space is defined by shapes, forms or lines that stand out from the background of the art.  The shapes are usually closed to create a recognizable form.  Negative space is the empty area around forms or shapes in an artwork.  Negative space is usually interestingly shaped, not rigid, and generally thought of as supportive of positive images.  But either can be the focal point of the art.

Form is somewhat hard to define.  It has particular characteristics of an artwork’s visual elements.  These characteristics are distinguished from its subject matter or content.  Form represents the essence of a thing, considered apart from its content, color, texture or composition.  The attributes of form are mass and volume.  Mass is the bulk, weight and density of three-dimensional forms, either actual or implied.  Volume is any three-dimensional quality that is bound or enclosed, whether solid or void.

Color is the visual sensation that is the result of reflected or absorbed light cast from a given surface.  The attributes of color are hue, intensity and value.  Hue is the characteristic that gives color its name.  The spectrum is usually divided into six basic hues:  violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.  Intensity is the brightness or dullness of color.  Value is the degree of lightness or darkness of a hue or neutral color, the gradations of light and dark in a two-dimensional artwork and on the surface of three-dimensional objects.

Texture is the surface quality of the materials, either actual or implied.  With the use of darks and lights, applied surfaces or implied surfaces, the “feel” of a surface is part of the sensory input that artists include in their work.  Texture that can be seen rather than felt, fashioned with skill and attention to detail, creates an energetic response by the viewer.  Texture is one of the most eye- and mind-grabbing elements in art.

Basics in art start with line.  From the line we can build with shape, space, form, color and texture.  You add elements as you feel them appropriate and to communicate what you wish. 

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 18 No. 4 — March 2008