Elements of a Great Design

You can see them everywhere. They could be in that Starbucks logo of your coffee cup. It could be way up there in the billboard as your drive your way back home. It could even be as simple as the chair you sit in during dinner. Great designs are everywhere and it can be anything. It is just a matter of finding what makes any design as great as it is and what we can do to capture that greatness.

First element of a great design is uniqueness. There are a lot of beautiful designs out there. There are thousands of amazing art depicting a bowl of fruit. However, even if a painter puts perfect technique into canvas you would not say that it was great design.

A great design is one of a kind. It can be congruent or even inspired by other designs but it must be able to stand on its own as a unique design. Take the Mona Lisa for example. You would see other portraits of other women but the Mona Lisa is unique. It could be the wonderfully wry smile or it could even be the fact that the Mona Lisa has no Eye brows. But, one thing for sure, there is nothing else like it.

Another part of a good design is its symmetry. A symmetrical design is eye catching because it calls the attention of the viewer. The eye sees that both sides are the same and the brain automatically picks it up. The Eiffel tower is a classic example of symmetry at work. As it towers over Paris, you cannot help but be mesmerized by its magnificence. The additional attention brought about by Symmetry is what gives a design like the Eiffel tower an advantage over other designs.

The paintings of Jackson Pollock are also great even if it is not necessarily symmetrical. In fact, Jackson Pollock's work can be described as free of form. What captures my attention from his works is the amazing array of color that we are treated to. Each splatter, blot, and drip serves a purpose and as such it conveys a message that is unique but all of this will not have been achieved if not for the collection of colors that he uses.

Another aspect of design that is extraordinary is its commitment to coherence and continuity. A great design conveys a message successfully but no one will understand what you are trying to say if you do not have a clear thought. Figure out what you want to say and say it in a clear and concise manner. This is particularly applicable for billboards and other large format printing. In this form of media, the viewer has only a short time to absorb your message so it is important that it can easily be read and understood.

There are many great ways to turn your design into an exceptional one. These are just some of the elements of a good design. Look at the other great designs out there and apply those to your own designs.