Elements and Principles of Design

HNC3CI – Mrs. Crowell

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

All designs, from simple to complex, come from only a few basic design elements.

Design Element: Colour

Colour is often the first thing

we notice when we look at a piece of

clothing.

Design Element: Line• Designers use lines for different effects.• Straight lines are used to create crisp shapes.• Curved lines give a feeling of movement.• ZigZag lines are used to create drama.

Design Element: Shape• There are four basic shapes in fashion design:• Natural – follows the outline of the body.• Tubular – rectangular with vertical emphasis.• Bell – both diagonal and horizontal lines.• Full – use of more horizontal and curved lines.

Design Element: Texture

• The surface characteristics that determine the look and feel of an object.– Soft or Crisp, Smooth or Nubby, Dull or Shiny

• Fabric texture results from the fiber, yarn, construction and finish used.

• Texture determines how a fabric moves when worn.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN• Artistic guidelines for using all of the design

elements.• Fashion designers use these principles when

designing their clothing.

Design Principle: Balance

• A design has balance when the spaces on both sides of the central line, real or imagined, appear equal.

• Balance is either: Symmetrical or Asymmetrical

Design Principle: Proportion

• How separate parts of a garment relate to each other (also known as scale).

• Parts with somewhat unequal sizes look best together.

• Fashion design commonly relies on a 3-to-5 ratio.

Design Principle: Emphasis• The focal part of

the design that draws the most attention is known as emphasis.

• Emphasis can be accomplished with colour, line, texture, design details, trims, and accessories.

Design Principle: Rhythm

• Rhythm carries the eye through a regular pattern produced by design elements.

• Three ways to achieve rhythm in fashion:– Repetition: a pattern repeats

in the garment– Radiation: lines or patterns

flow from a central location– Gradation: a pattern changes

gradually.

Design Principle: Harmony

• A design has visual harmony when the design elements complement each other.

• The elements relate in a unified way to convey a single theme.

• When harmony exists, each part looks like it belongs.

Different Body Shapes & FramesThere are four basic body shapes…– Apple, Pear, Hourglass, Rectangle

Application Activity

• Refer to page 176 in the Clothing text.• Look through magazines and collect

illustrations of clothes with different line types and directions.

• Use a black marker to highlight the dominant lines in each garment.

• Group the garments together to create small collections of similar lines.