| GDS 108: Design Lecture #1 | Composition |
Effective placement and divisions of space provide the underlying grammar of a potent visual vocabulary.
When you design, do not allow the spacing between elements to "just happen".
Develop an active awareness of the spatial relationships that are occuring between the components of a layout or image.
Practiced consciously, this awareness quickly becomes second nature to a designer or artist.
PRINCIPLE TWO: The horizon line
Rarely is dead-center an ideal position for the horizon. A division of space such as this seems to lack imagination and the view is left feeling unsure whether to give attention to earth or sky.
A low horizon gives emphasis to the sky. Determining which portion of an image should dominate is an aesthetic or conceptual choice. The sky could be lightened or darkened and used as a place for text or other information (of course so could the road in the bottom example).
Ask: What is the purpose of this image? what "feeling" should its composition lend to the piece? Would a particular cropping help with the placement of other elements within its boundaries?
The horizon could be pushed even higher in the bottom image for an even more extreme effect.
Be decisive when it comes to making aesthetic decisions such as these; the placement of every element and division of space within a design should be conscioulsy considered and complementary to the theme of the piece.
MULTIPLE LINE PLACEMENT:
Content should be well organized. The top card is not. Linework is sometimes helpful for both organizational and aesthetic aid, as long as the resulting style is appropriate to the message being offered. Here, the principles of unequal spacing have been applied to add visual energy between the different types of informational blocks, while consistent spacing has been employed in the name/address area to keep this section orderly and low-key.
When working with multiple lines in a design strive for variety!
There are times when equal spacing between elements of a layout is desirable--such as when an intentionally static feeling is being sought to enforce a non-dynamic message or look.
An element might also be placed dead-center to insist on notice.
Unequal spacing tends to create a sense of visual movement and energy. This is often a good thing, but not always: given a message of "STOP", the equal spacing around the stop sign in the upper image seems to enforce this message best.
The eye tends to perceive elements as truly centered when they are actually placed slightly above the center of a piece.
EFFECTIVE GROUPING
Effective grouping stramlines the viewer's search for meaning and information. The designer helps the viewer by deciding which (and how) elements should visually relate to each other.
