Design Elements

Design Elements

▫ Line

▫ Mass

▫ Shape

▫ Form

▫ Space

▫ Texture

▫ Color

Line as a Design Element

• Lines can be of any size, shape, texture or pattern and may be placed in any direction.

• Lines Can be straight or curved.

• Curves, dot leaders and arrows are considered lines!

Lines Can Organize

Apple Grapes Oranges

Red Delicious White Navel

Fuji Red Hamlin

Lines Can Simulate Movement

Lines Can Connect

Lines Can Separate

Lines Can Provide Texture

Lines Can Convey a Mood or Emotion

Lines Can Define Shapes

Lines Can Provide Emphasis

Magazine Article Title

Magazine Article Title

Newspaper Title

Lines Can Frame

Mass as a Design Element• Mass refers to the size, space and

“heaviness” of an object.

• Every object, or element, has mass

whether it is a line, shape, text or graphics.

Mass suggests weight

• Darker colors are visually heavier than lighter

colors.

Shape as a Design Element

• Shapes are often used in logos but can be used in many different ways.

• Shapes can be used to:▫ Highlight Information▫ Organize or Separate Information▫ Make a Design More Interesting

Geometric Shapes

• Geometric Shapes include:▫ Triangles

▫ Squares

▫ Circles

Natural Shapes

• Natural Shapes include:▫ Organic shapes like leaves or flower petals

▫ Man-Made shapes that resemble natural shapes)

Abstract Shapes

• Abstract Shapes resemble a blend of both geometric and natural shapes

• Abstract Shape examples include:▫ Cars

▫ Silhouettes

What Certain Shapes Symbolize

Squares and Rectangles

• Symbolize honesty, stability, equality and comfort.

• Circles

• Symbolize infinity, security and completeness.

• Triangles

• Symbolize action or conflict.

Examples of Shape

Examples of Shape

Form as a Design Element

• 3-dimensional space

added to objects by

the addition of

shadows, tone, or

color transitions3-D space because of

shadow added

2-D Shape 3-D Form

Examples of Form

Examples of Form

Space as a Design Element

• Positive Space – length, width, and depth of

objects

• Negative Space – “white space”

▫ the distance between objects

▫ Necessary to avoid clutter; gives a design

breathing room

• Example: Two shapes on a page are positive

space. The space between them is negative

space.

Examples of space

Space can improve Readability

Texture as a Design Element

• Texture is an effect applied to a background

image or as the fill for an object. It can also be

an actual image inserted as the background.

• In Desktop Publishing, texture refers to how an

element looks rather than how it feels but it does

convey a sense of touch to an object.

• The same color can look different in the

presence of different textures.

Examples of Texture

Examples of Texture