7 Principles of Design & How to Use Them for Print

No matter what print marketing assets you create for your business, it’s crucial they’re devised with the principles of design in mind. Understanding the seven rules for design ensures your print pieces and marketing assets look professional and are effective for your target audience. So let’s clarify what the principles of design are and how employing them can impact your business for the better.

Explore all of Smartpress’ print marketing products.

While some may argue graphic design should be totally free of constraints and full of creativity, without at least a few guidelines, the results tend to be ineffective, and frankly, messy – neither of which you want for your marketing assets.

Thus, there are principles of design. Seven concepts that serve as a foundation for your visual compositions. They lay the groundwork that you build upon. They provide stability that’s compatible with your creativity but doesn’t constrain it. These design rules are essential for presenting your products, services, event details, artwork and branding in a way that’s strong yet still totally tailored to you. They are:

• Emphasis
• Balance
• Contrast
• Movement
• Rhythm
• Alignment
• Unity

1. Emphasis

First on our list of design principles is emphasis. What’s the thing your audience needs to know first? What’s the crucial piece of information? What’s the main message you want to convey? Whatever it is (a product spec, price, date, promo), that’s what you want to use to draw your audience’s attention.

This step is super important because if you’re not solid on the intent of your asset, your design won’t make a strong impact. So what can you do? Create an outline to organize all of your content and zoom in on the most important part. Then turn that part into a focal point with color, font size or even texture to make that area stand out.

Can you pinpoint where emphasis is on these Kraft designs?

2. Balance

Balance is one of the principles and elements of design you can’t do without. When your designs have balance, the whole composition is visually pleasing and it feels stable. Think about it: If you have all of your design elements on one side or in one corner of a flyer, it feels wrong and not secure. Which can lead customers to think your business is just as shaky.

Types of balance strategies include symmetrical, asymmetrical, the golden ratio and radial. Symmetrical designs feature elements weighted equally on both sides of the center, while asymmetrical designs feature elements with contrasting weights (like a lot of small elements opposite one big one).

You can use the golden ratio, which is approximately 1.618, to create a balanced layout, find appropriate proportions, even find line heights. Or work with radial balance, with your design elements arranged around a central point. Experiment with these balance strategies to find the one that presents your message with the most impact.

3. Contrast

In the third spot on our list of the 7 principles of design is contrast. How different are your design elements? If they’re strikingly different and in opposition to each other, that’s contrast. But contrast doesn’t simply mean your elements are different – the difference has to be visually interesting and can help organize your content.

Take fonts for example. Sticking to only two different fonts can clarify what information is more important (like a bold headline vs. plain body text). You can use contrasting color for your background and foreground elements, contrasting sizes or shapes of elements, even smooth or textured elements. However you use contrast, it’s sure to make your overall design pop.

Get inspired with our list of contrasting print ideas.

4. Movement

Movement is one of those principles of design examples that just makes sense. Movement refers to how your audience is guided through your content. Is your content arranged in a way that moves their eye logically from one piece of information to the next? Does your design guide their eye across the page or toward key elements?

Outlining the content on your asset (like a poster, brochure or sign) can really help with this. As you lay out your design, be sure to place elements along the path you want your reader to take. Directional lines and repeated shapes can also help convey the story you’re trying to tell.

5. Rhythm

One of our favorite examples of principles of design is rhythm. Does your design have a visual “beat” to it? If not, you can create a pattern with strategies like repetition, variation and pacing.

Repeating elements creates cohesion throughout your composition, while varying elements ensures your readers stay engaged. And as for pacing, it’s a good idea to use consistent spacing to establish a creative cadence or flow and enhance your audience’s experience.

Rhythm is a great way to create impactful print – here are 14 other ways.

6. Alignment

Next in line of the 7 design principles is alignment. This principle refers to how your elements are arranged in relation to each other. With the right alignment, your marketing asset has a sense of order and cohesion that makes sense for your target audience.

Depending on your content, you can align your elements to the left, right or center of your asset. You can even break your alignment to create a focal point or message you really want to hit home.

7. Unity

We touched on cohesion with the rhythm principle, but it really comes into play with unity. This principle refers to designs that create a sense of harmony and wholeness by ensuring all elements contribute to the overall vision. In short, everything’s working together toward one common goal, whether that’s a social engagement, a sale or an RSVP.

To create unity, consider things like proximity (are like elements near each other?), repetition (do your elements create a recognizable pattern?) and alignment (are your elements in a logical order?).

With any creative work, it’s crucial to understand the principles of design to effectively communicate with your audience. And whether you’re a graphic designer or marketer, these principles can help you create print marketing assets and branding materials that are visually pleasing and positively impact your ROI.