Chapter Five

Principles of Design

Prof. J. Schiek — Art 100 — North Idaho College, Fall 2024

Quick Recap
Beginning to Present

• In the first couple of chapters we looked at what art is, and started expanding vocabulary to
include terms like aesthetics, representational vs. non-representational, style and abstraction.

• Beyond this basic dichotomy (representational vs. non), our look into the thematics of art as well
as visual elements added more elements to the lens through which we view, analyze and
ultimately interpret different works of art.

• Chapter 4 introduced us to the basic visual building blocks inherent in all works of art regardless of
medium (painting, sculpture, etc.)

• In this next chapter we will look at how artists tie all of the preceding elements together to create
competent, cohesive and sometimes even compelling works of art.

• Understanding these aspects of how an artist operates will not only help with analysis and
interpretation, but also bridge a deeper connection between ourselves and the artists whose work
we view regardless of the broader obstacles of time and space.
Principles of Design
Key Terms

• Composition and Design

• Rule of Thirds (compositional tools)
• Unity and Variety (visual and conceptual)
• Balance (Visual weight, symmetrical, radial, asymmetrical)
• Emphasis and Subordination (Focal point)
• Scale and Proportion (Hierarchical, Exaggerated)
• Rhythm (Repetition, Alternation, Progression, Undulation)
Composition & Design
Composition
Making Arrangements

• Composition, refers to the

arrangement/organization of all the
visual elements within a work of art.

• Composition is a component of
design which includes all other
stylistic choices deliberately included
and arranged by the artist.

• Artists use different principles of

design when arranging their
compositions, such as this artist’s
use of the Rule of Thirds in the image
at right.
Rule of Thirds
Foundational Tool

• Rule of Thirds is a very common (and very

easy to learn) method of composition.

• It functions on the idea that our eyes

immediately jump to specific points within a
viewed frame and helps to arrange things in a
“visually pleasing” manner.

• For many artists (and especially

photographers) this is the first compositional
tool they learn, and often the last.

• While there is nothing fundamentally wrong

with Rule of Thirds for composing an image, it
can stifle or limit creative endeavor in
exploring more complex, innovative or original
compositional ideas and techniques.
Notice Thor standing on the right-most
third line, his hammer at bottom left
pointing at the intersection, and back at
Thor, himself.
Unity & Variety
Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending
A Staircase.
(What other Marcel Duchamp piece
have we discussed already in this
class?
Unity & Variety
The Spice of Life

• Unity as it already infers, refers to a sense of oneness,

or cohesion in a work (similar to Gestalt, which we’ll
get to in a later chapter)

• Unity, in art, is the creation of a sense of belonging or

cohesion; that all of the compositional elements
achieve a unified, coherent whole.

• By contrast (literally) an artist might use the unity to

create contrast between unified objects and something
else that doesn’t fit the established pattern.

• Variety refers to differences amongst the

compositional elements that, in turn, provide interest
and contrast.

• Principally, unity & variety goes hand in hand with the

concept of rhythm, which we will discuss toward the
end of this chapter.
 Golconda, René
Magritte, oil on canvas,
c.1953
Cakes. Wayne Thiebaud
Unity & Variety
Types of Unity

• Visual Unity: Unity based in the use of the

visual elements as discussed in Chapter 4
(shape, line, color, light, etc.) Similar to the
contrast of actual vs. implied as we saw for
light, texture, etc.

• Conceptual Unity: Unity created by tying a

group of ideas together.

• Visual Unity is visibly present, observable by

the eye.

• In the piece at right, visual unity is achieved

through the repeated pattern of black and
white, the receding parallel lines of one point
perspective, and the implied triangle created
by the three visible hands.
Enrique Chagoya. Uprising of the Spirit (Elevación del espíritu). 1994. Acrylic and oil on paper, 48x72".
Andy Warhol,
Ethel Scull 36 Times.
Balance
Balance
Worth the Weight

• Visual Weight: Refers to an apparent

heaviness or lightness of forms arranged
in a composition.

• When visual weight is equally

distributed to either side of the implied
center of gravity, a composition is felt to
be visually balanced.

