The Seven Principles of Landscape Design
Tom Xu • October 14, 2021
What Are the Seven Principles of Landscape Design?
You need to incorporate different elements to add depth and functionality when designing landscapes, creating an aesthetically pleasing look for your commercial property. If you're new to commercial landscaping, it's helpful to consider the seven principles of landscape design.
Designing a property requires extensive planning and research. Learning the seven principles can help you with your first and future landscape designs.
Why Do the Seven Landscape Design Principles Exist?
The seven principles are guidelines that assist in moving the majority of landscaping ideas to specifics. The seven principles enable a designer to create a design that involves unity, cohesion, and appeal. The principles can also determine the flow, feel, and overall functionality of the plan.
You can interchange the seven principles since you can start on any step, and you will still end up with the same results. Anyone with some experience in landscape design can apply these principles to create an impact that will improve your sustainable landscaping
design.
Since you now have an overview of the principles, the next step is learning each one.
1. Simplicity
One of the seven principles of landscape designing is simplicity, valued by most designers. You don't need many elements to look fresh; you can achieve the best design by keeping it simple.
The rule is that you should remove any components from the design that don't serve a purpose. Adding too many elements can make it appear cluttered and messy, which takes away from the overall landscape. You have to prioritize the key features to keep the landscape design clean and well-appointed.
It's also important to note that the simpler the design, the easier it is to maintain.
2. Variety
The second principle out of the seven is variety. If your design is overly simplified, it will look too sparse and poorly planned. You can create an appealing landscape design by carefully choosing shapes, colors, forms, and sizes to create a diverse landscape.
However, you also have to balance simplicity and variety because adding too much can ruin the entire design. You can take a balanced approach by starting simple and then slowly adding pieces to build on the initial concept. Ensure that each element complements the key features to create a clean appearance. You can also use well-placed pieces to hide necessary components like your air and watertight access door. Use shrubbery to hide them from plain sight so that they blend seamlessly with your landscape.
3. Balance
As mentioned before, you need to even out the different elements you add to your landscape design. Everything you place in the landscape will have a visual weight, so it's best not to rush the designing process and consider every piece or element you add to the design. Many landscape designers use the mirroring technique to create a formal balance which involves placing two of the same features on each side of the landscape. You can then follow a pattern to create visual interest within the balance you've made.
If you want to try something different, consider creating an informal balance by placing equal-but-unmatching elements that side more towards the variety principle. Using this technique, you can create an impactful, sophisticated look that is original and unique to add character and flair to your property.
4. Sequence
You can never call your landscape design complete without the sequence principle. It refers to how you utilize transitions in the elements of plant texture, shape, and size. The gradual changes with a single element let you achieve an effortless, beautiful sequence. Most commercial properties consider the sequence principle when they want to improve their landscape's overall appearance. Creative sequencing is another way to increase the impact of your landscape design on your commercial property.
Note that sudden changes of one element can create an unappealing spot within your landscape, and that's why professional landscape designers
will convince you to make gradual design changes. It also preserves the vibe and feeling before you make the changes, ensuring that people can also keep up and not feel shocked about the landscape changes. You want to create a fluid design with subtle differences for an overall flow and a high-end professional look.
5. Emphasis
Many agree that emphasis is at the top of the list when discussing the seven landscape design principles. It's a principle that focuses on accentuating different areas of your landscape using color, form, or texture. It helps lead the eye towards highlights without interrupting the overall impact. However, putting too much emphasis on one element will make it appear chaotic.
An excellent tip to remember is that specimen areas work best when alone, while accent areas need to stand out, mainly when you include them in a larger design. You can also utilize key plants to minimize architectural features.
6. Scale and Proportion
The size of each element is referred to as scale, while the relation of each is called proportion. Your goal is to find the right balance. An excellent example of using scale and proportion is placing larger trees in front of a garden, which helps move the eyes towards the trees. It's a fantastic technique for an incomplete garden design since the trees are front and center; this allows you to develop the interior landscape design further.
7. Union
Finally, you can complete your landscape design when you follow the unity principle. As the name suggests, every size, element, shape, color, or form must be in unison to create the best landscape. You can also achieve union by placing walkways, pathways, and fences to link one area within the landscape to another. It's an applicable method for large landscapes that needs division for each element placed during the designing phase.
The unity principle will come with repetition since it is a design aspect that happens in many areas. Ensure you don't use too much repetition as it might turn into dominance, making your other landscape elements useless.
By effectively applying the seven principles of design - simplicity, variety, balance, sequence, emphasis, scale and proportion, and union - you can successfully create a professional landscape for your commercial property. Be sure to apply these principles in your next project!
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