The more ways a designer can apply art elements the better the design will be. There is often talk on what design elements are, such as texture and color and size. But there are also principles that come into play. I like to define the principles by saying they are the elements working together. So this article defines those principles. Use them to create infinite variations in designs.

The most important design principle, to me, is balance. As designers, we want the eye to land on a design in a specific way and if balance isn’t present, the eye will wander away, or the message will be missed. Balance needs to be across all elements like color, shape, line, etc. Light should equal dark. Big should equal each other. For example, a dark shape appears heavy, so a larger light one would balance it. A small shape close to a border will balance a large shape in the middle of a page.

The principle of gradation refers to the size and direction to produce a linear perspective. For example, gradation of color from warm to cool will produce an aerial perspective. The same is true for tones going from dark to light. Gradation will add appeal and a sense of movement to a shape. Dark to light gradation will cause the eye to move along a shape.

Repetition is a fairly simple concept in terms of design. Repetition with some variation is appealing. Repetition without variation will be irritating or boring. It’s tricky to pull off a good design with repetition done well and most beginners do little of it.

Contrast refers to the positioning of opposing elements. For example, using colors opposite one another on the color wheel, like red and green or purple and yellow, provide a great contrast. Contrasting tones would be light vs. dark. Contrasting lines would be horizontal vs. vertical. The most contrast should be at the focal point of your design piece. Too much contrast a bad thing, and can crush unity, so choose carefully.

Harmony refers to how visually satisfying a combination of similar effects will be. This refers to colors on the wheel that are adjacent to each other. It refers to shapes that are very similar to each other. While contrast is important, harmony will add subtlety and depth to your work.

Dominance is important in design because it’s where the eye lands first. But what is it? It’s the emphasis in design. So while you’re playing with contrasting or harmonizing elements, one is surely going to show up as the leading actor so to speak, and that’s dominance.

Unity means the way design elements relate to the idea that’s supposed to be expressed in the design. For example if you want to communicate an aggressive or active subject, you’d better use dominant colors, coarse texture, angular lines, and tonal contrast. Of course the opposite would apply to a quieter subject matter.

Chris Kincaid is a twenty year marketing professional and writes extensively on business including local topics such as graphic design in Michigan and Ann Arbor web design.