Design Principles & Elements Flashcards

In the Munsell color system used in art therapy assessment, 'chroma' refers to:

Answer: The purity or saturation of a color

Chroma in the Munsell system describes color saturation — how pure or muted a hue appears.

A client consistently draws figures with disproportionately large hands. From a formal elements perspective, this use of scale most likely communicates:

Answer: Emphasis on the hands' perceived importance

Exaggerated scale draws attention and may indicate the client's psychological emphasis on that body part.

Which type of balance is created when a large light-colored shape on one side is visually counterweighted by a small dark-colored shape on the other?

Answer: Asymmetrical balance

Asymmetrical balance uses differing elements of unequal size or value to achieve equilibrium.

In formal art therapy assessment tools like the PPAT, which design element is evaluated as part of 'use of color'?

Answer: Number of hues, color placement, and appropriateness

The PPAT's Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) evaluates color on dimensions including quantity, placement, and appropriateness.

When a client's mandala shows all design elements radiating from the center equally, this exemplifies which principle?

Answer: Radial balance

Radial balance occurs when elements spread outward equally from a central focal point, as in mandalas.

Which Formal Element on the FEATS scale evaluates how much of the page a client's drawing occupies?

Answer: Space

The Space scale on FEATS rates how much of the paper the client uses, from a tiny isolated figure to filling the entire page.

Cool colors (blues and greens) in art therapy are most commonly associated with which emotional quality?

Answer: Calmness and introspection

Cool colors are widely linked to calm, withdrawal, and introspective emotional states in color psychology.