The Principles of Design
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/

McClurg-Genevese, Joshua David
Digital Web Magazine
2005

Abstract:

We can group all of the basic tenets of design into two categories: principles and elements. For this article, the principles of design are the overarching truths of the profession. They represent the basic assumptions of the world that guide the design practice, and affect the arrangement of objects within a composition.