Design Principles
Written by Abin Alex and Anu Joseph.
Abstract
The principles of design describe how the elements of an image are arranged to work together. This guide covers six: balance, unity and harmony, hierarchy, scale and proportion, similarity and contrast, and dominance or emphasis. It draws on Wertheimer's laws of grouping, research on perceived visual balance and the idea of visual hierarchy used in interface design, and links each principle to a practical decision in photography and cinematography. The principles are presented as habits of seeing that a maker may follow, adapt or deliberately break.
Keywords: design principles; visual balance; unity and harmony; visual hierarchy; contrast and emphasis
What are the principles of design?
Short answer. The principles of design describe how the elements of a picture are arranged so that they work together as one image.
- The elements of design are the parts of a picture: line, shape, form, texture, pattern, value, space and colour. The principles describe how those parts are arranged.
- This guide uses six principles: balance, unity and harmony, hierarchy, scale and proportion, similarity and contrast, and dominance or emphasis.
- Dondis describes visual communication as a set of paired techniques, such as balance and instability or neutrality and accent (Dondis, 1973). A principle names a choice between two ends, and the maker picks a point between them.
- The principles work together. A frame with a strong emphasis may also be unbalanced, and a frame in perfect balance may have no emphasis at all.
- The principles are habits of seeing. They are not a checklist, and many fine pictures follow only one or two.
| Principle | What it describes | A question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | How visual weight is spread across the frame | Does the frame feel steady or tilted? |
| Unity and harmony | How the parts belong together | Do the parts look like one picture? |
| Hierarchy | The order in which the eye reads the parts | What does the eye see first, second and third? |
| Scale and proportion | The size of parts in relation to each other | How big does each part feel next to the others? |
| Similarity and contrast | Likeness and difference between parts | Where are the differences and are they enough? |
| Dominance and emphasis | The part that matters most | What is the subject, and does the frame say so? |
Table 1. The six principles of design used in this guide.
Pick a photograph and name the principle that is strongest in it. Then name the one that is weakest.
A cinematographer uses the principles to guide the viewer. Balance, emphasis and contrast decide where the eye goes in each shot before any dialogue starts.
Cham tipDo not try to use all six in one picture. Choose the one or two that serve the story.
Cham taskChoose three photographs. For each, write which principle is strongest and one sentence on why.
Check yourself: How are elements and principles different?
Elements are the parts of a picture. Principles describe how the parts are arranged.
What is balance?
Short answer. Balance is the way visual weight is spread across the frame. It can be symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial.
- Visual weight is how strongly an element pulls the eye. Larger, brighter, more colourful and more regular elements weigh more, and an element weighs more the further it sits from the centre (Hübner and Fillinger, 2016).
- Symmetrical balance puts equal weights on both sides of a central line. It feels formal, calm and stable.
- Asymmetrical balance puts unequal elements in different places. One large dark shape can balance a small bright one placed far away from it.
- Radial balance spreads elements around a central point, as in a flower, a wheel, a clock or a spiral staircase seen from above.
- The fulcrum and lever idea: the heavier an element, the nearer to the centre it can sit. A light element needs to be far from the centre to balance a heavy one, as on a seesaw.
- Balance can be broken on purpose. An unbalanced frame feels tense and unsettled, which is right for some stories.
If a picture feels as if it is sliding to one side, add weight to the other side with a brighter object, a person or a patch of colour.
In a two shot, the actor placed nearer the edge or lit brighter takes more weight. Use that weight to show who has power in the scene.
Cham tipA small bright object far from the centre can balance a large dark object near it.
Cham taskPhotograph a room symmetrically, then move the camera so the same room is balanced asymmetrically. Compare how they feel.
Check yourself: What does the fulcrum and lever idea say?
A heavy element sits nearer the centre and a light one sits farther away.
What are unity and harmony?
Short answer. Unity is the sense that the parts of a picture belong together. It is built by nearness, likeness, continuation, repetition and rhythm.
