Design Principles / Exercise 2
31.8.2021 - 17.9.2021 (Week 2 - Week 4)
Moey Jo Min (0350567)
Design
Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Exercise 2: Emphasis/ Balance/ Repetition/ Movement
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LECTURES
WEEK 2
Lecture 2 Balance & Emphasis
1. Balance
- the distribution of visual weight in a work of design
- visual equilibrium
- symmetrical / asymmetrical
Symmetrical Balance
- has equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum
- bilateral balance: equal arrangement of elements on either side of the central axis (horizontal / vertical)
- radial balance: arranging elements equally around a central point
- approximate symmetry: when equivalent but not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum line
Fig 1.1 Symmetrical Balance: The Birth of Venus
Asymmetrical Balance
- unequal visual weight on each side of the composition
- one side of the composition → contain a dominant element (could be balanced by lesser focal points on the other side)
- more dynamic & interesting
- evokes feelings of modernism, movement, energy & vitality
- offers more visual variety
- more difficult to achieve → relationships between elements are more complex
Fig 1.2 Asymmetrical Balance (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's lecture)
Explanation:
- bottom left corner has smaller portion but seems balanced → black color visually weighs more
- perspective → indicates the background is wide
The Golden Ratio (phi /Golden Mean /Golden Section)
- a number that goes on indefinitely (1.618033988749895...)
- ratio comes from the Fibonacci sequence (a naturally occurring sequence of numbers that can be found everywhere)
- representative of perfect beauty / is uniquely found throughout nature
- a guide to create visual balance in architecture & paintings
- for designers, illustrators or digital artists → can be used to bring harmony, balance and structure to one's work
- increase the appeal of a design work
Fig 1.3 Golden Ratio in website design (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's
lecture)
Rule of Thirds
- a composition guideline to create more dynamism to a work of design / photography / film / painting
- an image divided into third horizontally and vertically, subject of image placed at the intersection of those dividing lines, or along one of the lines
2. Emphasis and Dominance
- Emphasis: used to create dominance & focus in a design work
- various elements (color, shapes, value) can be used to create emphasis to achieve dominance
Fig 1.4 Emphasis (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's lecture)
Lecture 3 Repetition & Movement
1. Repetition Pattern and Rhythm
- make a work of design seem active
- creates rhythm and pattern within the work
- Variety* → keep rhythms exciting & active, and to avoid monotony
- pattern → increases visual excitement by enriching surface interest
*Variety: a change / slight difference in elements and objects in
composition, to avoid a boring composition. It can also involve varying
angles, exposure, composition, etc.
additional: closed & open composition
Fig 2.1 Repetition (closed composition) (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's lecture)
Fig 2.2 Repetition (open composition) (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's lecture)
2. Movement
- the way a design leads the eyes in, around, and through a composition → "the path the eyes follows"
- occurs when objects seem to be moving in a visual image
- movement in visual image comes from the kinds of shapes, forms, line, and curves that are used
Fig 2.3 Movement presented in Shapes (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's lecture)
Hierarchy
- the choreography of content in a composition → to communicate information & convey message
- visual hierarchy directs viewers to the most important information first, and identifies navigation through secondary content
- "where to look at"
Fig 2.4 Hierarchy in kaodim website design (screen grab from Dr Jinchi's
lecture)
Alignment
- placement of elements in a way that edges line up along common rows or columns, or their bodies along a common center
- creates a sense of unity & cohesion → contributes to the design's overall aesthetic and perceived stability
- a powerful means of leading a person though a design
Fig 2.5 Good, poor and mixed alignment
INSTRUCTION
Exercise 2 - Emphasis / Balance /Repetition / Movement
In exercise 2, we are required to choose two principles from emphasis,
balance, repetition and movement, and produce one design each.
