DESIGN PRINCIPLES - WEEK 3

 EMPHASIS AND BALANCE

Lecture

In this weeks class, we delved into another 2 different aspects of composition. Using various paper cutouts and even a small army of plastic soldiers,  Dr. Charles managed to show us some examples of how seemingly subtle effects such as gradation of elements in a composition can help balance the overall feel of the image. I have also learned that the golden ratio is also influenced by this theory and that calculated arrangements of small and large subjects can not only help show perspective, but do so while keeping it visually pleasing.

Visual Research

Looking for some examples of this concept through various works online, I noticed a trend in the application of emphasis. Some times the subject was emphasized through a highly contrasting colour opposing the background, and other times the size of the subject was noticeably different than the uniform background, but never both at the same time. I assumed that having both at the same time would have an overly strong and jarring effect on the viewer. Balance in an image was interesting when I was visualizing all the elements in various works as a circle, most of the time these circles would fill up the page, showing a densely uniform composition, with something to look at the majority of the canvas.

Idea Exploration

For this weeks exercise, I tried to keep things somewhat similar to previous weeks, as I didn't want to stray too far from what I've learned so far. The inclusion of color use was a pleasant addition, though. For the piece focusing on emphasis, I was thinking of including more colour into my work, however the strong contrast of black and white as well as the neutrality of the colors made me stick to these two.

 For balance, I went with a symmetrical design as I liked the uniformity that this style gives off. I tried to vary the repetitive elements in the image (more on that later) in order to give a uniform but more "organic" look.

Emphasis:

(Fig 01, Emphasis, 19/4/2021)

Sticking with the paper medium for now, it was a breath of fresh air compared to all the intense digital work that I've been doing over the past week. I designed this piece with an idea of a cluster of black coloured subjects over a white backdrop, showing that they are working together. I emphasized the main subject in red to show that is different and set it apart from the rest. Overall, I wanted to convey a story of a person who doesn't fit in working with others. I feel that the three flat colours don't bring much distraction into the image and kept it simple and easy to digest.

Balance

(Fig 02, Balance, 20/4/2021)

This piece was designed with the concept of radial symmetry in mind. I used the ripples of a stone dropping into water as a reference. I found it interesting that many processes in nature could generate these complete symmetrical patterns, and as such I decided to use this as my subject. When drawing, I realized that the water splashing up was asymmetrical, but I corrected it to be symmetrical for this assignment. It's beautiful in a way that nature has its elements of randomness from the wild water splash, contrasting from the near perfectly circular ripples expanding outwards.

Feedback:

Reflection of The Week:

I took quite a hard look at everything in the world around me to use as inspiration for this assignment. I personally would like to work on being more adventurous with colours in the near future, but I should also take things one step at a time, and work on the  aspects of composition for now. Studying design principles has also had quite a profound impact on how I look at things around me, rather than seeing, I am compelled to understand.