Basic Principles of Graphics and Layout
1. Balance
It refers to the proper arrangement of the elements, which gives a visual weight for the design.
There are two types of balance, Symmetrical or Asymmetrical.
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2. Emphasis
Emphasis deals with the parts of a design that are meant to stand out.
3. Movement
Movement refers to the way the eye travels over a design.
4. Pattern
Patterns are nothing more than a repetition of multiple design elements working together.
Wallpaper patterns are the most ubiquitous example of patterns that virtually everyone is familiar with.
5. Repetition
Repetition can be done in a number of ways: via repeating the same colors, typefaces, shapes, or other elements of a design.
6. Rhythm
The spaces between repeating elements
There are five basic types of visual rhythm that designers can create: random, regular, alternating, flowing and progressive.
o Random rhythm – Repeating elements with no specific regular interval creates random rhythms. The spacing could be a millimeter here, a centimeter there, while the elements could be all over the place.
o Regular rhythm follows the same intervals over and over again. You can easily make a regular rhythm just by creating a grid or a series of vertical lines.
o Alternating rhythm is when two different repeating elements alternate back and forth. The squares on a chessboard are a great example: repeating white squares alternate with repeating black squares to form the game board.
o Progressive rhythm occurs when there is an element or set of elements arranged in a sequence, implying a directional momentum. This directional momentum can take the form of objects receding in size as they get further away in space, for example.
o Flowing rhythm shows the repeated elements following bends, curves, and undulations. In nature, you can see this in the waves on a beach or sand dunes. As designers, we can mimic nature by making wonderful patterns of elements with flowing rhythm.
7. Proportion
The size of elements in relation to one another.
8. Variety
Variety in design is used to create visual interest. Without variety, a design can very quickly become monotonous, causing the user to lose interest.
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