Elements of design

Elements of design

1. Message

   • An essential part in communication process. "The transmission of signals through a common code between the sender and a receiver."
   • The communication process order
   • Sender: The person, group, or machine that transmits a message
   • Receiver: The person, group or machine that receives the message
   • Code: A system of symbols and signs, known to both sender and receiver, in which message is encoded.
   • Channel: The physical means through which the information is transmitted.
   • Context: Refers to circumstances that surround communicative process.
   • Demography: "The study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease which illustrate the changing structure of human populations."
     • Useful when getting to know target audience and considering their different factors.
   • Three specific elements
     • Content
       • Refers to elements that make up message. Both what message says and tools used to say it. May take one of several forms to meet goal of either inspiring, educating, 'persuading, or others.
     • Tone
       • The tone of message refers to emotions that it wants to make the audience feel. Depending on way of expressing ideas it can create attraction or rejection by audience. Can be either pessimist, optimist, etc.
     • Language
       • Key element of messages. Is closely related to demography, you must know the location of target audience to use language aproppiate for this audience Formal, informal can change the way an audience absorbs a message. ,
   • A message can be present in a text.

2. Color

   • The key in life. isaac Newton discovered the sunligh decomposes into 7 other colors as it goes through a prism. Light is the combination of all colors.
   • A characteristic of any object in the presence of white light. A mixture of electromagnetic waves.
   • The human responds to the amount of energy it receives, not to the matter the object is made of. Objects contain certain pigmentations that absorbs the electromagnetic waves of some colors.
   • 3 essential elements
     • Hue: The element that allows us to identify each color.
     • Saturation: Purity of luminosity that is reflected in the light or in darkness
     • Brightness: The amount of light emitted by the source or reflected by the surface of the object.
   • There are primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Secondary colors are combinations of primary ones. Tertiary colors are combinations of a primary and secondary color.
   • You can find color in paintings.

3. Line

   • Dot: Simplest form of visual communication. It doesn't only take a round and small shape. Represents neither angle nor direction.
   • When 2 or more dots approach one another, the space separating them disappears, a line arises, or a dot in motion
   • The whole form refers to general appearances of line. It may be straight, curve, crooked, irregular, traced or freehand.
   • Lines are elements that allow us to sketch a drawing. They help us have an idea that doesn't have a concrete form yet.
   • Have purpose, to highlight, frame, heighten or emphasize.
     • Drawings often have lines.
   • There are 3 types of outlines, squared, circle and equilateral triangle.

4. Form

   • Verbal forms are the last subgroup of figurative forms. Recognize in them language elements such as letters, numbers or symbols.
   • Abstract forms are those resembling something in real life, but their structure is somewhat unlike the concept that humans hold for that object or form. Tend to be product of the vision that an artist has about the object.
   • Artificial forms: Their referents are human-made objects. Buildings, cars, machines, tools, etc.
   • Calligraphic forms: Freehand forms. No tool is used to create lines. Very particular because the finishing is very personal.
   • Geometric forms: Simple form in which it seems to be a whole.
   • Multiple forms: Made of repeated forms featuring near. imperceptible variations and laid out in intertwining, overlapping and other patterns.
     • A pattern can have different forms.
   • Have to consider the composition of as a whole., how the forms are going to interact and how many will be used.

5. Texture

   • Refers to the set of surface characteristics of a given form or object. Some are made in nature and others are imitations made or modiifed by people.
   • Through the sense of touch, humans are able to identify different types of textures: Smooth, rough, decorated, soft, hard, with relief, etc.
   • 2 main categories: visual and tactile textures.
     • Visual: Those we may perceive through our eyes and evoke in our brain. Decorative, spontaneous, or mechanical finishes.
       • Decorative: work as background. Are easily replacable and they don't effect the main design shape much,.
       • Spontaneous textures: Common to find accidents or irregularities that end up being part of the design and contribute to the work's value
       • Mechanical textures: can be crafted through automated means such as photography, printing or computing. More intricate than others.

6. Space

   • Contextual frame within which different objects, shapes and forms in a design relate to one another. Further gives message sense and personality and determines the effect the message will have on target audience.
     • The distance relationship among the objects and their surroundings in the design. Can be positive or negative, flat or illusory or fluctuating and conflicting..
     • negative and positive spaces.

7. Audio

   • Duration: A characteristic of sound waves. Can be long, short, fast or slow. Depend on muffling and vulnerability., .
   • pitch: Quality of sound. Can be low, middle or high.
   • Timbre: Quality in which two sound of the same sonority, pitch and duration can be distinguished from one another.
   • Most common form is music.
   • "Music is the art of combining sounds that is pleasing to the ear. Different elements such as rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, instrumentation and phrasing.

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