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Elements of Design

The main elements are:

  • Line
  • Color

  • Shape

  • Form
  • Value
  • Space
  • Texture 

A solid understanding of these concepts gives you the ability to understand your design pieces and others you come across. You’ll be able to dissect a design piece and see the behind-the-scenes process. Let’s take a closer look at each element to have a better understanding of how they work and how to use them.

Line

Lines are the most basic elements of design. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Once you start noticing them, you’ll see grids all around you. Lines have direction; they can be visible or invisible and can help direct the eye to a specific spot. The thickness of a line can also communicate certain cues. Bold and thick lines can draw attention, while thin lines are the opposite.

Shape

A shape is the result of enclosed lines to form a boundary. Shapes are two-dimensional and can be described as geometric, organic, and abstract. 

  • Geometric shapes have structure and are often mathematical and precise (squares, circles, triangles). You’ll notice that the Swiss graphic design movement from the 1950s used mostly geometric shapes in their designs. Shapes can add emphasis to a layout.
  • Organic shapes lack well-defined edges and often feel natural and smooth. Shapes add emphasis to a layout.
  • Abstract shapes are a minimalist representation of reality. For instance, a stick figure of a person is an abstract shape. Logos are mostly represented by abstract figures to show the type of business. The icon pack below is a great example of abstract shapes conveying real-life objects and situations.

Form

On a page, form is the positive element over the space, the negative element. A dot, line, or shape is a form when placed on a page. Unfortunately, form and shape are mostly used interchangeably. A form can be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Many also believe that form is a shape that acquires three-dimensional values, but the correct term is volume.

Space

Space is the area that surrounds a shape; it creates a form within the space. Think of it as music: space is the silence between the notes of a song. If all the notes were played together, that would turn into noise.

Colour

We can apply color to any of the elements we mentioned before this point. Colors create moods and can say something different depending on the connotations associated with it. Color can create an emphasis on specific areas of your design layout.

This element contains multiple characteristics: 

  • Hue is the name of a color in its purest form. For instance, cyan, magenta, and green are pure colors. 
  • Shade is the addition of black to a hue in order to make a darker version. 
  • Tint is the addition of white to a color to make a lighter version.
  • Tone is the addition of grey to make a color muted. 

  • Saturation refers to the purity of a color. A specific color is most intense when it is not mixed with white or black.

Value

Value refers to the degree of lightness and darkness of a specific hue. Yellow has a higher value than purple because it is closer to white. Value changes create contrast on a page. The reason you can read this text is that the black content contrasts with the white background.

Texture

Texture adds a tactile appearance to a design layout. Imagine how a design piece would feel if you touched it. The goal of texture is to add depth to a 2D surface. Texture can be applied graphically through patterns, either digitally created or an image mimicking the desired pattern. Below is an example of an abstract geometric pattern made up of basic geometric elements. 

 

learning objectives

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Level 6

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