WORD BANK: Elements and Principles of Design
line – a long thin continuous mark or stroke
color – hues, tints, and shades as created by light and pigments
value – the relative lightness or darkness of a color
texture – the way something feels or looks like it would feel
shape – a two-dimensional outline of an object that has height and width
form - a shape that is or appears to be three-dimensional and has height, width and depth
space – the area or distance between forms or shapes
emphasis – used to draw attention to particular areas or the focal point of an artwork
balance – an arrangement of elements of an artwork in equilibrium to create harmony
proportion – the size or apparent size of an object as seen in relation to its other parts or to other objects in the environment
movement – the use of lines, colors, values, textures, forms and space to direct the eye of the viewer from one part of the artwork to another
unity – when everything works together in an artwork
variety – provides diversity in a work of art
pattern – something that is repeated throughout a work of art (e.g. shapes, lines)
rhythm –suggests motion by regular use of patterns of recurrent elements