| A | B |
|---|
| Alignment | Relationship of elements in a pattern or grid |
| Balance | Determined by how elements are placed on a page |
| Symmetrical balance | Elements of the design are centered or evenly divided horizontally and vertically on a page |
| Asymmetrical balance | Off-center alignment created with an odd or mismatched number of elements |
| Radial balance | Elements radiate or swirl out from a center point |
| Contrast | The use of big and small elements, black and white text, squares, and circles to emphasize important information |
| Proximity | Placing elements near each other to demonstrate their relationship to each other |
| Unity | Placing elements near each other to demonstrate their relationship to each other |
| Repetition | Repeating some aspect of the design throughout the entire layout |
| Consistency | Repeating some aspect of the design throughout the entire layout |
| White Space | Negative or empty space between text and/or graphics |
| Rule of Thirds | Visually dividing the page into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing the most important elements within those thirds |
| Optical Center | The spot that the eye sees when it first encounters a page |
| Z-pattern | The visual path the eye follows when looking at a printed page |
| Lines | Used to organize information, simulate movement, lead the eyes and enhance a design |
| Shapes | Used to enhance a publication and convey meaning |
| Mass | Used to define size, space, and create an impact |
| Texture | Used to convey a “visual” sense of feel |
| Color | Used to evoke emotion and action; adds or detracts attention |
| Value | A subset of color; lightness or darkness of an object, regardless of color |
| Color wheel | A chart used to show the relationship between colors |
| Complimentary colors | Colors that look good together to create a more visually appealing publication |
| RGB color | Colors are created by mixing varying degrees of red, green, and blue on monitors |
| CMYK color | Color is created by layering cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink in the four-color printing process |
| Color Matching | The process of matching the colors produced on the computer screen to the colors that can be printed on paper using ink to ensure the printed publication looks as much like the on-screen publication as possible |
| Hue | A color |
| Tint | A hue plus white |
| Shade | A hue plus black |
| Saturation | The amount of the hue used |
