• THE TOOLS USED

TO CREATE
SUCCESSFUL
VISUAL DESIGNS
• WHAT OUR EYES
SEE
• 7 ELEMENTS
THE BASIC ELEMENT THAT REFERS TO CONTINUOUS MOVEMENT
OF A POINT ALONG A SURFACE

• CAN CREATE A FEELING (JAGGED,

GRACEFUL)

• THE EDGES OF SHAPES AND FORMS ALSO

CREATE LINES
A SELF-CONTAINED, DEFINED AREA, CAN BE MADE BY LINE, OR COLOR & VALUE CHANGE.

• SHAPES ARE 2-D

• GEOMETRIC (ANGULAR, HARD EDGES)
• ORGANIC (CURVED, ROUND EDGES)
Piet Mondrian, 1921 Pablo Picasso, 1910
THE THREE-DIMENSIONALITY (3-D) OF AN ARTWORK

Highlights
• YOU CAN HOLD A FORM, WALK AROUND A
FORM, EVEN WALK INSIDE A FORM
Shadows • THE ILLUSION FOR FORM IS MADE BY
MAKING SOMETHING APPEAR 3D. BY
ADDING SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS YOU
CAN TURN A 2-D SHAPE INTO A 3-D
DRAWING.

• CAN BE GEOMETRIC OR ORGANIC

THE RANGE OF LIGHTNESS AND DARKNESS WITHIN A PICTURE

• GIVES THE ILLUSION OF

DEPTH/FORM

• CAN BE CREATED FROM A LIGHT

SOURCE MAKING HIGHLIGHTS AND
SHADOWS

• TINT- MAKING A COLOR LIGHTER

• SHADE- MAKING A COLOR DARKER
• GRADATION-A SMOOTH CHANGE
FROM LIGHT TO DARK
THE SURFACE QUALITY IN AN ARTWORK (HOW IT FEELS)

• TACTILE- CAN
ACTUALLY BE FELT

• IMPLIED- LOOKS BUT

DOES NOT FEEL LIKE
THE TEXTURE.
LIGHT REFLECTS OFF OBJECTS AND BACK TO OUR
EYES HELPING US READ THE COLOR.

• HUE/NAME (BLUE, RED,

YELLOW)
• VALUE (HOW LIGHT OR DARK IT
IS)
• INTENSITY (HOW BRIGHT OR
DULL IT IS)
• SPACE HAS FOREGROUND,
MIDDLE GROUND & BACK
GROUND

• THE ILLUSION OF DEPTH CAN BE

SEEN BY- SIZE, OVERLAP, COLOR,
& PERSPECTIVE
• POSITIVE SPACE – FILLED SPACE
• NEGATIVE SPACE-EMPTY SPACE