Principle of Design – Unity
Unity is the feeling of completeness that a viewer senses when all of the elements seem to belong and work together.
Unity describes the relationship between the whole of a composition and its parts. Our brain perceives visual information in groups.
Continuance contributes to Unity.
A subject’s eyes can create unity.
In a graphic composition, words and images work together to create meaning.
Organization creates unity.
Our brain will attempt to link elements of the design together into logical patterns. This is called Closure.
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Unity can be achieved through the use of similar shapes.
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Unity can be achieved through the use of a common pattern.
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Unity can be achieved through the use of space.
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Unity can be achieved through the use of a common background.
In a composition with unity, the words reinforce the picture, and both reinforce the message.
Continuance contributes to Unity.
Unity in the composition is making certain that every element is necessary to convey the message you want in the composition. Test by removing an element and see if the message is still strongly there.
[Video]
View the following video concerning Unity in art by clicking in the play button.
[Guided Search]
Unity can be achieved in many different ways using many different design principles. Using your internet search engine, enter the search term “principle of design unity” and look through several different websites for how unity can be achieved in a visual composition.
When you are done, ask yourself if you feel confident that you can identify how unity is created in an image.
