4 Apparel designing fundamentals – Principles of design

G. Bagyalakshmi

4.0. Introduction

The principles of design are essential to the development and production of clothing used by individuals and families around the world. Each principle has a specific role in creating an aesthetically pleasing garment or ensemble. The principles of design consist of: balance, proportion (also referred to as scale), emphasis, and rhythm. When a garment or ensemble uses the elements and principles of design to create a visual unity, harmony is achieved. Garments often integrate more than one principle, while drawing from the elements of design to create a cohesive look. The following discussion will present background information on each of the principles of design and applications to clothing design and construction.

4.1. Principle of Design: Balance

According to Wolfe (2011) balance implies that there is an equilibrium or uniformity among the parts of a design (p. 205). To achieve balance, a garment or ensemble should have equal visual weight throughout the design. The use of structural features, added embellishments, or decorations to a garment contributes to the appearance of a garment or ensemble being balanced or not. Balance in fashion design can also be achieved with the use of features such as seams, hemlines, and necklines.

A clothing designer can utilize surface designs on fabric to construct a garment creating visual balance. Further, color, line, and texture can impact the balance of a design. For example, cool and light colors have less visual weight than dark, warm colors. If an individual is wearing a small amount of a dark, warm color it can be balanced out with a larger amount of cool, light colors. Balance used in clothing design can be categorized into two groups: Formal and Informal Balance.

When a garment or ensemble has equal visual weight on either side, or is symmetrical, formal balanced is achieved.

Symmetrical balance occurs when there is consistence in the element of a garment. It

tends to be the most stable, because the two sides ore exactly the same For example, a straight hemline has symmetrical balance. Most clothing is created with symmetrical balance.

The presence of identical details placed equal distance from the center, such as pockets, seams, pleats, or tucks are good examples of how formal balance is used in uniforms, blazers,blue jeans, and other common garments.
Formal balance is the most common and inexpensive application of the principles of design (Wolfe, 2011).

Asymmetrical balance can be effective too. has no “center line”, but has a sense of balance that is achieved by contrasting different elements together to create equal “visual weight” on the sides of the picture plane.

For example, a skirt that has a deliberately jagged, uneven hemline has asymmetrical balance.
Balance in fashion follows trends. For example, bell-bottoms that have asymmetrical balance between the top and bottom of the pants fall in and out of fashion; the same is true of asymmetrical necklines.
Asymmetrical balance is more complex and trickier to achieve than symmetrical balance. For example, a one-shoulder gown might look interesting with its asymmetrical neckline, but a jacket with one lapel larger than the other would just look bad.
To achieve informal balance, a garment is created using asymmetrical features such as line, color, shapes, and textures.
The most common use of informal balance is when a garment is constructed using fabric that has a diagonal line design or closures that are off-centered such as a zipper or neckline.
Accessories used in an ensemble can create informal balance that brings interest to a solid color garment.

Radial Balance:

Design radiates from a central point. This type of balance is similar to symmetrical balance, but is different in that the various elements radiate around a central point forming a circular pattern.

4.2. Principle of Design: Harmony

Harmony depends a lot on personal taste. Harmony means that there is pleasing visual unity of all aspects of a design. It is a summary of all of the other elements and principles of design. It means that all parts of the design look as if they belong. There is no excess variation that could displease or detract from appreciating the entire design or look. It is created when all the elements in a design work well together. Often a work of art will have a single element that is emphasized and dominates a painting; (a “main subject”) and the other elements support it.

Harmony occurs when the overall design, garment, or ensemble achieves visual unity.
Wolfe (2011) asserted that when the elements of design (color, shape, line, and texture) are used effectively within the parameters of the principles of design (balance, proportion, emphasis, and rhythm) harmony is created.
Another consideration of the designer or individual when creating or choosing clothing is the shape and form of the body.
Harmony cannot be achieved unless the clothing or dress complements the wearer.
All parts of the ensemble need to work together to achieve the desired look.
Whether an ensemble is harmonious or not depends upon the subjective opinion of the observer.