VISUAL RESEARCH
Fig 3.1 'The Dance II' by Henri Matisse
In this piece of artwork, complementary colors, blue and orange, are used
which created a strong contrast. There is also repetition, as the five human
figures look similar, but with different poses and angles. Besides, this piece
shows movement, where you can see the people are dancing together.
Fig 3.2 Poster design by Áron Jancsó
The artist uses words to form an illustration in this poster. You can see
movement in this piece of artwork, where the words are arranged into
straight lines, indicating speed. Although there are only a few graphic
elements used in this piece, a clear image of a person riding a bike can
still be seen.
Fig 3.3 Poster design by Malika Favre (ins:
@malikafavre)
IDEA EXPLORATION
1) Emphasis
Fig 4.1 paper art by Margaret Scrinkl
I had no idea what to design at first, so I scrolled through social media to
look for idea. Then, I saw the paper art done by
@scrinkl (click to view her amazing artworks) on Instagram, and I thought it
would be great to create one. I wanted to do it manually, but I don't have all
materials needed at home. So I tried doing it digitally.
Fig 4.2 First sketch of emphasis design (5.9.2021)
My first idea was actually to create the landscape of a desert, but I think it
will turn out too simple.
Fig 4.3 Second sketch of emphasis design (6.9.2021)
Fig 4.4 Scene from movie 'Frozen 2'
Fig 4.5 Emphasis design (8.9.2021)
Fig 4.6 Emphasis design (15.9.2021)
Final Emphasis
Fig 4.7 Final Emphasis Design - JPEG (15.9.2021)
Rationale: I want to show the tranquility of the woods, and someone is enjoying the peacefulness alone. The overall color scheme is warm, and I made the tent blue to emphasize it.
Fig 4.8 Final Emphasis design - PDF (15.9.2021)
2) Repetition
I personally like traditional patterns a lot, so I think it would be
great if I could create my own pattern.
Fig 4.9 Batik pattern example
One of my favorite traditional patterns is batik. Thus, I looked for
some examples of batik pattern online, and I found something in common.
Most of them are floral patterns due to religious culture.
Process
For this exercise, I decided to do it manually. I used the quartet
continuous drawing method in this exercise.
Fig 4.10 Sketch of pattern (30.8.2021)
Fig 4.11 Trace pattern onto paper (30.8.2021)
Next, place it on a piece of paper and trace. I had drawn columns before
tracing, to make sure every patterns are traced in the right place.
Fig 4.12 Pattern finish painting (31.8.2021)
I painted it using poster color. For details, I used a calligraphy pen
to draw as it is easier to control.
Although it was time-consuming, the process was really fun.
Fig 4.13 Repetition Design (31.8.2021)
I like how it turns out, I think it will look nice if it's really a
batik (I should probably try doing that!). I also tried doing it
digitally because it doesn't look perfect. However, the digitized
version looks like something is missing. I think imperfection is what
makes it alive, just like how every one of us are. We are not perfect,
that's why we are unique, that's why we are alive.
Final Repetition
Fig 4.14 Final Repetition Design- JPEG (15.9.2021)
Rationale: Batik is one of my favorite pattern designs, I think it would be great if I could create my own pattern based on batik. So, I drew this. I tried drawing it digitally, but it turns out too perfect and I don't really like it. Therefore, I submitted the hand-drawn version, I like how it is imperfect.
Fig 4.15 Final Repetition Design - PDF (15.9.2021)
FEEDBACK
When you are creating something, you should consider what do you want
the viewers to perceive. The way you frame an artwork can make huge
impact on it.
REFLECTION
In this exercise, I felt less stressful because I am more clear about
what emphasis, balance, repetition and movement mean. I actually had fun
while doing the exercise, because I am not producing something to
submit, but something I like. I found out that doing manually is more my
style, I will try to do more if possible. Through this exercise, I think
my compositing sense has improved a little, I can think of solution to
make my piece more interesting. Of course, this is not enough, I got a
lot to learn. I hope to get better throughout time.
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