- Wertheimer showed in 1923 that we group things by simple rules (Wertheimer, 1923).
- Proximity: things that are near each other are seen as a group.
- Similarity: things that look alike, in colour, shape or size, are seen as a group.
- Continuation: things that sit along a line or a curve are seen as connected, because the eye follows the line.
- Repetition: using the same element many times makes the frame feel ordered and linked.
- Rhythm is repetition with a beat. It can be steady repetition, a change from one size to the next, or movement along a path.
- Harmony is the pleasing effect of combining similar or related parts, such as colours that sit near each other on a colour wheel.
When a scene looks messy, move closer or change position until the objects that belong together are also nearest to each other.
Repeating a colour, a shape or a prop across shots links them. This is how a film feels like one world.
Cham tipIf a frame feels scattered, look for something to repeat or connect.
Cham taskPhotograph a market stall so that repeated shapes make a rhythm. Then photograph the same stall with the rhythm broken.
Check yourself: Name three ways the eye groups parts.
Proximity, similarity and continuation.
What is visual hierarchy?
Short answer. Visual hierarchy is the arrangement of parts that leads the eye through them in order of importance.
- Hierarchy is the order in which the eye reads the parts of a picture: first, second, third.
- Interface design names scale, contrast and distinct form as the main signals, with contrast against the surroundings doing more of the work than colour itself (Gordon, 2021).
- Grouping by nearness, empty space and borders shows which parts belong together and which belong apart (Gordon, 2021).
- A hierarchy can be shown as a tree, with a trunk, branches and sub branches. It can also be shown as nests, with parents, children and grandchildren.
- Elements of the same weight belong to the same level of the hierarchy.
- In a photograph the hierarchy is often invisible. You feel it when the eye lands on the subject first without effort.
Squint at your photograph. The first thing you still see is the top of the hierarchy. If it is not your subject, change the frame.
In a wide shot with many people, light, movement and focus set the hierarchy. The eye follows what is brightest, sharpest or moving.
Cham tipUse the squint test. Close your eyes slightly and see what remains.
Cham taskPhotograph a busy street. In your notes write what the eye sees first, second and third.
Check yourself: What is the squint test for?
To find what is at the top of the visual hierarchy.
What are scale and proportion?
Short answer. Scale is the size of one thing compared with another. Proportion is the ratio between the sizes of the parts.
- We read size by comparison. A ball looks large beside a coin and small beside a person.
- Dondis lists scale among the basic elements of visual communication (Dondis, 1973). A familiar object in the frame, such as a person, tells the viewer how big everything else is.
- Big scale gives power, danger or awe. Small scale gives intimacy, loneliness or care.
- Proportion is the ratio between parts. Parts that relate by a clear ratio, such as one to two or two to three, tend to feel harmonious together.
- The frame is itself a proportion. 3:2 and 4:3 frames divide differently, and the Composition guide shows how.
- A lens changes scale. A wide lens close to a subject makes it large against its background and a long lens makes the background large.
Add a person or a known object to a landscape. It gives the viewer a measure and makes the scene feel as big as it is.
A low angle with a wide lens makes a character look large and strong. A high angle and a long distance make the same character look small.
Cham tipIf something looks small when it is really large, add something familiar to show its size.
Cham taskPhotograph one building twice: once with a person beside it and once with none. Compare how large it feels.
Check yourself: How do we judge scale in a picture?
By comparing one part with another, often with a known object such as a person.
What is contrast?
Short answer. Contrast is the difference between parts. The greater the difference, the greater the contrast.
- Similarity makes parts look like a group. Contrast makes one part stand apart from another.
- Contrast can be light and dark, large and small, curved and straight, rough and smooth, or one colour against another.
- Too little contrast makes a picture dull and soft. Too much can look harsh and confusing.
- A clear separation of light and dark between foreground and background gives depth.
- Contrast also depends on the surroundings. A mid grey looks light on black and dark on white.
Separate your subject from the background by value first, then by colour. If a subject disappears, increase the difference.
