Elements Of Design

Front 1

A line that is suggested by the positions of shapes or objects within a design. Should be thought of in terms of composition and is used to carry the viewer's eye around the picture plane.

Back 1

Implied Line

Front 2

A description of a form where an object is revealed through distinct contours in some areas, while other edges simply vanish or dissolve into the ground.

Back 2

Lost and Found Contour

Front 3

A line that describes the edge of a form and suggests three-dimensional volume.

Back 3

Contour Line

Front 4

A vigorous line that captures movement and the overall orientation of an object, rather than describing it in detail.

Back 4

Gestural Line

Front 5

A flowing line that generally varies in thickness and velocity. Expressive style of drawing.

Back 5

Calligraphic Line

Front 6

A technique that creates a sense of value through a series of parallel lines in order to suggest form or volume.

Back 6

Hatching or Cross Hatching

Front 7

A flat, two-dimensional enclosed area created when a line connects to enclose an area, an area is surrounded by other shapes, or an area is filled with color or texture.

Back 7

Shape

Front 8

(in two-dimensional design) A shape that appears to be three-dimensional (achieved through a range of value)

Back 8

Volume

Front 9

The outer edge of a design, often the surface being worked on, which provides the first shape in a composition.

Back 9

Format

Front 10

The principle or foreground shape in a design. The dominant shape or figure in the figure-ground relationship.

Back 10

Positive Shape (Figure)

Front 11

Any clearly defined area around a positive shape. The receding shape or ground area in the figure-ground relationship.

Back 11

Negative Shape (Ground)

Front 12

An arrangement in which positive and negative shapes alternatively command attention

Back 12

Figure/Ground Reversal

Front 13

Shapes that are dominated by straight lines and angular corners.

Back 13

Rectilinear Shapes

Front 14

Shapes that are dominated by curves and flowing lines.

Back 14

Curvilinear Shapes

Front 15

Shapes that are distinguished by their crisp, precise edges and mathematically consistent curves.

Back 15

Geometric Shapes

Front 16

Shapes that are more commonly found in the natural world of plants and animals, sea and sky.

Back 16

Organic Shapes

Front 17

Shapes that are derived from specific subject matter and are strongly based on perceptual reality.

Back 17

Representational Shapes

Front 18

Shapes like circles, squares and triangles are pure forms, created without reference to specific subject matter.

Back 18

Nonobjective Shapes

Front 19

Derived from a visual source, but are so transformed that they bear little resemblance to the original shape.

Back 19

Abstract Shapes

Front 20

The degree to which a shape is distinguished from both the ground area and the other shapes within a design.

Back 20

Definition

Front 21

A two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or configuration drawing, uniformly filled in with black.

Back 21

Silhouette

Front 22

The reduction of an image or object to an essential aspect of its form or concept.

Back 22

Abstraction

Front 23

The visual phenomenon in which the atmosphere density progressively increases, hazing over the perceived world as on looks into its depth. Overall definition lessens, details fade and contrast becomes muted with distance.

Back 23

Atmospheric Perspective

Front 24

A picture or symbol that is universally recognized to be representative of something.

Back 24

Icon

Front 25

Something that stands for or represents something else, especially an object representing an abstraction.

Back 25

Symbol

Front 26

The surface quality of a two-dimensional surface or a three-dimensional volume.

Back 26

Texture

Front 27

Texture that can actually be felt.

Back 27

Tactile Texture

Front 28

Texture that simulates a tactile texture.

Back 28

Visual Texture

Front 29

The extent to which compositional parts are spread out or crowded together.

Back 29

Density

Front 30

The angle at which a visual element is positioned within a composition.

Back 30

Orientation

Front 31

A design composed of repeated elements that are usually varied to produce interconnections and implied movement.

Back 31

Pattern

Front 32

The basic element of a pattern.

Back 32

Unit

Front 33

A pattern composed of two or more identical elements or units.

Back 33

Repeat

Front 34

A repeating combination of curved or straight lines. The basic understructure of all repeat patterns.

Back 34

Network

Front 35

A regular network or pattern of lines used to correctly place a pattern on a surface.

Back 35

Grid

Front 36

The repitition of multiple parts in a composition to create a pattern of sound and silence, positive and negative, or other contrasting forces.

