Element of Design

The element of design refers to the basic unit of design, visual piece, painting or drawing such as line, color and others. These elements of design are not the same with the principles of design even though they are closely related. Let us examine them one after the other.

Line
Line refers to the fundamental drawing strokes having lengths that are longer than width. A line mathematically is defined as the distance between two points. In other words, a line is formed by joining two points together. Following from the above definition, any line has length and width; and if it is a straight line, it should be moving towards a direction. Besides being the artificial creation of the designer or artist, structural features in nature such as branches, striping on seashell, surface design and the likes have lines. In drawing and other visual arts, a line has several uses. It is used in creating shadows that stand for hatching which refers to the tonal value. In linear shapes and patterns, lines are used in decorating different substrates. Several lines can be combined together in order to create textures and patterns.

Color
Color is an essential element of design. The color theory for example offers practical guidance to visual impacts of particular color combination and color mixing. Color plays a very important role in design. It enhances organization and can be used to create a hierarchy. There are several attributes of color which include: hue, dullness, brightness, tints, shades, contrast and others.

Shape
Every object has a shape and in fact virtually all elements of design have shapes. So, shape is an essential element of design. It refers to the spatial attributes of something which is different from its substance. It could be used to mean the actual figure or form of an object. It is that which makes an object what it is or distinct from another object. There are different types of shapes which include mechanical, organic and geometrical shapes. Mechanical and geometrical shapes can be drawn using compass and ruler whereas organic shape does not require the use of ruler and compass. It is a freehand drawn form found in nature and they are more complex. An organic shape gives a natural feel.

Texture
How an object feels is referred to its texture. A texture of a surface engenders interest on it if it is good to the touch. But the reverse will be the case if the texture does not feel good to the touch. There are different types of texture which include visual texture and tactile texture.

Space
This refers to the stipulated area occupies by an object or a designated area where the drawing will take place.