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Concept
Visual design elements and principles
Summary
Visual design elements and principles describe fundamental ideas about the practice of visual design.
Elements of art
Design elements are the basic units of any visual design which form its structure and convey visual messages. Painter and design theorist Maitland E. Graves (1902-1978), who attempted to gestate the fundamental principles of aesthetic order in visual design, in his book, The Art of Color and Design (1941), defined the elements of design as line, direction, shape, size, texture, value, and color, concluding that "these elements are the materials from which all designs are built."
Color is the result of light reflecting back from an object to our eyes. The color that our eyes perceive is determined by the pigment of the object itself. Color theory and the color wheel are often referred to when studying color combinations in visual design. Color is often deemed to be an important element of design as it is a universal language which presents the countless possibilities of visual communication.
Hue, saturation, and brightness are the three characteristics that describe color.
Hue can simply be referred to as "color" as in red, yellow, or green.
Saturation gives a color brightness or dullness, which impacts the vibrance of the color.
Values, tints and shades of colors are created by adding black to a color for a shade and white for a tint. Creating a tint or shade of color reduces the saturation.
Color theory studies color mixing and color combinations. It is one of the first things that marked a progressive design approach. In visual design, designers refer to color theory as a body of practical guidance to achieving certain visual impacts with specific color combinations. Theoretical color knowledge is implemented in designs in order to achieve a successful color design.
Color harmony
Color harmony, often referred to as a "measure of aesthetics", studies which color combinations are harmonious and pleasing to the eye, and which color combinations are not.
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