ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

Md. Shahjalal
Dr. Mahmuda Akter
Lecturer (Technical)
Assistant Professor
Textile Engineering College,
Dept. of Apparel Zorargonj, Chattagram
engineering
Introduction
• To facilitate the design process in every art form, there are certain guidelines
that all professional designers should use. These are known as elements and
principles of design.
• The structure of any artwork is based on the organization of the elements
according to the principles of design.
• In every art form, there are certain guidelines that all professional designers use
whether consciously or subconsciously and these are known as design elements
and principles.
• Fashion is the ideal of beauty currently accepted by a given segment of the
population while the process of creating new styles in clothing, millinery, and
footwear is known as fashion designing.
• An effective design can be recognized by the wide range of elements of design
considered with the skill and judgment used to select and combine the elements
in a style.
THE ELEMENTS OF
DESIGN
The elements of design are the building blocks of
what a visual artist or graphic designer uses to
make a successful composition.

Design elements have an impact on how a piece of

work is perceived, executed, and used—and are
present in design regardless of skill, taste, or style.

The elements of design are the fundamental

aspects of any visual design which include shape,
color, space, form, line, value, and texture.
 Lines
• Line refers to edge or the outline of a garment and the style line that divide the space
within a garment. Line can create visual illusion if used skillfully.
• The line is the simplest and the most important of the design elements. All lines have
length and width. Basically, straight and curved lines are used in designing styles for
clothing.
• A straight line can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. lines have direction, width, and
length. Direction can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or curved, the movement of the
eye of an observer around and through an image.
• It is important to understand that lines create illusions or images. The design line of a
garment helps the viewer’s eyes to follow a certain direction.
• These lines can be cleverly used to improve body shapes and proportions.
• The line of a garment relates to its cut and style lines: its construction. These lines
break up the space within the outline of the garment and create shape, the seam lines,
the darts, pleats, and tucks. Vertical lines tend to lengthen the body and make it appear
slimmer.
 Cont..
• The structural lines of a garment give it shape and help to form the silhouette.
• Structural lines are made by sewing together the parts of a garment. Seams and
darts are structural lines because they shape the garment.
• A garment can sometimes be cut in certain places to make a special seam. This
seam is still considered a structured line. Design or decorative lines on the other
hand are those that are added simply to create a decorative element.
• They are never structural lines even though some structural lines are sometimes
design lines that include such details as the placement of several buttons in a line,
topstitching, or the placement of a pocket or flap.
• Design and structural lines can be used to enhance the body shape. The more
elaborate the lines are, the more attention they draw to the body. Large bold lines
make the figure look larger than it actually is.
 LINES
• Points create lines and lines create shapes. A line can
have other elements like color, texture, and
movement applied to it. Though basic in
appearance, lines can control the viewer’s thoughts
and emotions, and lead a viewer’s eye through space.

• In digital design, the line is commonly used to

contain or break areas apart visually.

Stripes from Alexander

Rhythmic lines from Manish McQueen
Arora Spring/Summer 2010 Autumn(Fall)/Winter 2009
 Shape or Silhouette
• A silhouette can be described as the outline of the entire garment. This is
the most obvious visual element of the garment.
• It creates the initial impact before any other details are noticed. The shape
formed by the outer lines of clothing is known as a silhouette.
• It is what others notice from a distance and it is responsible for the first
impressions.
• Silhouettes tend to repeat themselves in cycles throughout history. The
silhouette encloses all other design lines in an outfit.
• Throughout each decade as trends develop so different fashion silhouettes
evolve and these compliment the shape of the body or are exaggerated to
accentuate a different part of the body.
 Shape or Silhouette

• All objects are composed of shapes, and all elements of

design are shapes in some way. Shapes can live in a form.
• A shape is a two- or a three-dimensional object that stands
out from the space next to it because of a defined or
implied boundary. A shape can live in different areas in
space and have other elements like line, color, texture, or
movement. Like forms, shapes come in two different types:
geometric and organic.
 Form

• Everything possesses a form in one way or another.

