(credit: Professor Jason Travers)
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION:
Harmony: Is there relative commonality among the elements?
Variety: Is there diversity among the elements?
Balance: Is it symmetrical/asymmetrical?
Proportion: Relationships in scale (size relative to a constant standard or specific unit of measure)
Dominance: Focal Point/Emphasis
Movement: Is it fast? Slow? Still? Is there a sense of rhythm? Repetition of elements?
Economy: The distillation of the image to the basic essentials for clarity of presentation; Gestalt: organized whole in experience – everything must be essential
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN:
LINE
Line quality: Is it expressive? Technical?
How do the properties of the line types affect the composition?
Horizontal/vertical: give structure/stability (relate to architecture)
Diagonals: create space
Curve: flowing element (biological reference)
SHAPE
Is it organic or geometric? Is it biomorphic?
What is the figure/ground relationship? Use of positive/negative space? Is there ambiguity?
TEXTURE
Does it have a tactile sensibility? Does it evoke another material?
SPACE
Is it deep? Shallow? Flat? How does it relate to the picture plane?
What is the viewer’s perspective? Eye level? From above? Below?
VALUE
Full range or high contrast? Does it create a sense of light or atmosphere?
COLOR
How would you describe the palette? (primary, secondary, complementary, split-complementary, monochromatic, analogous, etc)
What temperature is evoked? (warm, cool)
Is the saturation high or low? How does value function with color?
Is there psychological impact based on the palette?
The development of form involves media and techniques and uses the elements of design and the principles of organization to create space and visual unity
FORMAT
Horizontal relates to landscape – vertical to the human form
SUBJECT VS CONTENT
Subject matter is the literal, visible image in a work while content includes the connotative, symbolic and suggestive aspects of the image
EMOTIVE CONTENT
Does the composition have a narrative quality? Does it convey an emotive atmosphere?