7 Basic Elements of Design: A Beginner's Guide to Visual Harmony

understanding the fundamentals of design is the first step to creating visuals that have cohesiveness and Harmony when

we look at a design piece we're looking at a well orchestrated composition and by organizing these elements in a

thoughtful way we can create more than just visuals and these are design pieces that communicate a lot more

hi my name is Aura kyung and I am a graphic designer with over 15 years of experience

in this course we will dive into seven of the most basic elements in design that can help you improve your design

skills your ability to communicate through design how to describe design pieces and finesse Your Design

Sensibility I'll show you real life examples and assets from envato elements so you can

understand all about the basic elements of design envato elements is a great resource for high quality templates

photographs fonts and much more once you understand the elements of design you can move on to the principles

of design and that can help you organize all of these basic structural elements on a page let's take a look at the first

basic element lines are the most basic elements of design they come in all different shapes

sizes and colors and once you understand them you'll be able to see them even when they're not there so let's take a

look at this first example we can see that the lines are moving from bottom left to top right so they're indicating

Direction there is a sense of movement we're moving from point A to point B the top right corner is where the

information is so these lines are directing us there and the thickness of the lines have also communicates

something so thin lines are elegant while thicker lines tend to look strong they have more presence so this is a

very successful way of using lines that are very visible on the second example we have wavy lines

that communicate movement they're not straight straight lines usually communicate structure and they are more

rigid so wavy lines are a different type of grid they add a little bit more of a chaotic energy

and uh yeah straight lines would just indicate order in this case the lines are superimposing each other they're

creating a very different type of grid waves so they are more relaxed and on this last example the lines are

being used to cut the direction of the image so the subject on the image is looking towards the right and then we

have the Line crossing toward the left side um we also have to pay attention to how

this line is used in contrast to the organic image to the waves something so organic that has so much movement so the

lines tend to add more rigidity so here the line is also supporting the neatly designed information by dividing the top

from the bottom information lines also can be seen as grids so in this example we can see that there is

probably a four to five column grid and once you start to see this you will be looking at design compositions in a

different way you'll be able to see if they're using a rule of thirds or how many columns they're using on one page

or a poster and that's really useful to figure out how a specific design composition is working through a balance

or variety and all of those other principles so next let's take a look at shape

a shape is the result of enclosed lines to form a boundary shapes are two-dimensionals and they can be

classified as geometric organic and Abstract geometric shapes are often mathematical and have structure they're

very precise they can be squares circles or rectangles triangles so in this example we have a pattern made up of

different geometric shapes we have exact triangles squares curves circles so this specific image doesn't really represent

anything from real life and this type of shapes communicate structure and rigidity because they are

so exact next we have organic shapes and these are well they lack well-defined edges and often feel more natural and

smooth in this case this fluid shape gives the notion of liquid in natural movement and the mix of colors also

emphasize the depth of the organic shape and last we have abstract shapes so these are more minimalist

representations of reality and for instance a stick figure of a person is an abstract shape here we have a trumpet

and a violin that have been redesigned with geometric shapes exact circles straight lines mathematical curves but

they represent something in real life another example of abstract shapes usually are logos logos are distilled to

their more basic shapes so we can see sometimes Elephants or bears that have been distilled to something very basic

depending on what the concept is for the logo next up we have form

or positive space anything like a DOT line or shape that is resting over the space form and space are mutually

dependent so altering one would alter the other and we can use these two concepts to add 3D qualities to a design

or create tension and that will keep the user engaged so let's take a look at some examples here

and this first image is the perfect example of positive negative relationship the positive space is the

hand and the bottom of the light bulb and this play of the shape between the hand cupping to create a light bulb with

a negative space makes the poster even more interesting and impactful for the user

so in this case again the hand and the bottom of the light bulb are the positive element and the background

would be the negative element on this next example we have a cover and here the type elements and the photo are the

positive space and this is a good example again of balance between positive and negative space the cover

feels Airy the photo helps in it being 50 White and the dark elements are very few

well there are elements that cover most of the page there is still a good balance between the two concepts

and then we have this awesome poster example that it is also a great example of display of positive and negative

space so the positive space is the image and the text the image has a very cool red blue treatment and then we have the

text that is placed over the negative space so in this case the negative space is the white space or the white

background next up is space or negative space is the area that surrounds a shape and

that creates a form so think of it as music and space would be the silence between the notes of a song If all the

notes were played together then that would create noise so if you look at a design piece the negative space is the

area that is not occupied by any elements and if we look at this first example

the negative space is the black area so while there is play between positive and negative space and minimalism uh this

poster feels balanced there isn't an equal amount of positive and negative space but the relationship

of the elements to the background make it more balanced in this relationship also creates a play with the element or

the icon that is being shown in the image we can see a fork some bottles of wine and then we have the information at

the top very top right so if this information was scattered around the black space or the negative space then

it will create too much noise so we're creating organization and a good composition a very minimalist

composition by having just the information at the top right corner or this next example we have an abstract

neon sign image and the black background is also the negative space so this is a good example of an Airy image we have a