A cinematographer lights the subject differently from the background so that the actor does not merge with the set.
Cham tipIf the subject and background are the same tone, change one of them.
Cham taskPhotograph one object on three backgrounds: the same tone, a lighter one and a darker one. Which separates best?
Check yourself: Name three kinds of contrast.
Light and dark, large and small, and rough and smooth.
What are dominance and emphasis?
Short answer. Emphasis gives importance to one part of the picture so that it stands above the others.
- Dominance and emphasis mean the same: one part is given more importance than the rest.
- Colour: one strong colour among weak ones stands out. Size: a larger part pulls the eye. Highlight: a break in the pattern or hierarchy draws attention.
- Isolation: a part set apart from a group stands out. Contrast against the surroundings usually does more than any single quality (Gordon, 2021).
- Without emphasis, a picture has no subject and the eye wanders.
- Too many emphasised parts cancel each other. If everything is bold, nothing is bold.
Find the one part you want the viewer to see. Make it the brightest, the sharpest or the most colourful part of the frame.
Focus, light, movement and colour all give emphasis. A pull of focus moves the emphasis from one actor to another.
Cham tipChoose one emphasis and let the rest of the frame support it.
Cham taskPhotograph a group of objects and emphasise one by colour, then by size, then by isolation.
Check yourself: Why do too many emphasised parts fail?
They cancel each other, so nothing stands out.
Can I break the principles?
Short answer. Yes. The principles describe what often works. A maker can follow, adapt or break them to serve the picture.
- The principles come from looking at many pictures that work. They did not come before the pictures.
- Breaking a principle works best when you know which one you are breaking and why.
- A centred, symmetrical frame breaks the habit of off centre placement. It is right for a formal or confronting moment.
- An unbalanced frame is right when the story is about tension.
- A well known saying is that rules are made to be broken. It does not mean breaking all of them. It means choosing.
Shoot the picture by the principles, then take a second one that breaks one of them. Keep the one that says more.
Directors who use perfect symmetry across a whole film are breaking the habit of off centre framing. They choose it as a style.
Cham tipBreak one principle at a time so you can see what it changes.
Cham taskTake one photograph that follows balance and emphasis. Take another that breaks both. Explain which works better.
Check yourself: When is it good to break a principle?
When the picture needs it, and you know which principle you are breaking.
Questions beginners ask
What are the principles of design?
They describe how the elements of a picture are arranged: balance, unity and harmony, hierarchy, scale and proportion, similarity and contrast, and dominance or emphasis.
What is the difference between elements and principles of design?
Elements are the parts of a picture, such as line and colour. Principles describe how those parts are arranged.
What is visual balance?
It is the way visual weight is spread across a frame. It can be symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial.
What is visual hierarchy?
It is the order in which the eye reads the parts of a picture, from most important to least.
How do I make a subject stand out?
Give it emphasis with colour, size, isolation or contrast against the surroundings.
Do I have to follow the principles of design?
No. They are habits of seeing. You can follow, adapt or break them when the picture needs it.
References
- Dondis, D.A. (1973) A primer of visual literacy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Gordon, K. (2021) Visual hierarchy in UX: definition. Nielsen Norman Group, 17 January. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/visual-hierarchy-ux-definition/ (Accessed: 31 October 2026).
- Hübner, R. and Fillinger, M.G. (2016) 'Comparison of objective measures for predicting perceptual balance and visual aesthetic preference', Frontiers in Psychology, 7, article 335. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4786554 (Accessed: 31 October 2026).
- Wertheimer, M. (1923) 'Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II', Psychologische Forschung, 4, pp. 301-350. English translation: 'Laws of organization in perceptual forms', in Ellis, W.D. (ed.) (1938) A source book of Gestalt psychology. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp. 71-88. Available at: https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Wertheimer/Forms/forms (Accessed: 31 October 2026).
How to cite this guide. Alex, A., & Joseph, A. (2026). Design principles: A guide for photographers and cinematographers. Creative Hut Academy. https://creativehut.org/library/design-principles/
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