• At right, we have Raphael’s School of

Athens, which has been marked up to
show how the artist used the available
symmetry of the implied architecture
and figure placement to achieve balance
across a very broad, busy composition.
Haruka Kojin. reflectwo. 2007. Installation at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, April 10 –June 22, 2008. Artificial flower petals,
acrylic, string, dimensions variable.
Balance
Types of Balance

• Symmetrical Balance: Mirror image of

shapes/forms of an imaginary axial dividing
line; elements correspond directly to one
another in size, shape and placement.

• Radial Balance: Compositional forms emerge

equally in all directions from a central point.
Radial balance can be seen in mandalas,
Hindu or Buddhist diagrams of a cosmic
realm.

• Asymmetrical Balance: Two sides that do

not correspond to one another in size, shape
or placement.

• Which of these would best describe the image

at right?
Taj Mahal
Mandala of Jnanadakini. Late 14th century. Distemper on cloth, without mount 29 ½ x 33".
Egon Schiele, Death and the Maiden.
Lee Krasner, Seasons.
 • A large form is visually heavier than a
OF
PRINCIPLES smaller form.

AS BALANCE
• A dark-valued form is visually heavier
than a lighter-valued form of the same
size.

SY • A textured form is visually heavier than a

ME
smooth form of the same size.

• A complex form is visually heavier

TR than a simple form of the same size.

IC
• Two or more small forms can balance
a larger one.

AL • A smaller dark form can balance a

larger light one.
Emphasis & Subordination
Emphasis & Subordination
Creating Focal Point

• Emphasis and subordination are

complementary concepts, meaning an artist
cannot accomplish one without the other.

• Emphasis: The viewer’s attention will be

centered on certain parts of the composition
more so than on others.

• Focal Point (which we’ve talked about a bit) is

the specific spot in a composition to which the
viewer’s attention is directed, often immediately.

• By contrast, subordination refers to less

visually interesting areas of the composition.
Their subordination by way of less detail, less
intense colors, smaller size, etc. contrasts them
with emphasized elements.
Poster, General Dynamics, 1956.
Designed by Erik Nitsche for
General Dynamics Corporation.
Printed by Lithos R. Marsens
(Lausanne, Switzerland). Offset
lithograph on paper, 52 x 37 9⁄16".
Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World.
Scale & Proportion
Scale & Proportion
Size Matters

• Scale & Proportion both have to do

with size.

• Scale refers to the size of a

compositional object in relation to
“standard,” or “normal” size of the
represented object/figure in actual reality.

• Proportion refers to size relationships

between parts of a whole or between
two or more items as a perceived unit.

• Hierarchical Scale is using changes in

size to indicate relative importance, as in
the image at right.
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van
Bruggen. Plantoir. 2001. Stainless
steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced
plastic, painted with polyurethane
enamel, height 23' 11".

Here, the artist as increased the

scale of an ordinary garden trowel
for dramatic effect to passersby.
Proportions of the
golden section and
golden rectangle
5.22 Study of Human Proportions
According to Vitruvius
Victory Stele of Naram Sin
Palette of Narmer
Palette of Narmer
Rhythm
Rhythm
Pattern/Repetition

• Rhythm is based in repetition and is a

basic part of our world. It is often used by
artists to structure the viewer’s experience.

• Visual rhythm breaks down to four

subcomponents: Repetition, alternation,
progression and undulation.

• In this example, the artist is using the

proportioned repetition of trees to create
rhythm across the image, and also frame in
(emphasize) the focal point.

• Sometimes rhythmic elements can create a

sense of motion (similar to kinetic art, but
with no real moving parts)…
Repetition
Alternation
Progression
Undulation
Santiago Calatrava. Wave. 2002. Steel, bronze, nylon, and granite reflecting pool, 79¼ x 816 x 312".
Paul Strand, White Fence.
Principles of Design
Summary

• Composition & Design

• Rule of Thirds
• Unity & Variety (visual/conceptual)
• Balance (visual weight, symmetrical, radial, asymmetrical)
• Emphasis & Subordination (focal point)
• Scale & Proportion (hierarchical scale)
• Rhythm (repetition)