4.3. Principle of Design: Adornment

Clothing can affect a person’s mental attitude in a good way. This is done through adornment or decoration.
Adornment provides a psychological feeling of well-being through beauty.
It differs between cultures and it changes over time.
Beauty is a quality that gives pleasure to the senses. It creates a positive emotional reaction in the viewer.
Most psychologists believe beauty is essential to human life.
People have a need to make themselves look more attractive.
Body adornment enhances self-concept and personality.
Decorative clothing makes people more attractive.
People wear clothing that is artistically designed, and combine garments in artistic ways.
Then they further adorn themselves with earrings,bracelets, and neck chains.
Makeup and nail polish add more decoration.
The large sums of money spent each year on jewelry and beauty aids attest to the emphasis people place on personal appearance.
Adornment has been found in various cultures throughout history.
Primitive people used colored clay or vegetable dyes to decorate their bodies.
Jewelry was carved from animal bones or horns.
The body was decorated with what was available.
Adornment has been found in various cultures throughout history.
Primitive people used colored clay or vegetable dyes to decorate their bodies.
Jewelry was carved from animal bones or horns.
The body was decorated with what was available.

4.4. Principle of Design: Rhythm

Rhythm is a fashion principle that invites the observer’s eye to move over a garment. Humans’ eyes are designed to move. The eye moves from one feature on the body to another with the use of this principle. Rhythm creates a sense of movement in a design.

Pattern is created by a repeated unit of elements. It uses all the elements of art and is found in nature and manmade objects.

The following techniques create rhythm:

Repetition – repeating lines, shapes, colours, or textures

Gradation – increasing or decreasing lines, shapes, colours, or textures

Radiation – creating lines or colours emerging from a centre, like petals on a flower

Further, a pattern or texture is created with the application of rhythm to the surface design of fabrics used in the construction of clothing items or products.

Specific applications of rhythm are classified in the following categories:

Gradation Opposition

Radical Arrangement Repetition, and

Transition.

Gradation refers to a design pattern that gradually increases or decreases in size, shape, or color. An example is when designers use a gradient-dying technique called ombre that uses a gradual change in color from light to dark across the textile.

Opposition is rhythm that is created with multiple lines converging to form a right angle. One of the most common uses of this form of rhythm is found in a plaid shirt or other plaid or check pattern (Wolfe, 2011).

Radial Arrangement is created when a pattern has a central starting point. This form of rhythm can be created with the use of tucks, seams, darts, flowing lines, or colors that fan out from a central area. Tie Dye is an example of creating a radial arrangement design on fabric using color.

Repetition is when a specific pattern, line, shape, color, or texture is repeated in a garment.

Transition is a technique used to move the eye between different parts of a design at a more gradual pace rather than an abrupt change in direction. An example of this would be a continuous line created by a scarf, ruffles, or gathers.Rhythm in a garment or ensemble is distorted when a surface design, such as a plaid, is not matched accurately at the seams.

4.5. Principle of Design: Proportion

When this occurs, the movement of a garment stops at each seam confusing the rhythm of the look and the overall harmony of the design.

A garment is generally more interesting and pleasing if divided into uneven or unequal parts, and if the parts are in scale with the body.
For example, uneven ratios of one part to three parts, two parts to three parts and three to five are traditionally considered to be more interesting and artistically pleasing than one to one or two to four which can appear boring or bulky.
Uneven ratios are more similar to natural body proportions and less obvious than even ratios.
With the waist as the dividing line, the body’s ratio averages two parts above the waist and three parts below or three parts above five parts below.
Garment proportions that are harmonious with the body do not reveal nor emphasize variations in body proportions that occur due to bone structure and uneven weight distribution.
Clothing proportions can be manipulated using the elements of design to visually alter body proportions and created an illusion about the figure.

Proportion= ratios

Any fashion can be divided into parts and compared, which creates a ratio.
Draw visual lines across the design to begin.
Where there is a line, color, texture or shape change begin the first part of your ratio.
The second part of the ratio is the remaining part of the outfit.
Refers to how lines and shapes divide the space, garment, or outfit into parts. It involves the relationship of one part or space compared to another part or space, compared to the whole garment, and to the body.
Size and scale are the two important aspects of proportion.

Proportion means the size of a part in relation to the size of the whole.

It would be unusual when a persons head is bigger than the torso. It goes same with the garment designing also.For example it would be unusual to have sleeves which are bigger than the whole outfit.

Proportion in fashion design is the principle that explains the spacial ralationship between various components of a garment or accessory look good together

In garment designing, well balanced proportions are created to show the natural shape of the body.