Back 36

Rhythm

Front 37

A theme, or dominant recurring visual elements, forms, or subjects.

Back 37

Motif

Front 38

A sense of motion that is created by the conscious placement of images and objects in a composition to provide visual cues for the viewer's eyes to travel across the surface.

Back 38

Movement

Front 39

Strong differences between two or more things.

Back 39

Contrast

Front 40

An image constructed from visual or verbal fragments initially designed for another purpose.

Back 40

Collage

Front 41

Increasing the beauty or meaning of something by adding ornaments or decorations.

Back 41

Embellishments

Front 42

The relative lightness or darkness of a surface.

Back 42

Value

Front 43

A range of grays that are presented in a mathematically consistent sequence.

Back 43

Value Scale

Front 44

A color scheme that uses black, white, and grays (no color).

Back 44

Achromatic

Front 45

The use of light and dark to imply depth and volume in a painting or drawing.

Back 45

Chiaroscuro

Front 46

Created when a small window is cut out of a piece of paper in the same proportions of the artist's surface. The window helps the artist determine composition.

Back 46

Viewfinder

Front 47

A framework of vertical and horizontal lines that breaks an original image into smaller sections.

Back 47

Gridding

Front 48

A ratio used to determine size relationships.

Back 48

Proportion

Front 49

Color that is created by light.

Back 49

Additive Color

Front 50

Color that is seen when light bounces off a surface.

Back 50

Subtractive Color

Front 51

Colors that cannot be mixed by any other colors. Red, Blue, Yellow.

Back 51

Primary Colors

Front 52

Colors that are created when primary colors are mixed. Violet, Green, Orange.

Back 52

Secondary Colors

Front 53

Colors that are created when a primary color is mixed with a secondary color. Red-Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet, Yellow-Green, Yellow-Orange

Back 53

Tertiary Colors

Front 54

The name of a color in the spectrum.

Back 54

Hue

Front 55

The lightness or darkness of a color.

Back 55

Value

Front 56

A color plus white.

Back 56

Tint

Front 57

A color plus gray.

Back 57

Tone

Front 58

A color plus black.

Back 58

Shade

Front 59

The amount of pure hue in a color. A color's vividness. (Also called Intensity or Chroma)

Back 59

Saturation

Front 60

Agressive colors that advance in space. Reds, Oranges, Yellows.

Back 60

Warm Colors

Front 61

Colors that recede in space. Greens, Blues, Violets.

Back 61

Cool Colors

Front 62

Using a range of color from black to white. Also called the Value Scale.

Back 62

Achromatic Color

Front 63

Any shade, tint, or tone of the same color.

Back 63

Monochromatic Color

Front 64

Any shade, tint, or tones or colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Back 64

Analogous Colors

Front 65

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.

Back 65

Complementary Colors

Front 66

Using one color in conjunction with the two colors that are next to the original color's complement.

Back 66

Split-Complementary Colors

Front 67

Using three colors that are equally spaced apart on the color wheel.

Back 67

Triad

Front 68

Created by placing a square or rectangle in the center of the color wheel. The corners will point to four colors.

Back 68

Tetrad

Front 69

The degree of difference between compositional parts or between one image and another.

Back 69

Contrast

Front 70

A color that dominates an image creating an overall emotional or visual effect.

Back 70

Key Color

Front 71

A subjective use of color that is meant to elicit an emotional response from viewers.

Back 71

Emotional Color

Front 72

The symbolic meaning attached to colors in particular societies.

Back 72

Symbolic Color

Front 73

The optical alteration of a color by a surrounding color.

Back 73

Simultaneous Contrast

Front 74

The optical mixture of small units of color, so the eye perceives the mixture rather than the individual units.

Back 74

Visual Color Mixing

Front 75

An image that deceives the viewer, often leading to the misinterpretation of its meaning.

Back 75

Optical Illusion

Front 76

Allows enough light to pass through it so you can see what lies behind.

Back 76

Transparent

Front 77

The material is dense enough that you can see through it, but the image behind is greatly obscured.

Back 77

Translucent

Front 78

It cannot be seen through.

Back 78

Opaque