Designers achieve their goals by combining the elements and principles of graphic design.
Graphic designers for print and web pages use some or all of these elements to generate effective designs.
Lines in Graphic Design
Lines are the most basic of the design elements.
Lesley Shepherd
Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, solid, or not solid.
Their qualities create emotion, movement, organization, and more.
Shape in Graphic Design
The basic geometric shapes are squares, circles, and triangles.
They form boxes or borders on a design or solid shapes for decorative purposes.
Icons, symbols, and dingbats are also considered shapes, and they add interest and clarity.
Color in Graphic Design
Color attracts attention and conveys emotion and mood.
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For example, red represents strength, anger, or passion.
Blue invokes peace, professionalism, or security.
Value in Graphic Design
Value is a measure of darkness and lightness in an element or design.
Value creates contrast and emphasis.
For example, a light object against a dark background draws the viewer’s eye.
Size in Graphic Design
The size of an element in graphic design generally indicates its importance.
The most important information is typically the largest on the page and draws the viewer’s attention first.
Occasionally, a graphic designer intentionally produces an unbalanced design, usually to focus attention on a single element.
The aligned elements don’t have to be of the same pop in.
They are frequently aligned along the left edge of the layout.
Different-size photos appear as a unit when they are aligned across the top or the bottom.
Repetition in Graphic Design
Repetition duplicates the characteristics of similar elements to contribute to design consistency.
Repetition can also create rhythm in a design.
Proximity in Graphic Design
Proximity maintains a relationship between items that go together.
The elements don’t have to be positioned closely together, but they should be connected visually.
Contrast can highlight important elements of a design.
Space in Graphic Design
Space is the part of a design that is left blank.
Negative space is intentionally placed in the design.
The margins and gutters between other elements are referred to as passive space.
Effective graphic design takes into account both positive and negative space.
