Variety provides contrast to harmony and unity and consists of the differences in objects that add interest to a visual image. Variety can be achieved by using opposites or strong contrasts, changing the size, point of view, and angle of a single object can or breaking a repeating pattern can enliven a visual image.

In the Valley - Jasper F. Cropsey

By varying the components of a visual design, the artist creates interest and avoids monotony. A way of accomplishing this is to establish an approach which involves theme and variations-repeating the same image, but in different sizes, colors, values and shapes. Variety is the complement to unity and is needed to create visual interest. Without unity, an image is chaotic and “unreadable;” without variety it is dull and uninteresting. In Cropsey’s painting on the left, ‘In the Valley’, the large tree creates a variety in contrast to the architecture in the distance, creating a visually pleasing image.

Good design is achieved through the balance of unity and variety; the elements need to be alike enough so we perceive them as belonging together and different enough to be interesting. An effective way to integrate unity and variety is by creating variations on a theme. Just as a composer can repeat and vary a musical theme throughout a composition, a designer can repeat and vary an element throughout a design.

Below is some work from other designers that shows the use of variety –

Some more information on variety can be found at the following sites;