1. Define Emphasis principle of design with explanatory sketches.

Answer:
Emphasis
 Emphasis is a principle of design, which makes a specific element stand
out or draw attention to the eye.
 Emphasis can be achieved in any design by placing elements in positions
where the eye is naturally drawn.
 Emphasis in design is when the designer gives dominance to or stresses a
particular area or element of focus in any design.
 Without it, a composition is nothing more than a presentation of a group
of details with equal importance.
 When a composition has no emphasis nothing stands out.

 There are certain ways to create Emphasis (i.e. focal point) in design:

i) Emphasis by Isolation: If most of the elements in a design are

grouped closely together and isolate one particular object, then
that isolated object by itself stands out as a focal point.

ii) Emphasis by Placement: If all eyes in a design look at one object,

or if an object is placed at the center of the lines of perspective,
that object will be perceived as the focus of the work.
iii) Emphasis by Contrast : If most of the figures are horizontal, a
vertical element will stand out as a focal point.
 If the rest of the elements are irregular or organic, a geometric
shape or rigid shape will stand out.

If most of the elements are dark, a splash of light color will catch
the eye.
 2. Explain balance principle in detail with sketches :

BALANCE:

• Balance is the concept describing the distribution of visual elements.

• It is one of the key principles of design, refers to the way visual elements are
arranged so that their visual weight harmonizes with the other elements in the
design, and the composition gives an appearance of properly distributed
elements.
• The decision regarding balance is very basic and unavoidable when one makes
visual design.

• Balance can be categorized in three types: Symmetrical balance, Asymmetrical

balance and Radial balance.
• In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar
to those on the other side;
• In asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced.
• In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be
similar.

• Symmetrical balance: Symmetrical balance is the simplest to create and involves

placing objects of the same weight, and kind of weight, on either side of a central
line. They don't have to be identical elements as you might find in a mirror image.
What is important is that each object on one side, corresponds to a similarly
weighted object, on the other side.

• Asymmetrical balance: Asymmetrical balance is also absolutely balanced on both

sides of a central line; however, asymmetrical balance achieves this through the
total weight of the objects, rather than each object, corresponding with another
object, on the other side of the center. It's kind of like having a large man sitting
on one side of a see-saw, while ten small children sit on the other side. The see-
saw will balance, but it will take ten of the child-size objects to equal out one of
the man-size objects.

• Radial balance: In radial balance, elements radiate out (in a circular shape) from
one main center point. If you’re looking to create a strong focal point, radial
balance is an effective technique because your eyes are naturally drawn inwards
to the center. Not only do the swirls of the nautilus shell and spiral staircase
provides visual interest, but they also naturally lead your eye right to the center
of the image.
3. Define Harmony principle of design with explanatory sketches.

Answer :
 Harmony: the pleasing agreement of parts or combination of parts in a
composition.
 Harmony is the principle of art that creates cohesiveness by stressing the
similarities of separate but related parts.
 One should note that harmony is not the same as unity. Harmony does, however,
enhance unity in a work of art.
 Specifically, harmony uses the elements of art (color, line, shape, form, value,
space, texture) as a vehicle to create a sense of togetherness amongst otherwise
separate parts.
 A set of colors that relate according to a specific scheme creates harmony.
 Likewise, a uniform texture of brush strokes across the surface of a canvas
creates harmony.
 Another way to guarantee harmony is to choose compositional components that
are similar in shape and contour. For example, a composition that utilizes only
curvy shapes will have more harmony than a similar composition that includes
both curvy and geometric shapes. The parts of the image below are in harmony
because every contour is a

 Examples :
4. Explain scale & proportions with required examples:

Answer:

SCALE AND PROPORTION :

 Scale and proportion are both design elements that have to do with size.

• Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in a design or
artwork.
• Whereas, proportion refers to the size of the parts of an object in relationship to
other parts of the same object.
• Throughout the centuries, designers have used scale and proportion to depict or
distract from the ideal.
• As with elements such as unity and balance, artists use scale and proportion to
convey their unique insights to the viewer.
• When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head
compared to the rest of the body.

 When the principle of proportion is applied to any work of art, it is usually in the
relationship of size.
 That is, the size of one element as compared to the size of another related
element within the same composition. In this instance, a comparison of size is
made between the:
1. Height, width and depth of one standard element to that of another
2. Size of one standard area to the size of another area.
3. Size of one standard element to the size of another element.
4. Amount of space between two or more elements.

 Proportion is usually not even noticed until something is out of proportion. When
the relative size of two elements being compared seems wrong or out of balance
it is said to be “out of proportion”. For example if a person has a head larger than
their entire body, then we would say that they were out of proportion.

