Visual Composition Elements and Principles of Design

VISUAL ART SPEAKS IN VOLUMES A word about composition Why do you need to know about visual composition and why is this a prerequisite course for all other computer modules? Simply put visual composition is all around us; and like many parts of our world it is of great benefit to understand why things are they way they are. Visual composition is no exception, when we work with computers all of our work has a visual aspect to it. Even the most drab word document has formatting and styles... all of which are a result of visual composition.

Visual composition is everywhere, it is all around us, almost everything man made has some element of visual composition. Take a moment to think about all the things that you see in a day and how many of these items have been visually designed. Almost everything we see looks a certain way on purpose. It is only in nature that we see that visual composition is something that we do not control.

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Visual composition is most important in the electronic medium. We must keep in mind that our products will have an audience. Without design products lack visual stimulation that we need to understand our world. Using computers to communicate visually is an art form, and like any art form it is ruled by elements and principles of design. Understanding the elements and principles of design will help you better understand how people can view art, create it and appreciate it.

Design is a way of arranging things, visually... just as an interior designer picks the colours and furniture for a room, and then decides how it is all put together. A design on a computer is an arrangement, a way of organizing something visually. This can apply to almost anything you create on a computer. So long as some will view it, they will see the design you have created.

No matter what kind of visual art medium we work with it can be reduced to seven elements of design. They are: colour, line, shape, form, space, value, and texture. These seven elements are the tools with which we organize. First we will look at colour.

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What do you see?

When you look at a photograph, video, animation, or anything visual you will always be looking at some, or many, elements and principles of design.

A word about composition Colour is also known as hue (this word represents a specific colour or light wavelength found in the colour spectrum, ranging circularly from red to yellow, green, blue and back to red). As you know, there are many colours and of course, you will use some of them in your projects.

The trick to using colours is picking the right ones for the right purpose. Some people argue that this cannot be taught. However, if you have a good understanding of colours and how they work together, you stand a much better chance of picking the right colours that work for your project.

What exactly does this mean? Is there a right and wrong? This is an arguable point. We know some colours work will together, while others don’t. However, what young designers must keep in mind is this: Does your colour choice reflect the necessary thought and research to visually compel an audience to think or perceive your project in the way you intend it to be viewed. Simply put, does your colour choice work, is it appealing and does it fit well with your project.

Here’s some food for thought... if you are working on a brochure design for a funeral home, chances are you aren’t going to pick an inappropriate colour (like a fluorescent pink). Or if you’re making a poster for an easter bunny movie, you might not use red and green colours as they are associated with Christmas. Colour choice is the foundation of good design.

Before you can choose the right colour for your projects you must first think of what your intended message is, and for what audience is this message being produced? Most likely you will need more than one colour, perhaps even an entire array of colours for your projects. In any case you will need to pick a colour(s) that will work for you and a good starting point is the kuler lab that Adobe provides:

http://kuler.adobe.com/

“THE WHOLE WORLD, AS WE EXPERIENCE IT VISUALLY, COMES TO US THROUGH THE MYSTIC REALM OF COLOUR.” - HANS HOFMANN

What you should know about colours There are three categories of colour that you need to familiarize yourself with. First there are primary colours, then secondary colours and finally there are tertiary colours.

!!!!!!!!!Primary Colours consist of Red, Blue and Yellow. Secondary colours are created by mixing primary colours together... so for example, we should all know that if you mix blue and yellow together you get green. Tertiary colours are created when a primary colour is mixed with a secondary colour. For example, if you mix green and yellow together you will get chartreuse.

Two types of primary with two purposes Primary colours come in two forms; additive and subtractive. Additive primary colours use white light along with Red, Green and Blue to create all the colours in the spectrum.

Additive colours are used to create anything that is viewed on a screen. That screen can be a tv, an iPad, your cell phone, a GPS device, or an electronic billboard. As you can see from the illustration (on the right), when all 3 colours are combined (with a light source) the colour is white. When there are no colours and no light you have black.

Subtractive primary colours, is all about mixing ink. As you probably remember from elementary art classes, if you mix up all your paints you’ll end up with black or a dark brown; but never a white. In the subtractive model white is the paper on which we print. The colours are Yellow, Magenta and Cyan.

This is an important concept to keep in mind when working with digital images. If you intend to print... always make sure that they are in CMYK mode and NOT RBG mode.

Tertiary colours are combinations of primary and secondary colours. There are six tertiary colours; red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.

An easy way to remember these names is to place the primary name before the other colour. So, the tertiary colour produced when mixing the primary colour blue with the secondary colour green, is called 'blue-green"

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RGB Additive Colours !RGB Subtractive Colours

Lines define and separate objects, they lead the eye to and fro and lead the viewer to focal points within a composition.

Lines are marks with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin. Also known as a point in motion, with only one dimension—length. Line has both a position and a direction in space.

Lines can separate items or point you to them. Lines are powerful tools and can be used as the main area of focus or as subtle background dressing.

Line is the basic element that refers to the continuous movement of a point along a surface, such as by a pencil or brush. The edges of shapes and forms also create lines. It is the basic component of a shape drawn on paper. Lines and curves are the basic building blocks of two dimensional shapes like a house's plan. Every line has length, thickness, and direction. There are curve, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, wavy, parallel, dash, and dotted lines.

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A shape is nothing more than a closed line.

A shape is defined as an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences of value, colour, or texture. Shapes can also show perspective by overlapping.

Shapes can be used to add interest, style, theme to a design. Shape can apply function to an object, like text. Natural shapes forming patterns on wood or stone may help increase visual appeal.

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Form is any three dimensional object. Form can be measured, from top to bottom (height), side to side (width), and from back to front (depth). Form is also defined by light and dark. There are two types of form, geometric (man-made) and natural (organic form). Form may be created by the combining of two or more shapes. It may be enhanced by tone, texture and color. It can be illustrated or constructed.

We will be working with a 2D objects in class... however, this doesn’t mean that you can’t mimimic the depth which we see in a 3D object. