Designers stereotypically are people that thrive among creative chaos. Many an outsider may assume that design work is done predominantly by intuition and natural talent, without much technical thought put in.

While to a certain extent this is true – no amount of technical teaching can create a great designer without a creative mind and visual talent – there are several fundamental design principles every designer would do well to master. These are important because no matter if you create logos, posters, t-shirts or visual art, your capability of implementing these basic elements determines how successful your design will be.

If you're a designer daunted by needing to stick to seemingly restricting rules, try to remember that while they are important, they are under your control, not the other way round. Once you know to play by the rules, you'll discover how to break them deliberately without having your design fail.

Below we explain 6 fundamental elements of design, accompanied by a stunning paper art design series by Efil Türk.

Balance

Balance provides both stability and structure to a design. It is weight distributed in the design by the placement of different design elements. Balance can vary depending on the elements, which include positioning, contrasting, texture, and shape among others. Balance is not necessarily symmetrical – a designer can also create an asymmetrical or a radial balance. Symmetrical balance is achieved by creating equal weight on both halves of the design. Asymmetrical balance is achieved by having elements vary in each half of the design, while maintaining visual stability. Radial balance is achieved by arranging elements in a circular form. To create a balanced design, the designer must keep in mind all elements in order to have an aesthetically pleasing visual arrangement.

Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy refers to the order in which the human eye scans information. A good designer achieves this by creating contrasting visual elements that dominate others through use of color, size or form. Which elements to emphasize depends on the brief you as a designer are given; for example, if an article's heading is more important than the caption, the heading should be more visually compelling. Visual hierarchy is important to achieve a great design. Viewers must pick up the key points and message within seconds, which can only be done if the design has a compelling hierarchy.

Dominance/Emphasis

Emphasis creates a focal point inside a design. When an element is the focal point it will be the first noticed, as it has greater visual weight than all the other elements. Creating a focal point can be contrasted through size, shape, color, depth, texture, or orientation. It can also be created by placement; isolating or implying an element from the others can create a focal point. Emphasis is how we bring attention to what is important in order to communicate our design, but don't forget there still needs to be balance between all elements.

Contrast

By now you will have realized that all these principles closely work with one another. Contrast assists in creating dominance and hierarchy by highlighting the key elements within your design composition. Contrast is created when two elements are juxtaposed. You can juxtapose opposing elements through lines, shapes, textures, color, or creating a contrasting effect. Light and shadows also allow for a degree of separation between the foreground and background. The idea of juxtaposing elements creates a sense of interest among viewers when observing a design.

Space

Space, or "negative space", is just as important as having "positive" design elements. The principle of space allows viewers to have the freedom to move through a design and discover each element. If you don't leave enough "breathing room" in your design, your positive elements can become visually overwhelming, appearing messy and cluttered. Space can also convey attributes such as simplicity, cleanliness and openness, which are particularly popular in sleek, modern designs. Space should be thought out and considered – you don't want to waste space by overfilling the composition with positive elements. Overfilling will not allow a connection between all the spaces in the design.

Unity/Harmony

The principle of unity or harmony is arguably the most important of our design fundamentals. It's supported by all previous principles. Unity provides a connection between all elements in a composition, creating a total visual theme. Proximity is one of the easiest ways to achieve unity. This is done by creating a sense of distance between elements. Repetition is based on grouping elements and repeating the line, shape, color or texture as well as direction or size. Repetition creates a harmonious design by creating repeating elements. Unity can also be successful through alignment, rhythm, or continuation. To create a unified design, a designer must remember that all elements of a composition should work together to create visual satisfaction.

Sticking with these guidelines may feel really limiting at first, but once you get really familiar with them, you will see your designs getting a serious boost. These 6 fundamentals are indispensable if you're serious about design – they underlie everything a good designer does visually, and describe exactly the way your audience will experience your work.

Comment on This Article:

Which of these elements do you believe to be most important? Which one do you totally own, and which one takes longest to get right? Tell us in the comments below!

Want More?

For more tips and visual design insights, check out these articles:

5 Aspects of Successful Poster Design

5 Standard Logo Types: What's The Difference?

12 Tools for the Modern Web Designer and Entrepreneur

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Written by Divya Abe on Thursday, June 18, 2015

Divya Abe is an expert graphic designer ready to share her knowledge with the crowd. Besides spending quality time on the internet she enjoys anything to do with cats. Get in touch via Google+.