 There are several ways for achieving good proportion:

1. Place like elements together which are similar in character or have a common
feature.
2. Create major and minor areas in the design, as equal parts can quickly become
monotonous and boring. However, the differences in size must not be so great as
 to make the parts appear unrelated and therefore, out of harmony with each
other.
3. Arrangement of space should be in such a way that the eye does not perceive a
standard mathematical relationship. Dividing up the composition in halves,
quarters and thirds should be avoided. A subtle relationship creates a more
dynamic design.
4. Create harmony in the art work. Harmony is an agreement between the shapes
that stresses the similarities of all parts. In other words, the shape of one part
should “fit” the shape of the adjoining elements. Shapes should “fit” properly in
their positions and spaces.
5. Explain rhythm in detail with sketches:

 RHYTHM:

 When you repeat elements, the intervals between those repetitions can create a
sense of rhythm in the viewer and a sense of movement.
 Musicians create rhythm in the spacing between notes, effectively making these
“silent” gaps play off the notes.
 Designers insert spacing between elements to make rhythm. There are, broadly
speaking, five types of visual rhythm.

 Random rhythm – Repeating elements with no specific regular interval creates

random rhythms. The spacing could be a millimeter here, a centimeter there,
while the elements could be all over the place. Think of falling snow, pebbles on a
beach, traffic movements: they are all examples of random rhythms in action.
 It’s also worth noting that a rhythm may appear random if you examine a small
section of the rhythm. However, if you step back and examine a larger section, it
may be that there is a regular but complex rhythm applied to the design.
Remember that you have positive and negative images, which you can use so
that both the elements and the spaces between them make your design hard to
“predict”. By using a larger series of elements, you’ll have virtually limitless
possibilities to play with. The artist René Magritte made particularly interesting
use of random rhythm.

 Regular rhythm – Like the beating of a heart, the regular rhythm follows the
same intervals over and over again. You can easily make a regular rhythm just by
creating a grid or a series of vertical lines. The user’s eye will instantly recognize a
regular rhythm, scanning it for any irregularities in the process. Remember, the
eye “likes” to be drawn to outstanding elements. Therefore, there is a risk that
when you’re using a regular rhythm in a design that it can become monotonous
(like the dripping of a tap).

 Alternating rhythm – You can repeat more than one element in a design. In an
alternating design, you use a 1-2-1-2-1-2 pattern. Think of the black and white
squares on a chessboard: that’s an alternating rhythm in play. An alternating
rhythm is, in fact, a regular rhythm with more complexity. It could be as
straightforward as our chessboard, or we could envision something more
intricate. Some fantastic alternating rhythms include rows of fish, birds, or other
animals. Taking fish as an example, we can see that each identical fish is following
 another. Below, the sequence is repeated; however, the negative space
between the rows shows fish of the other color (which we take to be the
background) swimming the other way, the fine lines of their fins and tails
interlocking with those of the first pattern of fish. M.C. Escher’s Lizard (1942) is
another great example of this, incorporating three colors of lizards with a pair of
lizards of each color facing away from each other, tail to tail. As simple or
complex as we want to make an alternating rhythm, it can be an easy way to
break up the monotony of a regular rhythm.

 Flowing rhythm – A flowing rhythm shows the repeated elements following

bends, curves, and undulations. In nature, you can see this in the waves on a
beach or sand dunes. As designers, we can mimic nature by making wonderful
patterns of elements with flowing rhythm. We can show clumps of seaweed
underwater, their strands gently facing in a series of directions. The user
imagines them washing against each other.

 Progressive rhythm – We can make a progressive rhythm simply by changing one

characteristic of a motif as we repeat it. We could draw a series of circles, one
above the other, making each lower one larger. Do you see how the largest one
at the bottom looks like it’s closest to you? We can make a progressive rhythm
change subtly or dramatically. You could add shade to the smaller circles
progressively so that the smallest one at the top is dark, the middle one in partial
shade, and the biggest one only slightly shaded. Progressive rhythms surround
us. If you were to video someone dancing and then examine that video frame-by-
frame, you would have a progressive rhythm.
6. Explain contrast with required examples

 Contrast
 Contrast occurs when two or more visual elements in a composition are different.
 In design we use contrast to generate impact, highlight importance, create
exciting graphics and create visual interest and dynamics.

 If we place a darker circle the same size as the grey. Well this may suggest that
this circle is perhaps closer to us or more important and it certainly grabs our
attention more.
 Contrast creates interesting relationships between the visual elements. It can
push elements away, connect them or complement them. Without contrast,
visual elements can be meaningless.
 Contrast provokes our visual senses. Our eyes like contrast because it grabs our
attention and makes it easier to digest and make sense of what we are seeing
which is why it can be a strong method to communicate visually .
 Below are a few examples of how contrast can be used in design:

 Contrast in Shape

 Here we have two shapes almost identical in scale but they both vary in
characteristic.
 One has a smooth surface and the other has a pointed surface. Now, what shape
is your eye drawn to? In this case it may be the shape with the smooth surface is
so simple it makes us want to look at the other shape more because it’s more
complex.

 Contrast in Color

 The next example demonstrates contrast in color and as well as shape.

 Even though we have a mixture of shapes, they appear in various degrees of
color.
 Regardless of contrast between shapes here, there is a clear contrast of color or
tone.
 The darker the shape, the more attention it commands.

 Contrast in Scale

 Here we have eight strokes but in different stroke sizes and a grid of circles.
 Again, we can see how context is integral to contrast here.
 It’s the visual elements around each other that give meaning to one another.