Volume II

MODULE 7 PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

The painter Congratulations, you have just completed the six modules.
has the
This module (7) is the last in the series of lessons on concepts and organization
universe
of the arts. Completing this module, you will be able to advance and take the
In his mind last module (8) which covers lesson on Basic Photography. The Final
Examination Module will be given separately according to your program and
and hands.
term offering.
LEONARDO
DA VINCI In this module, you will learn that on top of the elements of visual arts that
deals with individual objects, the principles of design are a way to give
ART APP MODULE PREPARED BY: ANGELICA F OLIVAR

structure to the artwork and meaning to the object.

The principles of design describe the ways on how artists organize the
elements in creating the work of art.

Suggested Module 7 Schedule

1. Read the lesson on principles of design and their respective examples.

(45 minutes)
2. Analyze the content and respond to the questions asked. (30 minutes)
3. Perform the art activities given at the end of the lesson. (60 minutes)
4. Take a self-assessment survey to check in on your progress in completing
the module. (10 minutes)
5. Review the module in summary. (15 minutes)

In the previous module, you have learned that medium and elements of
visual art both answer the question – what is it made of? – but from
different points of view. That is, if a building is made of bricks and
stones, we are talking of medium. If we say it is made of right angles,
vertical and horizontal lines, shapes and forms, and texture, we are
talking of the elements. If a picture is made of watercolor – that is
medium; if it is made of red, green, and blue – those are elements. Also,
value, as one of the elements, talks about the range of darkness and
lightness of its tone or color.
There are several principles of design. In this module, we will be
discussing the seven essential principles that every artist use in their
work of art. Elements of art and principles of design describe the ideas
about the practice of visual art. These principles are concepts used to
arrange the elements of design.
Image © Amazon.com
 BALANCE AND ORDER

“Law of Rest” it is the feeling of equality in weight, attention, or attraction of the various elements; it
suggests stability, security, satisfaction, rest and peace.

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE is achieved by arrangement of same objects of same sizes so that they have equal
distances from the center. It suggests dignity and strength. The scene in the fresco painting of Pietro
Perugino (Italian painter) shows balance in the placement of figures and objects on left and right sides of
the scene – “The Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter” (Image01).

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE is stability in composition in which objects on one side differ from those on the
other side and yet visually attract our attention in equal force. It suggests freedom and power. The painting
of Edgar Degas (French painter), “Dancers Practicing at the Barre” (Image02) shows two ballet dancers who
are almost symmetrical, each is poised on one leg, and raised legs point on opposite directions.
Asymmetrical balance can also be “heavier” or “lighter” in some areas, such as Whistler’s “Arrangement of
Grey and Black, 1871”. (Image03)

Image01 ãwikipedia.org Image02 ©www.metmuseum.org Image03 ©artclasscurator.com

“Law of Order” gives an impression of unity. It refers to adaptation of the visual elements to each other, the
agreement between the parts. The Architectural design in Gothic Rose Window (Image04) shows an
impression of oneness or harmony inside the geometric shape.

HARMONY is similar to Unity. Harmony brings together a composition with similar units. If your composition
was using wavy lines and organic shapes you would stay with those types of lines and not put in just one
geometric shape. UNITY means keeping your design in a sort of harmony
in which all sections of the pattern make other sections feel complete.
Unity helps the design to be seen as one design instead of randomness
all around your design. Harmony is accomplished by the repetition of a
particular design element, such
as color, shape, texture, that
harmony is what creates the
sense of unity.

Image04 ©Wikipedia.org
ROSE WINDOW at Strasbourg Cathedral, France
 3

EMPHASIS AND CONTRAST

CONTRAST means showing differences in two distinct sections of the design or showing somehow that the
design being created is very different from other designs because of its contrast. Contrast can also be used
to show emphasis in any part of the design.

EMPHASIS is given to an area within the design because that area is meant to be seen or is more important
to be noticed when compared to other places of the design.

Contrast can be seen in size, color, texture, and

position of different figures in the scene, or subject
of the photos.

Contrast can be used to create visual interest and drama in an artwork. Below is an example of contrast, in
1601 painting of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italian painter), the “Crucifixion of St. Peter”
(Image05), a contrast in both light, dark and directional lines are shown.

As a principle of art, emphasis refers to the area of an

artwork that dominates attention or draws interest. It is
often the place a viewer looks first. Artists create
emphasis by contrasting the elements of art, such as
color or shape. (Image06)

Image05 © artclasscurator.com Image06 © artclasscurator.com

 4

VARIETY AND PROPORTION

VARIETY refers to the differences in the composition of elements. You can achieve variety by using different
shapes, textures, colors, and values in the artwork. Variety creates visual interest and energy. A lot of variety
can make an artwork look overwhelming, but when paired with proportion, variety offers the viewer points
of interest. (Image07)

PROPORTION or scale refers to the relationships of the sizes of objects in a body of work. Proportion
gives a sense of size seen as a relationship of objects, such as smallness or largeness.

