You want your learners to buy into your training. You must convince learners that they need this information, and that their lives or careers will be better because of it.
But here’s an uncomfortable truth: Your learners silently (if you’re lucky) evaluate the credibility of your work based on how it looks, and they do so with staggering speed. According to UX magazine, people tend to judge the quality of a product within just 50 milliseconds of looking at it.
Of course, a slick PowerPoint deck alone isn’t enough to achieve learning objectives; we know that the principles of instructional design are the foundation of our work. However, quality visual design helps learners appreciate, engage with, and understand your content. Form must meet function for the most effective learning outcomes.
So, how do we create compelling visual designs, especially when we don’t have a background in art?
Start with the six principles of design: balance, pattern, rhythm, emphasis, contrast, and unity. Just as instructional design models and methodologies shape your training strategy, so should these principles shape your basic visual strategy. By applying them, you can create high-impact visuals. In addition, the principles provide you with more precise language to critique visual design when it’s presented to you.
The six principles of design are:
- Balance: How visual elements are distributed in relation to an axis
- Pattern: How visual elements repeat to create consistency
- Rhythm: How visual elements repeat or alternate to create interest
- Emphasis: How visual elements work together to create a focal point
- Contrast: How visual elements oppose each other to highlight differences
- Unity: How visual elements create an overall sense of cohesion
To understand how these principles are applied with maximum impact, look to the masters. Throughout history, the world’s greatest artists have used the six principles of design to captivate viewers.
For example, take a look at "The School of Athens,” a fresco by Raphael.
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, The School of Athens, 1509–1511, fresco at the Raphael Rooms, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City. Public Domain image from Wikimedia Commons.
Here, Raphael uses the design principle of balance. Despite not being perfectly symmetrical, all the elements are arranged so that neither the left nor the right side of the work has dominance over the other. We see this when we highlight the major elements (red), in relation to a vertical axis (black):
On either side of the vertical axis, the arches present mirror images of each other, columns are evenly distributed, a marble sculpture appears near the outer edges, and the many figures in the bottom half of the work occupy roughly the same size and shape of space. Using balance, Raphael depicts a large number of elements with a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, without seeming cluttered or disorderly.
Now, here’s an example of how to translate this principle to visual design in a corporate setting.
This slide exhibits poor balance in the main body section:
Using the same elements, the main body of the slide can be reconfigured to show balance according to a vertical axis:
But that’s just applying one design principle! Do you want to learn how to apply all six principles to your work, or how to give more precise feedback to your designers? Join me at ATD TechKnowledge 2021 for my session: “Leveraging Principles of Art Theory and History for Visual Design.”
FAQs
The elements, or principles, of visual design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Movement, White Space, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Pattern, Unity, and Variety. These principles of design work together to create something that is aesthetically pleasing and optimizes the user experience.
What are the 7 principles of design and explain each? ›
The fundamental principles of design are: Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Design differs from art in that it has to have a purpose. Visually, this functionality is interpreted by making sure an image has a center of attention, a point of focus.
What is the theory of visual design? ›
Visual design aims to improve a design's/product's aesthetic appeal and usability with suitable images, typography, space, layout and color. Visual design is about more than aesthetics. Designers place elements carefully to create interfaces that optimize user experience and drive conversion.
What are the four visual design principles that you can apply to the design of just about anything? ›
Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity are four visual design elements that can be used in virtually any design.
Why are the principles of visual design important? ›
Graphics that take advantage of the principles of good visual design can drive engagement and increase usability. Visual-design principles inform us how design elements such as line, shape, color, grid, or space go together to create well-rounded and thoughtful visuals.
Why are principles of art and design very important? ›
The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help determine whether a painting is successful, and whether or not the painting is finished. The artist decides what principles of art he or she wants to use in a painting.
What are the principles of visual arts? ›
The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help determine whether a painting is successful, and whether or not the painting is finished. The artist decides what principles of art he or she wants to use in a painting.
How do the elements and principles of art work together? ›
The elements of art are the visual tools that the artist uses to create a composition. These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist's intent.
What are the key principles of design? ›
The basic principles of design—and how to apply them
- Balance.
- Emphasis.
- Repetition.
- Movement.
- Proportion.
- White space.
- Contrast.
- Hierarchy.
Visual design aims to shape and improve the user experience by considering the effects of illustrations, photography, typography, space, layouts, and colour on the usability of products and on their aesthetic appeal.
Here are a few visual design tips to get you started:
- Keep it simple and minimal. Don't fall into the beginner's trap of making your design overly complex. ...
- Only use a few colors. ...
- Limit your fonts. ...
- Stay consistent. ...
- Use icons. ...
- Pick good stock images. ...
- Embrace white space. ...
- Save time by using templates.
Visual elements are the building blocks of art and design. There are 7 visual elements in total, they are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. In this article, we'll cover each element on its own as well as how to use them in your designs.
What are the 4 basic principles of visual design? ›
Effective design centres on four basic principles: contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity. These appear in every design. This article provides a brief overview of the basic principles discussed in this series.
Which of the following are the four basic principles of visual design? ›
Luckily, there are four major design principles that can help guide your ideas. These principles are contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.
What is consistency in visual design principles? ›
Visual consistency is based on making similar objects or elements look the same. It is critical to make the connections between the elements clear and build a solid visual hierarchy. It's about icons, fonts, image sizes, buttons, labels, and other vital stuff.
How do the principles of design make an artwork more effective? ›
The principles of design help you to carefully plan and organize the elements of art so that you will hold interest and command attention. This is sometimes referred to as visual impact. In any work of art there is a thought process for the arrangement and use of the elements of design.
How do art elements principles help you make your artwork attractive? ›
They include principles such as balance, emphasis, harmony, variety, gradation, and movement . By understanding and applying these principles, artists can evoke specific emotions in their audience and create impactful artworks.
How principles of visual design will make the art effective and attractive brainly? ›
The principles of visual design play a crucial role in making art effective and attractive by guiding the arrangement of elements within the composition to create visual harmony, balance, and impact.
What makes a design visually appealing? ›
By incorporating eye-catching colors, utilizing typography, incorporating shapes, utilizing contrast, selecting appropriate icons, utilizing white space, considering the background, and incorporating textures, you can create powerful, persuasive, and visually appealing designs that resonate with your target audience.
