The Difference Between Unity and Variety

Unity

Unity creates a feeling of order. When unity is possessed in a design, you will notice they're a lot of consistency of shapes and sizes. Along with color and pattern. This can be achieved by repeating key elements and  balancing them throughout the composition. 

Unity also shows completeness and appearance in the elements, showing them that they belong together. When seeing a design that has unity, you see it as a whole, not separate elements with the design. However, using too many shapes and forms may cause the design to be cluttered. 




Variety

Variety is the use of different elements in the artwork. Variety creates excitment. Art that has too much variety is "busy" and confused. Too much unity is boring. The artist's job is to find that perfect balance between the two.To use variety is to combine different elements (differences in shape, color, line, texture) into one composition. For example, a crayon box contains a variety of colors. A coin purse contains variety in size.