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There are in total five elements of a design which you need to be aware of: the line, the shape, the color, the texture, and the value. These are all parts to help within graphic designing although they may not be very recognisable.
1. The line.
The line is usually present in every design, even if it is a solid border. The lines can be long, red, straight, thin, blue, dashed, short, black or curved, they are all into the same category.
They are most of the time used for delimitation between different sections of a design, or are used to direct a viewer's vision in a specific direction.
The lines can create different effects and visual impact. While a thick, bold line draws attention because of its visual power, the thin lines tend to go the other way. The color has an impact too, dark colors are easier to see and draw more attention than light or pale colors.
For example:
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The lines separate the two columns and are not very bold but do the job.
2. The shape
The shape, or the form, is the second most used element of a design. this is because if there is something that needs to stand out, forms are one of the ways to do it. There can be circles, squares, rectangles, triangles or any other abstract shape; most of the designs include at least one of these and can usually be images nowadays.
3. The textures
The textures were not very popular a couple of years ago, but they tend to become more and more used. They replaced (or compete with, if we can call it a competition) the single-colored backgrounds. Textures can look similar to solid background colors, but if they are analyzed closer, small but effective differences can be noticed.
Texture styles include paper, stone, concrete, brick, fabric and natural elements, among flat or smooth colors. Textures can also be subtle or pronounced and can be used sparingly or liberally.
4. The color
The color may even be the most important element of a design, because it offers the most powerful visual impact at a single glance. Color is obvious and does not need basic graphic skills to be noticed.
Color creates emotions – red is passionate, blue is calm, green is natural. Even if you don't realize this, colors have a clear effect on your mind.
5. Value
I did not specify value above, even if it is closely related to color, because value is more general and represents how dark or light a design is. Value has a lot to do with mood too, only at a more profound level. Understanding colors will take you close to perfection, but knowing how value works will take you beyond this.
Lighter designs offer a different impact and feeling than the dark ones and you need an expert eye to notice differences and decide which one is the best.
