The Basic Principles and Elements of Design

1. The Basic Principles and Elements of Design How to make your visual aide attract positive attention and get your point across..

2. Basic Principles to Consider… • Balance - It is the arrangement of the objects in a given design as it relates to their visual weight within a composition. Balance usually comes in two forms: symmetrical and asymmetrical. • Rhythm - create a sense of movement, and can establish pattern and texture. There are many different kinds of rhythm, often defined by the feeling it evokes when looking at it. • Proportion - It is the relationship in scale between one element and another, or between a whole object and one of its parts. Differing proportions within a composition can relate to different kinds of balance or symmetry, and can help establish visual weight and depth. • Dominance- relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design. • Unity - The concept of unity describes the relationship between the individual parts and the whole of a composition. It investigates the aspects of a given design that are necessary to tie the composition together, to give it a sense of wholeness, or to break it apart and give it a sense of variety

3. Elements of Design to consider… • Point - is an element that has position, but no extension. It is a single mark in space with a precise, but limited, location. • Line - is an element characterized by length and direction • Form (Shape) – is the simplest definition of shape is a closed contour, an element defined by its perimeter. The three basic shapes are: circle, rectangle (square) and triangle • Texture - is used to create surface appearance, and relates to the physical make-up of a given form. • Color - is the response of the eye to differing wavelengths of radiation within the visible spectrum.

4. K.I.S.S. =Keep It Simple, Students Do not overwhelm your audience with too many words, pictures or colors……

5. Too many picture charts or graphs will confuse and lose your reader This is anexampleofnot“keepingit simple” • Too many words or too many fontsor fonts with that are too fancywill overwhelm the eyes of the reader and they will not be able to take in the message you are attempting to send to them via your “visual aide.” This will cause them to shut down to your idea. Ow! Not wow When you make your poster, advertisement power point or brochuretoo busy you lose your audience

6. Color – three main components

7. Complimentary Colors - When complementary colors are placed side-by-side they tend to enhance the intensity (chroma) of each other, and when they are blended together they tend to decrease the intensity of each other.

8. The theory of thirds… is a compositional tool that makes use of the notion that the most interesting compositions are those in which the primary element is off center. Basically, take any frame of reference and divide it into thirds placing the elements of the composition on the lines in between

9. Typography – a word about fonts… • Use simple easy-to-read fonts such as: Arial,Comic Sans, Century Gothic, Garamondor Times Roman… for body text. • Use “fancy fonts” sparingly for titles only: Mantura Script Capitals, Brush Script, Mistral, Mesquite, Giddyup ST, Santa Fe, Lucida Blackletter, Curlz, CrackedorEdwardian Script… otherwise you take the chance of your audience not being able to read what you are trying to say.

10. Environmental Studies 4 Weeks of Saving the Earth… Students will learn about the relationship between humans and the rest of nature. How to protect the earth and every thing living in it is a major focus of this class. Highlights of this class include: 1. Maintaining a school plant nursery 2. Planting trees across the city to improve the air quality Testing the water quality in local parks and rivers Promoting the Roots and Shoots plant/animal club  Every student will make a special “I’m Saving the Planet” T-shirt. Brought to you by Nin Ja Turtle

11. If I Lived in Colonial Times… Created by Hugie and Dewey What transformed a group of everyday common citizens into a new nation? Find out in your Colonial Times rotation. You will become a historical figure in Colonial Williamsburg for one full day! Dress like a colonist from the 1700’s and learn how to churn butter, milk a cow, drive a team of horses, dance the Virginia Reel, strum a fiddle, play traditional hoop games, shoot a bow and arrow, sew a pair of shoes, dip candles, tool leather and feast on authentic succotash, plum duff, maize, venison and stuffed pumpkin.

12. Underwater Basket Weaving Be the first on on your block to show off your new, life-long skills! Learn to snorkel and scuba in order to harvest the special Udoie reeds needed to make the finest baskets in the world. Everyone knows that the quality of the basket is tied directly to the ability of the weaver to tread water in twenty degree salty ocean water! Created by Dorkus Hairbrain Full body swimsuits sold in SAS student store