very busy neon design and that is contrasted by the margin around it and the black background

so there's a good amount of margin no obstructions on the image and that makes it feel very airy

and then if we want to create this relationship to musical notes let's say the smaller the elements the higher the

pitch of the sound and well the heavier at the element the lower the pitch so here we can see that Each corner

contains a small element and the main image is right in the center while there are many elements on this

design the negative space is used to add abundant lightness so if you look at a design piece the negative space is the

area that is not occupied by any element so there is a lot of airiness there is a lot of

um Clarity within this design we can very easily spot where the information that we need is placed on and this again

helps the user it it's all ultimately for the user that we're designing for so that is negative space and next we have

color color we can apply Color to any of the elements that we have talked about

before this point and color can add emphasis and mood to a specific design it also depends on the connotation that

the specific color is associated with so there are different characteristics with color let's start with hue

is the name of a color in its periods form so there is no white or black or gray added to it so for instance cyan

magenta in green are pure colors next up we have shade and shade is the addition of black to a hue in order to

make a darker version of it so in this example we can see that the blue has different shades from its normal Hue to

darker areas and this can also add a lot of depth next we have tint and tint is the

addition of white to a color to make a lighter version of it so in this example we can see that the purple has some

white added in some parts and the combination of the tint on the heel gives this abstract shape more Dimension

and more depth next we have tone and tone is the addition of gray to make a color a

little bit more muted these colors tend to look a little bit muddy sometimes or dirty so this example features colors

that have gray in them therefore not looking bright or too light or too dark instead it looks just muted

next we have saturation and saturation refers to the purity of a color so a specific color is most intense when it

is not mixed and with white or black and on this example we can see a mix of mostly saturated colors and a few

desaturated areas like here where there is an illusion of a shadow so that creates more depth

in design there are two color systems we have RGB and CMYK RGB is the system dedicated to digital design so this

additive system stands for red green and blue the colors are produced by adding primary colors together to create

various combinations so this mode should be used for designs that will only be used on screens

if you want to Output Your Design as a printed piece then you have to work with CMYK and it is a very very important

that when you create a new file be in InDesign or photoshop or illustrator that you set the right color space right

from the get-go otherwise if you try to let's say convert CMYK to RGB or the other way around it usually happens the

colors can look muted so CMYK stands for cyan magenta yellow and black black is the k for key

and that's it for color next we have value value refers to the darkness or

lightness of a specific Hue so for instance yellow has a lighter value compared to purple because purple is a

darker color so if we were to transform these two colors into black and white or gray yellow tends to be lighter and

purple is darker value in a design piece at contrast and depth so let's take a look at some examples here on this first

example we can see a mix of light in dark colors so this is a contrasting values and it is I'm using different

tonal values can create again contrast but also the illusion of movement by overlapping multiple elements with

different values so again if we turn this image into grayscale we can see a high contrast between light and dark

on this particular example if we switch the image again into black and white we can see that the value of the orange and

the blue are the same so while these two colors are contrasting um the values avoid making them as

contrasting as they could be so that's a reason why the design can look flat sometimes

we can also see that there's gradation here and here and that means that there is high value between this and this and

that creates an illusion of movement by overlapping multiple elements with different values

in photography a high value image is Airy and light and this image is taken with lots of light and if turned into

black and white it will be mostly light compared to this other image that is mostly dark values making the image more

dramatic and heavy so next up let's take a look at texture texture adds a tactile appearance to a

design the goal here is to add depth to a 2d surface so texture can be applied graphically through the use of patterns

or either digitally created texture that mimics real life or they can be also used as actually embossing a let's say a

design like a business card or using a textural paper as examples here we have a half tone

image that resembles old scenes pop art or even old newspapers and depending on the

size of the half tone and concentration it is possible to create Shadow and Light

so while the texture is 2D it can add a three-dimensional quality to the image because of the different sizes of the

dots next up we have this chalk texture and this is highly texturized it can be used to enhance the design by giving

hints of a specific concept for the artwork so for instance we can use this type of texture on a school poster

Elementary School poster more specifically it will really help bring it up to life even if the actual texture

is not existing when you touch it but at least it is there visually

textures can also be physical so like we mentioned embossing a business card or a paper

using different papers that have texture that can really Elevate the design for your end user it can look like it's high

quality it is more memorable and when it is well done it can also look very expensive and special so it is a nice

touch for the user and now let's take a look at the conclusion for this course in this course I show you the basic

elements of design understanding these building blocks will help you create successful design pieces

we looked at how line can add Direction the different shape classifications the relationship between form and space or

positive and negative space color characteristics value contrasts and texture benefits

as a professional working designer you will need to know how to describe your design piece to your clients and

training your eyes can help you grow as a designer and also achieve a higher level of design sensibility if you're

looking for Creative templates be sure to check out envato elements it is a great resource with photographs fonts

graphic templates and many more assets if you're new to design be sure to check out our courses and videos on our

Channel my name is Laura kyung and from all of us at envato types Plus thank you for watching and we'll see you on the

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