Landscape architects use the same design principles that artists and interior designers utilize when creating a pleasing setting for the inside of a home or commercial building. The basic design principles are color, form, texture, accent, scale, rhythm and balance. Primarily, landscape designers use living plant material to create the proper setting for home and commercial landscapes as well as parks, roadways, cemeteries, etc. They can also use non-living materials such as stone, wood and water to complete the objectives for an aesthetically pleasing and functional landscape.
Color is the most striking and visually stimulating of all the plant design principles.
Attention can be drawn to certain areas with color, and color can have a psychological effect on most people. For example, bright colors stimulate or excite, while cool colors tend to promote restfulness and relaxation. There are two types of color in a design composition. The second type of color is accent color, which is used to emphasize and draw attention to certain features. Form describes the shape and structure of landscape plants or plant masses.