ElementsPrinciplesOfDesign

Provide a basic description of the Elements and Principles of Design. This is not intended to "make" people go down certain paths, but provide some methods for approaching design.

Elements of Design

• Point
• Line
• Form, shape and space
• Movement
• Color
• Pattern
• Texture

Principles of Design

• Balance
• Proportion
• Rhythm
• Emphasis
• Unity

(suggestion: a good idea of design history may help a lot!)

History of Design

• History of Graphic Design (pre-historic, mediaeval, renaissance, baroque, industrial revolution, bauhaus, ISMs, die stijl, postscript-age, post-modern, neo-baroque, etc. )
• History of Typography (a.k.a. Fonts - the technological, time and cultural/contextual influence of typeface design)
• Illustration History (Art Deco, bauhaus, polish posters, constructivism, japanese post-war, etc.)
• Animation History (Muybridge, Norman McLaren, Justin Harder, etc.)
• Bibliography (very important!)

See this page for more links on the subject