Principles of Design

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Principles of Design

• Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Office
• June, 2002
• Revised by Robbie Buchanan May 2007

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Principles of Design

• Balance
• Proportion and Scale
• Focal Point and Emphasis
• Rhythm and Transition
• Harmony and Unity

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Balance

• Stability of an arrangement
• Arrangement appears secure and stable
• Balance must be both visual and actual

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Balance

• Visual weight refers to how heavy an object
  appears in an arrangement

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Balance

• Dark flowers appear heavier than light ones
• Flowers or objects of
• coarse texture appear
• heavier than those with
• a smooth texture

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Balance

• Heavy flowers or objects need to be placed near
  the base of arrangements
• Lighter ones are placed near the edges to give
  visual balance

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Balance

• Actual or mechanical balance achieved by proper
  placement of flowers
• Equal amounts of weight on both sides of the
  central axis of
• the arrangement

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Balance

• If mechanical balance is not achieved, the
  arrangement may topple

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Balance

• Symmetrical and asymmetrical balance are commonly
  used

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Balance

• Symmetrical or formal- equal visual weight on
  each side of an imaginary, central, vertical line

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Balance

• Equal visual weight does not have to be expressed
  by identical materials
• The materials are usually very similar

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Balance

• More traditional types of arrangements are based
  on this type of balance

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Balance

• Symmetrical arrangements should be displayed
  against a symmetrical background

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Balance

• Arrangements placed on the altar and at the head
  table at a banquet are usually symmetrically
  balanced

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Balance

• Asymmetrical or informal arrangements- equal
  visual weight on both sides of the central axis,
  but each side is different in plant materials and
  the arrangement

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Balance

• Japanese styles of arranging are based on
  asymmetrical balance
• Asymmetrical balance suggests movement to the eye

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Proportion

• Most arrangements
• are designed for a
• particular location
• such as a dining table

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Proportion

• The size of the table
• and the colors in the room will determine the
  flowers used the size and shape of the
  arrangement, and the container chosen
• This relationship is known as proportion

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Proportion

• The interrelationship of
• all parts of an arrangement
• Plant materials should be 1 1/2 times as high as
  the height of the container or 1 1/2 the width of
  a low container. (minimum dimensions)

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Proportion

• Maximum dimensions depend on the background
• space and the
• weight of the
• material to be
• used

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Proportion
Ikebana

• If the materials to be used are light and airy,
  the arrangement may be 2 to 3 times or more the
  height of the container

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Proportion

• Containers made of sturdy materials and dark
  colors can hold much larger arrangements
• Choose flowers that fit with the size and
  character of the container

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• Scale refers to the relationship between an
  arrangement and the area in which it is to be
  displayed

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Focal Point

• Attracts and holds the attention of the viewer
• Also called the center of interest
• Located near the place where the stems or lines
  appear to meet
• Balance requires that the
• center of interest be near
• the design base

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Focal Point

• There should be only a single focal point in a
  design
• Arrangements with more than one create restless
  movement of the eye
• Unity in the arrangement
• is destroyed

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Focal Point

• Suggestions for creating a focal point
• Bring the main lines of the design to the point
• Place the largest flower there
• Concentrate the plant material in that area

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What is this design missing?
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Focal Point

• More suggestions for creating a focal point
• Place the darkest color or the brightest color
  there

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Focal Point

• Place strongly contrasting colors or textures at
  this point
• Place an unusually shaped flower there

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Emphasis

• Closely related to focal point
• Focuses the attention on one feature and keeps
  everything else secondary
• Can be created by texture, color, and kind of
  flower and movement

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Emphasis

• In a finished arrangement, different kinds of
  flowers, foliage and colors compete for dominance
  and the arrangement loses its interest

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Emphasis

• Uses a predominance of one color, texture, line
  or kind of flower and complement this with small
  amounts of other colors and flowers
• Maintaining dominance of one type of material,
  the finished design is more pleasing

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Rhythm

• Movement of the eye through a design toward or
  away from the center of interest
• Flow of lines, textures, and colors that evokes a
  sense of motion

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Rhythm

• Created by repetition, radiation, progression and
  transition

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Rhythm

• Repetition
• Simplest way to develop rhythm in an arrangement.
• Accomplished by repeating the leading color,
  strongest line, the dominant form or texture

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Rhythm

• Select a flower of the desired color and repeat
  the use of the flower throughout the arrangement

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Rhythm

• Radiation
• The attempt to make all stems appear to come from
  one central axis

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Rhythm

• Progression
• Gradual change by increasing or decreasing one or
  more qualities. Such as size, color to texture
  of the material used, or space between flowers.

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Rhythm

• Progression develops movement in a certain
  direction
• Using flowers of increasing size. Large flowers
  at the bottom and center, buds and small flowers
  near the edge, medium between them

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Rhythm

• Increase the space between flowers at the edges
  and decreasing at the center

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Rhythm

• Progression in texture is achieved through using
  fine textured materials at the edge and working
  in with more coarse textured material

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Rhythm

• Progression in color is accomplished by using
  flowers of light value at the edges and top and
  moving in with darker values

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Rhythm

• Transition
• Making a gradual change
• Blending colors, line patterns and textures
• Progression and transition are closely related
  and progression is often used to create a
  transition

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Transition

• Dont section the design- use of one color or
  texture in one area and different in another
• Blend colors, textures and shapes together to
  unify the design

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Transition

• Transition should also exist between the
  container and the arrangement
• Allow some plant material to over hang the rim
• This allows the eye to move easily from the
  container to the arrangement

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Harmony

• Blending of all components of the design
• A pleasing relationship within the design in
  color, texture, shape, size, and line

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Unity

• When all the parts of the design suggest a single
  idea or impression
• Repeating colors throughout the design

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Unity

• Establish a focal point and a dominant flower in
  the arrangement
• Do not create horizontal layer of colors or
  textures