• Forms are three-dimensional, and there are two types: geometric
(man-made) and natural (organic). A digital or physical form can be
measured by height, width, and depth. A form can be created by
combining shapes, and it can be enhanced by color or texture.
Depending on their usage, they can also be ornate or utilitarian.
• For digital design, think of form as the object you’re designing for;
so, if you’re designing for a mobile device, the phone is your form.
Texture
• Texture is the way a surface feels, or the way it’s perceived to feel. It has the
power to attract or detract a viewer’s eyes, and can be applied to lines, shapes,
and forms.
• There are two types of texture: tactile and visual. Tactile textures are three-
dimensional and can be touched. The easiest example is tree bark. When you
touch bark, you can feel all the bumps and ridges, the roughness and
smoothness. A photo of the same bark would be a visual texture. You can see
it, not feel it.
• Textures are widely imparted in fashion in the form of prints, weaves, and
other surface embellishments.
Texture
• Texture describes the perceived quality of a surface whether real or simulated’.
• The texture of a fabric appeals to the eyes as well as the sense of touch. Texture refers to the
surface appearance and feel of a fabric.
• This results from the type of raw material and the type of weave used in producing the fabric/
• The texture of a fabric may be described as soft, rough, shiny, dull, bulky, filmy, transparent, thick,
and smooth.
• Design and texture are closely related in that, at times the design of the weave determines the
texture. The degree of stiffness or softness and the weight of the fabric will influence the drape,
which is the way it hangs on the figure.
• The drape is an important factor that determines how well a particular fabric will move with the
body and maintain the shape of the style.
• The soft handle of fabric is suitable for a garment with draped or flowing features and a stiff
fabric is suitable for a tailored style.
• The sheen of fabrics such as sateen, make them more suitable for evening wear than any daytime
wear because such fabrics reflect more light during the day than night due to their smoothness.
 COLOR
• Yet another basic element of design enhanced by hue, value, tints, and
shades.
• Color creates the most visual impact when seen from a distance, it is the
most influential element that contributes to the overall nature of the
garment.
• Colors decide the mood depending on the combination.
• Warm colors consists of shades obtained from red, yellow, and orange.
• Cool colors include those obtained from blue, green, and purple.
• Tints and shades of black and white from the neutral color range.
• Color has personal values therefore personal preferences for certain colors
will affect an individual’s choice.
• It is possible to wear all colors if one knows how to use them wisely. Colour
can affect and reflect the way people feel.
• A design can have the absence of color. Color can be used sparingly
or in a rainbow of hues but tends to work best when there’s both a
dominant color and a supporting color.
• Hue typically references a wavelength of light in the color spectrum,
which is blended from the primary colors of red, green, and blue
(commonly referred to as RGB). A specific hue can have a vibrant or
dull saturation. Cyan, baby blue, navy blue, and royal blue are blue
hues that are more or less intense. Color can also be on the light or
dark end of the spectrum.
• It’s important to note that while color is global, different cultures
have different connotations for colors. For example, in some cultures,
white is associated with purity; in others, it’s associated with death.
An element of art with three
properties:

(1) hue or tint, the color name, e.g. red,

yellow, blue, etc.:
(2) intensity, the purity and strength of
a color, e.g., bright red or dull red; and
(3) value, the lightness or darkness of a
color.
 Space
• Every shape or form has a place in space. As an element of
design, space refers to the area around, above, below, or behind
an object.
• Objects in space can occur in both two and three dimensions.
In a two-dimensional setting, space is about creating the
illusion of a third dimension on a flat surface. Shadows,
shading, overlap, and sizing can help define an object’s place in
space. For example, a button could have a shadow that makes
it feel like it’s closer to the user.
• Space, like color, is an element that does not have to be used.
But when it is, it’s a powerful way to add emphasis.