Elements of Design: Line, Shape, Form, Color, Value, Space, Texture

Elements of Design

Lines divide. They can be used to form a border or separate parts of the design. Lines connect. They can form a pathway between elements of the design. Lines decorate….

Elements of Design: Line

Use of Line

Lines can be used to great effect in design. They can be used to organize information. Lines can be used to separate but they can also be used to connect. Lines can create a sense of movement or direction and they can give the eye a path to follow.

Elements of Design: Shape

Use of Shape

Children learn how to draw geometric shapes and identify them by the number of sides they have: triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, circles. Geometric shapes are commonly seen in everyday objects…

Design Trends: Dimensions

Design Trends: Dimension

In the early days of web design, many designers adapted a style called “skeuomorphism” where design elements are made to look like familiar, everyday objects…

Elements of Design: Color

Use of Color

Good design intrigues the learner and draws them in. It evokes in them a desire to learn more. One way to engage learners is through the use of color. Which of the following images does a better job of catching your eye?

Color Theory

Color Theory

Have you ever experimented with mixing paint colors together to form a new color? Red and yellow combine to make orange, and so on. A simple way to picture these color combinations is called the color wheel.

Color Codes

Color Codes

When you find a great color you want to be able to replicate it. Two common ways that designers talk about color are RGB values and Hex values.

Design Trends: Gradients

Design Trends: Gradients

As the minimalism of flat design has given way to design trends that embrace more texture and shadow, gradients have also become quite popular.

Elements of Design: Space

Use of Space

White space is the blank area around the other design elements. Some designs have very little white space. Others have lots of white space. White space plays an important role, even in designs with very little of it.

Elements of Design: Texture

Use of Texture

Flat design principles have been very influential for the past decade in the world of web design. Flat design is a minimalistic style that eschews the use of texture (along with shadows and gradients) in favor of simpler design elements.