Last year, we created a Color Theory Quick Reference Poster - a cheat sheet designed to give you a quick overview of color theory at a glance. It proved fairly popular with the design community, as we received our biggest bump in traffic yet from it, and it remains one of our most popular posts. I know I still reference it quite often.
One thing that quite a few readers have asked for is a similar quick reference poster, or cheat sheet, for the Elements of Design. Well, wait no longer readers – it’s here, it’s free, and it’s pretty sweet (in my humble opinion).
*Edit: Guess what? We also have a Principles of Design Quick Reference poster now, along with our Color Theory poster!
Hit the jump for downloadable wallpapers, printable posters, and the original .EPS files.
We took what we learned from the creation of the Color Theory poster and applied it to this Elements of Design cheat sheet. The purpose of the poster is not to teach you everything you need to know – that will never happen. What it’s meant to do is provide a quick overview of the elements of design; a refresher for those in the know, and a starting point for design newbies.
We made various files available for you to download, below.
Desktop Wallpaper
Click to download the Elements of Design Reference Sheet wallpaper (grey) in 2560X1600, 1920X1200, 1680X1050, 1440X900 and 1280X800 pixels.
Click to download the Elements of Design Reference Sheet wallpaper (white) in 2560X1600, 1920X1200, 1680X1050, 1440X900 and 1280X800 pixels, viewable below.
Posters
Click to download a zipped folder of the print-ready 11×17″ PDF poster, containing both the grey & white versions.
Source File
Click to download the .EPS version of the Elements of Design Reference Sheet.
Terms of Use
Feel free to use this poster wherever, whenever, and however you see fit. All we ask is that you don’t try and pass it off as your own, and perhaps give us a link back. Thanks!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dana DiTomaso and Jennifer Marin, Paper Leaf Design. Paper Leaf Design said: New, & by popular demand: Elements of Design Quick Reference Sheet http://t.co/wwdBX7B – a cheat sheet infographic for designers old & new! [...]
[...] Elements of Design Quick Reference Sheet [...]
Thanks alot! As a design lecturer I’m hoping this will be a useful resource for their spongy young minds!
No problem! I’m glad it might be useful. I have one more I’m thinking of making, so by then there’ll be three which should prove useful.
Hi guys
I’m a tutor at a college teaching graphic design. Would you mind if I used your Elements of design and Colour theory posters as part of my teaching resources? I would ensure you are credited on any printouts.
These are really handy resources.
Wayne
Wayne: of course you can use the infographics, and thanks for ensuring we’ll get our credit. I appreciate that. We’ll likely be creating and releasing a Principles of Design poster in the next couple/few months to complete the trifecta, so bookmark/sign up for RSS so you don’t miss it! Hope your students find them useful.
[...] Another super helpful reference sheet made by paper-leaf.com. You can download the full size poster here. [...]
[...] descargar cualquiera de las opciones pueden visitar Elements of Design quick reference sheet y seleccionar el que deseen descargar o [...]
As I programmer I really appreciate getting design rules condensed into easy to absorb formats, it really helps me understand design more.
I love this! Thank you so much for taking the time to create it!
No problem guys; glad you found the infographic useful!
[...] anche in versione wallpaper sia bianco che grigio, scaricabile in vari formati qui [...]
[...] Paper Leaf Design Comments [...]