Seven elements of art and design and how to apply them for online use

Apps like Canva have made our life so easy. Posters which used to take ages to design, is now ready in minutes. Today however we go back the drawing boards to what actually is design. Let us first understand them and see how to put them to use while creating online content.

Seven elements

• Line
• Shape
• Colour
• Texture
• Form
• Value
• Space

How to use them

Artists and designers use these seven elements to create. Not all of them at a time, but at least two are used. These seven elements are a language which artists use to communicated and define their art. Just like scientists use theorems and maths.

Also when you explain to someone you use these elements to paint an imaginary picture. Eg when you are explaining a bicycle to someone you use lines, forms and shapes. Maybe even colour. Or something simpler like a pencil, it is hexagonal in shape, round lead in centre and pointed at the tip.

Line, shape and colour

Lines are thin or thick, straight or wavy, pointed in a direction or taking a shape. Lines are considered foundation of art and design. A line is used most often. Lines start at a point and finish at one but lines can also move around to form a shape.

Shapes are used to describe everything around us. Squares, rectangles, circles and triangles are geometric shapes while shapes found in nature are curvy and wavy and are called organic shapes. They give us an idea of space, which is why they are the second most important element in art.

Colour finally is the best of the trio. It is universally found and impacts our thoughts. That is why designers use colour to influence the world. Combination of primary, secondary and tertiary colours give us gradients, variations and shades. Artists use the colour wheel to categorise colours and mix and match them. Wrong combinations convey the wrong message and also spoil the art work.

Example

Notice how the black lines give a better contrast against orange. Thick lines and shapes forming a burger. There is a mix of straight, wavy and curves. The incredible ability of mind to connect the dots and form shapes. You can get away with wrong lines and shapes. But you cannot get away with readability and contrast. Here is an example of a mistake.

A wrong contrast settings in text makes the poster unreadable and a turn off.

Value

This element is easy to understand. It is a range from white (lightest value) to black (darkest value). Difference in value is the contrast. Shadow, shading or light is also measured in value. When applied to colour, it gives gradient.

Here is an example to use of gradients to create about button for a website. Note how the text and the shape on the left is contrasting too.

Texture

We feel a texture by touching it. An artist recreates it on canvas so that you can see the texture. Apart from art, texture is also used in sculpturing and similar forms of art. Marble sculptures made by craftsmen of Pietrasanta is so smooth and real, it is hard to believe that it has been carved from marble.

Hard, soft, smooth, rough are all types of textures.

Form and Space

Shape is two dimensional. Cylinders and spheres get depth and become forms which are three dimensional. Forms are not just used in sculptures but also in art and paintings. Using lights, shadows and contours we can create forms. Just like shapes, forms are also geometric and organic. A stack of hay or table is example of a form.

The last but important element is space. All your elements placed on a poster need to get defined by spaces. The main subject of your poster consists of positive space while the space around it is negative space. Balance between spaces is obtained using positive and negative space with contrast. You can also repeat a pattern by using alternate negative and positive space. Artists create the illusion of depth using foreground and background. Gridlines are an important tool to balance spaces in a poster.

Understanding elements in poster design

Design apps help us creating beautiful posters on social media. Brand owners need to create social media posts to promote their products and services. A well designed ad can make or break a sale. To understand design elements let us see how to get it wrong first.

Here is what can be pointed out as mistakes in the above poster.

• Value of background colour and the word “proposal” is graded in such a way that the text is difficult to read.
• Space both positive and negative are out of proportions which leads to mismatch. There is a huge negative space on top left blank. The elements are not evenly spaced.
• Colours of various elements like the bulb, text and bookmark icon on the right is not chosen properly which is glaring as a mismatch. The contrasts are either too much or too little.
• Texture and Form is provided by the light bulb at the bottom left. But the element as a whole is out of place. It could have been larger or placed at the centre. Also note how the content of the ad does not relate to the shape itself.

By using selected elements with a focus object in the centre and even spaces around it should be the approach. Readability of your text is of paramount importance. Use the colour wheel or stick to the standard contrasting backgrounds for your text. Lines and shapes help bring attention to the main object in the ad. Use grid lines to even out spaces and place your elements. Use fonts which are readable on mobile screens. Try not to pack up too much of information.