10+ Best Principles Of Graphic Design

Graphic design is the craft of creating visual content to communicate messages.

Applying visual hierarchy and page layout techniques, graphic designers use typography and pictures to meet users’ specific needs and focus on the logic of displaying elements of graphic design in interactive designs to optimize the user experience.

Principles of Graphic design (simply, principles of design) or elements of graphic design can be used by companies to promote and sell products through advertising, by websites to convey complicated information in a digestible way through infographics, or by businesses to develop an identity through branding, among other things.

Principles of Graphic Design are :

Balance

Balance lends stability and structure to an overall design. It is one of the most essential elements of graphic design. To understand it better, think that there’s weight behind each of your elements of graphic design in the principles of graphic design.

Shapes, text boxes, and images are the elements of graphic design that form your design, so it’s important to be familiar with the visual weight each of those elements possesses.

Now, this doesn’t mean that the elements always need to be distributed evenly or that they must be of an equal size — balance is either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Symmetrical balance is when the weight of elements is evenly divided on either side of the design, whereas asymmetrical balance uses scale, contrast, and color to achieve the flow in design. Balance in design is the distribution of elements of graphic design. 

Balance is a visual interpretation of gravity in the design. Large, dense elements appear to be heavier while smaller elements appear to be lighter.

Proximity

Proximity in the principles of design helps in creating a relationship between similar or related elements.

These elements need not be grouped, instead, they should be visually connected by way of font, colour, size, etc.The principle of proximity is simply the process of ensuring related design elements are placed together. Any unrelated items, should be spaced apart as per the principles of design.

Close proximity indicates that items are connected or have a relationship to each other and become one visual unit which helps to organise or give structure to a layout.

Alignment

Alignment is one of the principles of design that plays a pivotal role in creating a seamless visual connection with the principles of graphic design. It gives an ordered appearance to images, shapes, and blocks of texts by eliminating elements placed in a disheveled manner.

Alignment refers to placing text and other design elements on a page so they line up. It helps to create order, organize your elements, create visual connections, and improve the readability of your design. Alignment is largely invisible – chances are, you don’t look at a design and think

Visual Hierarchy

In simple words, a hierarchy is formed when extra visual weight is given to the most important element or message in your design.

It can be achieved in various ways — using larger or bolder fonts to highlight the title; placing the key message higher than the other design elements; or adding focus to larger, more detailed and more colourful visuals than those less relevant or smaller images.

Repetition

Repetition is a fundamental principles of graphic design element, especially when it comes to branding. It creates a rhythm and strengthens the overall design by tying together consistent elements such as logo and colour palette, making the brand or design instantly recognisable to viewers.

The principle of repetition in the principles of design simply means the reusing of the same or similar elements throughout your design. 

Repetition of certain design elements in a design will bring a clear sense of unity, consistency, and cohesiveness. REPETITION is the use of similar or connected pictorial elements.

Contrast

Contrast happens when there is a difference between the two opposing design elements. The most common types of contrast are dark vs. light, contemporary vs. old-fashioned, large vs. small, etc.

Contrast guides a viewer’s attention to the key elements, ensuring each side is legible. In principles of graphic design, contrast refers to the presentation of two elements of the design in opposite ways. 

Contrast is very useful for creating a focal point, or a spot to which your eye is naturally drawn, as well as giving objects greater visual weight and balancing the image.

Colour

Colour is an important principles Of Graphic Design basic and it dictates the overall mood of a design. The colors you pick represent your brand and its tonality, so be careful with the palette you choose.

As a graphic designer, it’s always helpful to have a basic knowledge of colour theory, for example, gold & neutral shades evoke an overall feel of sophistication, bright colors signal happiness, and blue creates a feeling of calmness.

Color palettes can be used as a contrast or even to complement the elements.

Warm colors, like red, yellow, and orange, are seen to be active, while cool colors like green and blue are viewed as calm and more passive. Graphic designers know these characteristics and use them in their work.

Negative Space

We’ve discussed the importance of colors, images, and shapes in the principles of design, but what about the space that is left blank? It is called the ‘negative space’, which in simple words means the area between or around the elements.

If used creatively, negative space can help create a shape and highlight the important components of your design.

Negative space in graphic design is often seen in logos, on illustrations, posters and creative lettering where it becomes an active part of the visual presentation making key objects even more expressive.

Typography

Typography is one of the key pillars of principles of graphic design, and it speaks volumes about a brand or an artwork when executed stylistically or even customized.

Sometimes, ‘type’ is all you need to showcase your design concept. Typography is the art or process of setting, arranging, or designing type. 

Typography is by far one of the most important aspects of good design. This is no simple task, but an understanding of the components of typography will allow you to make great design choices.

Rules

Once you’re an adept graphic designer who understands the foundations of design, then it’s time to break some of those rules. And, by that, I don’t mean, use pixelated images or an illegible font type. Remember, whatever it is that you’re choosing to communicate, should not be compromised.