And now.... the way to talk and think about art: The Elements & Principles of Design Think of it this way..... The ELEMENTS of design are like the tools a builder uses to construct something. The PRINCIPLES of design are what the builder can make with those tools. The ELEMENTS of Design are: Line Shape (2D) Form (3D) Value (light / dark) Color Texture The PRINCIPLES of Design are: Contrast Composition Rhythm / Movement Repetition (A)Symmetry / Balance Emphasis Unity Proportion Cy Twombly Untitled house paint and crayon on canvas San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 1971 Line Color Shape Ellsworth Kelly Red/Blue MMoCA Minneapolis, MN 1964 Texture Contrast (value) Movement / rhythm Balance / Symmetry Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum at Bilbao Spain c. 1997 Unity Theme & Variation Repetition Emphasis Proportion Now lets see how you do with the following works: Texture Color Ok.... Lets see if you can identify the ELEMENTS of DESIGN in the following works: Line Texture Movement / rhythm Repetition Texture Congolese Power Figure (Nail Fetish Figure) Smithsonian Museums, Washington DC c Shape / Color Unity / Harmony Shape Color Louise Nevelson Untitled 1958 Tate Museum, London Proportion Movement Texture Shape Color Unity Rhythm / MovementRepetition Line movement Proportion Balance (?) Contrast Repetition Color Theme & Variation Unity Proportion Emphasis / Contrast