Some people find it mysterious that designers and artists can create a specific look and feel for a piece. They are baffled by how much the design emanates a particular mood. I think sometimes even other designers and artists wonder how the piece so captures a particular emotion!

If you can put aside the belief that it is magic, and take a close look, you’ll find it’s not so mysterious after all. Study how a layout uses the elements of design, pick apart the use of line and value, notice the color palette.

Let’s take a “fresh” look as an example and break it down.