Proportion is important when choosing outfits.
To achieve certain effects, proportion is considered as the most important one.
For example, a short person should avoid wide, baggy pants.
A tall person should avoid very long, skinny jeans.
People who are small avoid large pieces of jewellry, while tall people avoid small pieces.

Proportion/Scale

Proportion is defined by Wolfe (2011) as the spatial or size relationship of all parts of a design to each other and the whole garment or ensemble (p. 206). The design of clothing for the human body requires unequal parts or garments to be used.
A good illustration of this is a dress.
The bodice of a dress can be smaller than the portion of the dress that goes from the waist to the knee, calf, or ankle.
In order for clothing to have visual appeal on the human body, it is recommended that it flatter the natural shape of the body of the wearer.
The design details found in clothing can contribute to the overall proportion of an ensemble.
Details such as yokes, collars, pockets, accessories, buttons, and trimmings should be in proportion to the overall size of a garment.
When the size of the sunglasses is relative to the face of the wearer, proportion is achieved.
Some trends encourage the use of oversized sunglasses which makes the face appear to be visually smaller.
Overall, when all of the parts of a garment or outfit work well together the result is a well proportioned look.

Proportion and line garment proportions is directly related to the silhouette.
Silhouette is the overall shape of the garment and the division of this silhoutte through horizontal, vertical, diagonal or curvedlines or with blocks of colour or fabric creates proportion.
When we break up our bodies with horizontal hem lines, trouser widths, necklines and the position and emphasis of the waist, broadened visual illusion is created.

General rules

Vertical lines lengthen the body.
Horizontal lines emphasize width.
Straight lines are perceived to be hard and masculine.
Curved lines are considered to be soft and feminine.
Seams and darts are not standard and can be moved around the body.
Garments can be of any length, creating horizontal lines across the body.
Layers of clothing create multiple lines.

The curved seams in a dress give the impression of an hourglass silhouette. The white lines of the seams, darts and edges of exaggerate the body lines The darts in a garment visually create a narrow waist.

4.6. Principle of Design: Emphasis

Emphasis means the interest is concentrated in a particular part or area of a design.
Emphasis in clothing may be achieved with contrasts of colours or textures, lines, or unusual shapes.
It shows the major difference between elements. (Small differences add variety, but are not strong enough to create contrast.)
All sorts of contrasts are found in art and nature and include; light and shadow, large and small, straight and curved, rough and smooth; and even in mood such as joy and sorrow.
It is created by using the elements to develop a main idea. It is that which is the “most important”.
It can be achieved through placement of objects, size, complexity and color.
Emphasis is used to create interest in a garment or to draw attention to a certain part of an ensemble.
When emphasis is used by an individual or a designer, one feature of the ensemble is visually more prominent in a design than others.
For example, a bright necktie that is contrasting to the color of a men’s dress shirt draws the eye to the tie rather than the shirt.
Therefore, the eye is drawn to an item of emphasis first rather than other features in the garment or outfit.

Examples of items used to create emphasis are: a bow, appliqué, a monogram, accessories, belts, scarves, neckties, jewelry, decorative trimmings, tucks, gathers, ruffles, and buttons.

Color, line, and texture can also be used to draw attention to parts of the body such as the waist, chest, arms, one shoulder, etc. (Wolfe, 2011).

4.7. Conclusion

The principles of design serve as guidelines for applying the elements of design to a design-related task. Clothing and fabric designers utilize these guidelines in order to achieve a visually pleasing or harmonious design that the consumers will integrate into their personal wardrobes. Whether designing clothing or mixing and matching clothing in a personal wardrobe, the principles of design can be a useful tool to simplify the process of looking one’s best.

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References:

Sumathi, G.J., (2002) Elements of Fashion and Apparel Design, New Age International (P) Ltd..New Delhi.
Pooja Khurana and Monika Sethi (2007), Introduction to Fashion Technology, Laxmi publications.
Jenny Davis (2006), A Complete Guide to Fashion Designing, , First Edition, Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh.
Kathryn Mc kelvey and Janine munslow (2012),Fashion design process innovation and practice , Wiley Publications, New Jersey.
Anmol roy (2011), Fashion designing and technology, Sonali Publications, New Delhi.

Web links:

https://www.liveabout.com › Fashion and Style › Do It Yourself
https://books.google.com/books/…/Elements_of_Fashion_and_Apparel_Design.html
williamson.agrilife.org/files/2014/09/principleselements.pdf