Image07 ©pinterest.ph

Below are examples of variety in painting - Kandinsky (19th century Russian abstract painter) used a variety
of lines, shapes, values, and colors in Der Sturm (Image08), and Raphael (15th century Italian painter) in his
mural painting in Vatican, “The School of Athens” (Image09), synthesized a picture where all the Greek and
Christian philosophers and thinkers were represented: Philosophy, Theology, Poetry, Justice, Arithmetic,
Geometry, Grammar, Music, Astronomy, Rhetoric and Dialectic. The School of Athens depicted
philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, Heracleitus, and others. The structure of the
building also features variety of lines, perspective, shapes and forms. Raphael also used Renaissance color
in this painting.

Wassily Kandinsky’s Der Sturm, 1919, Vol. 10, No. 7 Raffaello “Raphael” Sanzio’s School of Athens, 1508, fresco painting
Image08 ©artclasscurator.com Image09 ©Britannica.com
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PATTERN AND MOVEMENT

PATTERN is simply keeping your design in a certain format. For example, you could plan to have curved
lines all around your design, but then you must continue those curved lines throughout the design for good
patterns.
MOVEMENT is the suggestion or illusion of motion in a painting, sculpture, or design. For example, circles
going diagonally up and down from right to left could show that the design moves up and to the right or
down and to the left.
In the painting, “Nude Descending a Staircase” (Image09), Marcel Duchamp (American painter) created
patterns of diagonal lines to depict a lady’s descending movement downstairs. While in the painting, “Ejiri
in Suruga Province” 1830, (Image10), the Japanese painter, Hokusai, shows the movement of the wind
through the shapes of the paper. The lines of the figures and the billowing clothes convey movement in
painting

“Nude Descending a Staircase”, 1912, MOVEMENT is also the visual flow of an artwork indicated by
oil on canvass, Marcel Duchamp the path a viewer’s eyes take as they look at the artwork. It is
Image09 ©philamuseum.org also called VISUAL PATH.

“Ejiri in Suruga Province”, 1830,

ink and color on paper, Katsushika Hokushai angieOlivar
Image10 © metmuseum.org
 6

BASIC PLAN IN VISUAL ART

PYRAMIDAL VERTICAL

“Mona Lisa”, 1503, oil on poplar panel, “St. Michael Vanquishing Satan”, 1518,
Leonardo da Vinci oil on canvas, Rafaello “Raphael” Sanzio
Image11 © leonardodavinci.net Image12 ©wikiart.org

RADIAL

“The Last Supper”, 1495, oil, tempera on a wall with gesso, pitch and mastic, Leonardo da Vinci
Image13 © leonardodavinci.net
 7

ACTIVITY NO. 11 – DESIGN PRINCIPLE

USING your comprehension and skills in the concepts of Principles of Design, CREATE a poster-collage
using cut-out papers from newspaper or magazine as medium.

1. Cut-out images and text from old newspapers and magazines.

2. Organize the cut-outs according to the principles of design.
3. Paste them in a poster-size paper, forming images about your learning experiences during the
pandemic.
4. Write the title and description of your work – the subject, elements of art and the design principle
that you employed.

MODULE 7. SELF-ASSESSMENT

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the following 7 items, consider HOW TRUE each one is about your participation in all activities in
Module 7. Indicate your answer in NUMBER/SCORE as to how you describe yourself in relation to the
statements in each item.
SCORE:
1 - NOT AT ALL TRUE
2 - SOMEWHAT ACCURATE
3 - TRUE

Question Score
1. I paid full attention when I was reading the texts.
2. I tried to relate what I was reading to my own life experiences.
3. I carefully followed the instructions given in the self-grading quizzes.
4. I read the syllabus and course orientation provided for me in this module.
5. I completed the essay tasked for me to do in this module.
6. I downloaded the audio lecture of this module and carefully listened to it.
7. I took the quiz with diligence and honesty to check on my progress in completing this module.
ART APP MODULE PREPARED BY: ANGELICA F OLIVAR

AFTER TAKING THIS ASSESSMENT, BROWSE MODULE 7 AND REVIEW THE LESSONS IN SUMMARY.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE IT!

WRITE ONE GOAL FOR YOURSELF AS YOU MOVE ON TO THE NEXT MODULE.

MY GOAL FOR THE NEXT MODULE: