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  • Berkeley Global

Design Principles and Elements

ARCH X475

40001
Delivery Options Online
Understand people’s relationship to space, architecture and the environment in this introductory, conceptual design course. Learn the basic elements of design to create 2-D compositions. Through lectures, readings, discussions and 3-D models, you apply the principles of design as you analyze space, form and context.

Course Outline

Expand or collapse section

Course Objectives

  • Use graphic, geometric and abstract approaches to problem-solving in the design of the built environment
  • Describe concepts using terms understood by designers
  • Think critically about design and communicate your informed opinions
  • Identify and develop a design process that leads to the discovery of working solutions
  • Explain how physical and nonphysical elements define spaces
  • Work with space as the state of interrelatedness between objects and other defining functional elements
  • Think and design through drawing
  • Perceive scale as a humanizing element inherent in design
  • Deploy verbal and visual presentation techniques

What You’ll Learn

  • Design process
  • Emotional factors
  • Inspiration
  • Pattern
  • Positive and negative space
  • Composition
  • Planar objects, openings and passages
  • Visual presentation
  • Critique
  • Scale and proportion
  • Volume and 3-D design
  • Portfolio tips

How You’ll Learn

  • Conceptual design projects
  • In-class critiques and instructor reviews
  • Midterm
  • Final project

Is This Course Right for You?

Intended for students enrolled in the Certificate Program in Interior Architecture and Interior Design, this course is also ideal for those wishing to gain a thorough grounding in accepted design principles.

Learner Outcomes

Student Tim Ferk created this project while taking Design Principles and Elements.

View larger image.

View the Interior Design and Interior Architecture Flickr gallery.

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Sections

Section 066

Sep 02 to Dec 16

Type: Live Online

Instructor:

  • Eliana Voutsadakis

Cost: $1,040.00

See section 066 Details

Type Live Online

Days

T

Time

6:00PM to 9:00PM Pacific Time

Dates

Sep 02, 2025 to Dec 16, 2025

Location

Live Online

Schedule and Location

View Details

Instructional Hours

45.0

Location

Live Online

Delivery Options

Online

Available for Credit

3 semester units

Section Notes

The course runs from Sept 02 to Dec 16, no meeting on Nov 11.

Access classroom-style interactive learning from anywhere in the world! Attend scheduled online sessions with your instructor and classmates in addition to completing your coursework. Live Online format allows you to take classes from anywhere with an internet connection. Learn more about this format.  

Equipment

The following minimum recommendation for remote learning:

  • Apple MacBook or PC

  • 8 to 16GB RAM

Section 065

Sep 04 to Dec 18

Type: Live Online

Instructor:

  • D. Roger Hay

Cost: $1,040.00

See section 065 Details

Type Live Online

Days

Th

Time

5:30PM to 8:30PM Pacific Time

Dates

Sep 04, 2025 to Dec 18, 2025

Location

Live Online

Schedule and Location

View Details

Instructional Hours

45.0

Location

Live Online

Delivery Options

Online

Available for Credit

3 semester units

Section Notes

The course runs from Sept 04 - Dec 18, no meeting on Nov 27.

Access classroom-style interactive learning from anywhere in the world! Attend scheduled online sessions with your instructor and classmates in addition to completing your coursework. Live Online format allows you to take classes from anywhere with an internet connection. Learn more about this format.  

Equipment

The following minimum recommendation for remote learning:

  • Apple MacBook or PC

  • 8 to 16GB RAM

Section Materials

  • (Mandatory)

    Architecture – Form, Space & Order - selected sections by Francis D.K Ching

    John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey 4th edition ISBN 978-1-118-74508-3

Fall 2025 enrollment opens on June 16!

This course applies to the following programs:

Certificate Program in Interior Design

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Required Courses (Phase I)

  • Fundamentals of Interior Design
  • Design Principles and Elements
  • Design Communication I
  • Color Theory and Application for Interiors
  • Design Communication II
  • Design Communication III
  • AutoCAD
  • History of Architecture, Interiors and Decorative Arts I
  • Digital Presentation Techniques

Required Courses (Phase II)

  • Building Components and Systems
  • History of Architecture, Interiors and Decorative Arts II
  • Design Studio I
  • Revit
  • Interior Finishes and Materials
  • Space Planning
  • Design Studio II
  • Fundamentals of Lighting Design

Required Courses (Phase III)

  • Construction Documents
  • Design Studio III
  • Business Practices for Interior Designers
  • Design Studio IV
  • Portfolio and Professional Presentation

Electives

  • Internship in Interior Design
  • Principles of Sustainability
  • Design Theory and Process
  • Advanced Revit
  • Communication Design Graphics With the iPad
  • Kitchen Design
  • Bathroom Design

Learn More About This Program

Notes

Departmental contact: extension-interiordesign@berkeley.edu

Instructional Types

Live Online
Live Online courses provide an interactive learning experience with scheduled synchronous online sessions held via Zoom video conferencing (Pacific Time). Learn more about the Live Online format.
Online, Start Anytime
Continuous enrollment course begins when you enroll. You have a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of 180 days to complete the course.
Online, Fixed Date
Enroll in this course by its start date and complete it by its specified end date. There are no live sessions, but plenty of opportunities to collaborate with your classmates and instructor.
Classroom
Take classes in-person at one of our buildings or partner locations.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

All of our courses are taught in English. If English is not your first language, please use the following test scores as guides in order to be successful:

  • TOEFL: 90
  • IELTS Academic Format: 7
  • DAAD: C1
  • TEM-4 or TEM-8: Level 70
  • Duolingo: 125

Note: You do not need to submit test scores.

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Course Fee

Eliana Voutsadakis

Eliana Voutsadakis, MArch, PG Cert. RIBA 3, ARB is a registered Architect with the Architects Registration Board in the United Kingdom and the Technical Chamber of Greece and has over 20 years of experience practicing and teaching Architecture. In her roles as Senior Project Architect and Project Manager she has led a range of large, medium and small projects with an extensive design portfolio including high end fashion houses in London, Milan and Los Angeles, the Athens International Airport and archaeological museums in Greece. She has worked as a freelance design journalist and has been published in architecture and interiors journals in the UK, Japan and Greece, received Architecture research funding, published peer reviewed papers, and presented her work at international conferences. She has taught at London Southbank University, Oxford Brookes University and the University of Westminster. 

ARCH X475 - 066 - Design Principles and Elements

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Course Fee

D. Roger Hay

D. Roger Hay, AIA, M.Arch, M.Urban Planning, is a practicing design architect licensed in California and has had academic teaching and research at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design. For over three decades, he has been responsible for leading national and international design of numerous award winning projects for major architectural offices in San Francisco and Kuwait. His projects and writings on architecture and urban design have been published. He is the founding principal of RHO.

 

ARCH X475 - 065 - Design Principles and Elements

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