Design Principles – A List of the Principles of Design

 When you start learning graphic design theory, you may be surprised to find out that there are specific rules you need to follow when designing.

Those rules are known as design principles, and in this article, you will learn the basics of the 13 design principles.

Knowing what design principles are will give you a better understanding of how to go about creating more harmonious designs and better user experiences.

Here is what we will cover in this guide:

1. What are design principles?
2. The 13 principles of design
   1. Balance
   2. Variety
   3. Emphasis
   4. Contrast
   5. Hierarchy
   6. Repetition
   7. Pattern
   8. Movement
   9. Rhythm
   10. Proportion
   11. Alignment
   12. Unity
   13. White space

What Are Design Principles?

Design principles are a strict set of rules.

Designers adhere to those rules to create pleasant user experiences and visually appealing end products.

These rules are tools and guidelines that help the designer create a sense of harmony and balance in their designs.

They guarantee usability and an overall pleasing effect for viewers and users.

The 13 Principles Of Design

Balance

Every design element on a page has a different weight, depending on its size, shape, or color.

That weight is known as visual weight.

Balance in design is how you arrange and position elements in a composition, and it's about distributing the weight of those elements.

A composition lacking in balance means that one element overpowers all the rest.

To create balance, you need to position elements properly.

For example, this could be that an element on one side is much 'heavier' than the rest and is overpowering, thus making the design look unstable.

There are two types of balance:

• Symmetrical balance
• Asymmetrical balance

With Symmetrical balance, think of drawing an invisible, vertical line down the center of the page and splitting the page into two sides.

The items on both sides of the line have evenly distributed visual weight and create a mirrored image.

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