We study these principles of design in order to better understand as artists how to translate our unique visions into works of visual art. For instance, if you wished to paint a park located in your host city or town, you may wish to place a bench in the foreground, trees in the background and a fountain in the distance. Additionally, you may wish to add environmental elements of rays of sun and curved wisps of clouds. Knowing the Principles of Design will guide you in this process.

Furthermore, by understanding the Principles of Design, you have a set of tools to analyze visual art. If you did not have this set of tools, you may pass up a worthwhile work of art, or you may miss a symbol or message that the artist was trying to communicate. For example, you may be visiting the Museum of Modern Art (opens in new window) in New York, and viewing Robert Rauschenberg’s “The Bed,” a Modern Art work from 1955. By understanding the Principles of Design, you can recognize the pattern, linear movement and depth, among other elements, that Rauschenberg was communicating. This work is a vibrant example of the mixed media of Modern Art, because Rauschenberg used pencil and oil paint on a sheet, quilt and pillow, along with wooden supports

Blog/Journal Entry: In your journal, write a letter to a friend who is going to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Your friend does not want to study Principles of Design, and convince them that it’s worthwhile.