Diseño, cine, ideas

Design elements are a foundation for a design, they are the structural underpinnings of a design that are almost unseen. For a good listing of specific elements, check out this site:

Elements of Design    http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/Files/elements.htm
Some of these elements can be pretty abstract; space, balance, etc. Others are more concrete; Line, shape, etc.

It’s interesting to see how students initial react and respond to these elements in their initial projects. Often time, they try to use design elements in a literal sense. They use balance in a design by showing a teeter-totter or show Space by showing a scene set in Outer Space. They’re not necessarily wrong, but their literal-ness sort of misses the point. They are not elements that are meant be represented literally. They are there to add structure to an arrangement, they are used to build a coherent composition.

But they serve another purpose. They help create a lexicon, a language, to express ideas that can be otherwise intangible. How do you critique or analyze a design? Where do you even start? You first start with a gut reaction. How did it make you feel when you first saw it? Love it, hate it, no reaction? What caused that reaction (or lack of)? That’s the hard part. How do you give voice to a rationale that was based on an emotive response? Well, you need to look at the structure of the piece. How were the elements arrange, how was the composition. This is where knowledge of design elements comes in handy. Was it balanced, how was line used, how was color used? Look beyond the surface level of a design and at its structure underneath. When you do, you will see the elements it uses and thus will be able explain your rationale for your critique.
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