Art Lesson: The Principles of Design

Click Photo For Larger ImageThe Principles of design help us to organize and unify our works of art. Artists "design" their works by controlling and ordering the Elements of Art in them. If we just put objects anywhere in a work of art—without thinking about how to arrange them—that work would probably not be very interesting, or very good. The Principles of Design help us to create effective compositions. Balance, for example, helps a work of art to make sense—in interesting ways. Two sides of a work don’t have to be exactly the same in order for the art to have balance. A see saw—with one side up and the other down—is still in balance/ When we put lines, shapes, forms and colors together that are different from one another, we create a contrast that can be quite powerful. Emphasis or Dominance are what the artist uses to encourage the viewer to focus on very specific areas in a work of art. Elements such as diagonal lines and particular colors (like red) provide a sense of movement in our art.