The Principals of Design Displayed Through Photography

Principals of Design

Defined by Photos

{unity}
This photo of a family of mushrooms, perfectly depicts unity, because the wholeness of the composition. The Visual relationships in this photo work together throughout the piece, take for example the twigs the mushrooms are surrounded by. These twigs create a space for the mushrooms to relate to each other in, without the twigs the composition would fall apart. if one was to remove any of the elements in this photo, the layout as whole would fall apart.


-repetition-
The trees in the image above are repeated to create a sense of rhythm. the patterning of the green on cream colored dirt creates a visual trail. color, shape texture, are echoed in this image illustrating the important principal of repetition.


{contrast}

In this moody photograph a man is picture sitting alone on the beach in the water. He is dark and shadowy just like the water around him, but he holds a bright red umbrella . This is contrast, specifically color contrast. In design contrast is used to emphasize, in this image the umbrella is emphasized, because it is bright and colorful unlike anything else in the composition.


-Balance-
(The equal distribution of visual weight)

{symmetrical balance}
If one were to split this image vertically down the middle the two separate halves would be identical. Because the visual weight is equal, on each side of the composition, this picture of a pen resting inside an open book is perfectly symmetrical.

-aysemetrical balance-
Asymmetrical balance is the opposite of symmetrical balance; the composition is balanced but it's sides are not mirrored. This image of a dalmatian peering out of a fire engine illustrates aysemetrical balance, because the composition is balanced by it's striking red and yellow near the equally weighty black and white. If one was to split th image vertically, or horizontally the sides would look different, but visually their masses would match.

{dominance}
In the middle of the city under a highway bridge, there is a zebra. The wall it resides on is plain and made simply of cement. The zebra is the focal point of the city wall and this picture. It stands out from the rest of the composition, to make a statement. Dominance is represented here by the zebra's greatest notability.

-rhythm-
The subway stairs in the picture above show rhythm because they suggest movement by the repetition and direction of the lines on the walls. Actually, all the elements in this photo follow the down ward, then up motion of the stairs, which sets a jazzy tempo throughout the composition.

{theme}
The princlipal pictured in the above is theme and variation. What makes a theme is when a feature is repeated to give a piece as certain quality. Here the color yellow is played throughout the composition. The color repetition gives the work a lively feel, and a unified theme.

All photos are credited to various artists on flickr.com.