Principles of Design

Why This Matters

The principles of design aren't just vocabulary terms to memorize—they're the decision-making tools you'll use throughout your sustained investigation and the criteria scorers use to evaluate your work. When the AP rubric mentions "synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas," it's asking whether you've deliberately applied principles like balance, emphasis, contrast, and unity to communicate your artistic intentions. Understanding these principles helps you articulate why you made specific choices in your artist statement and process documentation.

You're being tested on your ability to demonstrate 2-D and 3-D design skills, which means showing evidence that you can manipulate these principles purposefully. Don't just memorize definitions—know how each principle functions in a composition, how principles work together (or create tension), and how to describe your use of them in the 600-character written responses. Strong portfolios show intentional application of these principles across multiple works.

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Principles That Create Visual Hierarchy

These principles help you control where viewers look first and how they navigate your composition. Mastering hierarchy is essential for communicating your ideas clearly—scorers need to see that you can direct attention deliberately.

Emphasis

• Creates a focal point that anchors your composition and communicates your central idea
• Achieved through contrast, isolation, placement, or scale—the element that differs most from its surroundings draws the eye
• Essential for artist statements—when describing your work, identify what you emphasized and why it supports your inquiry

Contrast

• Juxtaposes opposing elements—light vs. dark, organic vs. geometric, smooth vs. textured—to create visual tension
• Increases readability and depth by separating foreground from background and distinguishing key elements
• Directly tied to 2-D skills scoring—the rubric specifically lists contrast as evidence of design competency

Proportion

• Governs size relationships between elements, affecting how viewers interpret importance and meaning
• Can be realistic or exaggerated—distorted proportion creates emphasis or emotional impact
• Establishes scale and context—critical for 3-D work where physical size affects viewer experience

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Principles That Guide the Viewer's Eye

These principles create visual pathways through your work. They're how you control pacing and sequence—essential for sustained investigations where you want viewers to experience your work in a particular order.

Movement

• Directs how the eye travels through the composition using lines, shapes, edges, and color progressions
• Suggests action or narrative flow—particularly important for work exploring time-based or sequential ideas
• Can be implied or actual—2-D work creates implied movement; 3-D and time-based work can include actual movement

Rhythm

• Creates visual tempo through the repetition of elements at intervals—like beats in music
• Can be regular, alternating, or progressive—each type creates different energy and viewer experience
• Works with movement to establish flow; rhythm provides the beat while movement provides the direction

Pattern

• Repeats elements systematically—shapes, colors, textures, or motifs recurring in predictable ways
• Establishes visual structure and can suggest cultural, natural, or conceptual references
• Differs from rhythm in that pattern emphasizes the repeated unit itself, while rhythm emphasizes the intervals between repetitions

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Principles That Create Wholeness

These principles ensure your composition feels complete and intentional rather than random or fragmented. The rubric phrase "skillful synthesis" depends on demonstrating these principles effectively.

Unity

• Creates cohesion so all elements feel like they belong together and serve a shared purpose
• Achieved through consistent use of color schemes, repeated shapes, aligned edges, or thematic connections
• The ultimate goal—without unity, even technically skilled work feels disconnected; this is what "synthesis" means in scoring criteria

Harmony

• Produces visual agreement through elements that share qualities—similar colors, related shapes, compatible textures
• Creates a sense of order and aesthetic pleasure; elements "get along" visually
• Supports unity but focuses specifically on the pleasing relationships between similar elements

Balance

• Distributes visual weight so the composition feels stable (or deliberately unstable)
• Symmetrical balance creates formality and stability; asymmetrical balance creates dynamic tension while maintaining equilibrium
• Applies to 3-D work literally—physical balance affects whether sculpture stands; visual balance affects how it's perceived

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Principles That Create Interest

These principles prevent your work from becoming monotonous or predictable. The rubric rewards "sustained investigation," which requires enough visual interest to sustain viewer engagement across multiple works.

Variety

• Introduces diversity through differing elements—contrasting colors, varied shapes, mixed textures
• Prevents visual boredom and keeps viewers exploring the composition
• Must balance with unity—too much variety creates chaos; the rubric phrase "unity, variety" appears together because they work in tension

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two principles both involve repetition, and how do they differ in their effect on the viewer's experience?

2. If a scorer notes that your work lacks "synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas," which principles should you strengthen, and how would you describe this in your written evidence?

3. Compare and contrast unity and variety—why does the AP rubric list them together, and how do you balance them in a sustained investigation?

4. You want to create a clear focal point in your composition. Name three different principles you could use to achieve this, and explain which would be most effective for 3-D work versus 2-D work.

5. How would you describe the difference between movement and rhythm in your artist statement if asked to explain how you guide viewers through a sequential series of works?