Principles of Design

Students in the Middle Level were provided with many opportunities to study and understand how the principles of design are used to organize composition in visual art works. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 will continue their study of the principles of design and will be encouraged to apply their understanding to all aspects of their classes. They will understand how the organization of the elements relates to the effectiveness of the visual image.

The following outlines what the students should experience for the principles of design in Visual Art 10, 20, 30:

Balance Balance in visual art can be formal, informal and radial. Formal balance places equal or very similar objects on either side of a central axis. In radial balance, equal or similar objects radiate from a central point. Informal balance is a balance of unlike objects. Visual artists achieve informal balance by considering all the visual weight factors and arranging objects carefully. The concept of visual balance is one that grows with experience. Some artists intentionally create visually unbalanced works. At the secondary level, students will understand how artists use balance to achieve different expressive qualities and how balance can be affected by placement of objects, use of colour, direction of line, use of pattern, etc. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: understand why balance is important in a work of art understand the types of balance and how they can add meaning and expressive qualities to an art work experiment with how artists create weight, stability, tension and stress through balance understand how visual weight is created (size, intensity of colour, contour, warm and cool colours, contrast in texture, value and position).

Rhythm (Movement/Time) Rhythm is one of the most accessible principles of design because life is full of rhythmic images, events, sounds, etc. Students will make connections between rhythm in other disciplines and visual art. Through this study, they begin to understand that visual rhythms are often created through repetition and that the way the images are arranged or presented can imply meaning or express ideas and feelings. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: identify and explore how rhythm and movement are present in other disciplines such as science, health, music and dance make connections between rhythm, movement and time, and other disciplines such as science, music or dance explore ways of creating a sense of movement or indicating the passage of time in visual art works.

Emphasis Emphasis is the principle of design that causes one element or area of a work of art to be more important than the other parts. This part is usually called the focal point. The sequence in which the viewer sees the parts of a work of art and the relative importance of each is controlled by emphasis. Contrast, isolation, location, convergence and the unusual can all be used to create emphasis. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: identify and describe the two major types of visual emphasis: one element dominates or one area dominates over all areas identify and explore how contrast of shape, colour, value, texture, size, colour intensity, light, clustering, isolation, location, convergence and the unusual are used to create a focal point analyze how emphasis controls the sequence in which the parts are noticed, as well as the amount of attention given to each part understand that not all works of art have a focal point and determine the artist's intention in using this concept.

Variety Variety is a principle that artists use when they want to add interest to works of art, designs, advertisements, etc. It is important to point out that an art work does not have to have variety to be interesting. Some works are interesting in their simplicity. Variety is simply one aspect an artist can think about when planning and creating. Some artists want to create works with various and complex relationships in them. To these artists, variety would be an important principle of design. Variety can refer to elements of art, such as colour and texture. Variety can also refer to the subject matter of a work of art. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: understand why variety is important in the visual environment, the art of others and in their own art-making analyze how variety can be achieved without destroying unity.

Contrast Contrast is another principle artists can use to emphasize, to provide variety and interest, or to create a certain feeling in the work. High contrast (black and white, for example) serves to emphasize differences. Low contrast (two shades of grey, for example) serves to de-emphasize differences. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: analyze contrast in art works (bold/subtle, straight/curved, rough/smooth, bold/delicate) and how it is used to create variety understand how contrast can suggest different moods or feelings use contrast to strengthen an image through emphasis understand how contrast can be used to create dynamic images.

Proportion/Scale Proportion is the principle of design that deals with the size relationship of one part to another. Many artists use the correct proportions to depict realistic works, while other artists exaggerate and distort to express moods and experiences. Scale refers to the size relationship between an object and a standard reference, such as the human body. Scale of an object can range from minute to monumental, or scale of an object within a design can be correct or exaggerated depending on the intention of the artist. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: examine proportion in realistic works and study for greater understanding understand that proportion is a matter of comparisons continue to study exaggeration and distortion and understand the expressive qualities of these techniques understand how scale can affect a work of art scale of the work itself scale of the objects or elements within the design understand that scale changes impact understand that scale can be realistic and unrealistic.

Harmony Harmony refers to ways similarities in a work are accented to create an uncomplicated, uniform appearance. Harmony may be achieved, for example, through organization of images, colour (monochromatic or analogous), shape (repetition of related shapes) and space (equal space between objects). Note that work does not have to be harmonious. Some works are interesting because of the artist's deliberate creation of a chaotic effect. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: analyze and explore ways of achieving harmony recognize harmony in the art works of artists and be able to explain how it is achieved.

Unity Unity is perhaps the most important of the principles and the most difficult to define. If there were one statement a person could use to explain why many different kinds of art works are good art works, he or she might say, "Because they have unity". Unity is the principle of design in which all the separate parts work together to make a complete whole. The elements, ideas, principles and media are combined in such a way that all are essential to the product. Students in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 should: understand that unity is the complex combination of elements, ideas, principles and media to create a complete whole understand the abstract concept of unity in terms of the real world continue to explore ways of creating visual unity identify and describe unity in a work of art.

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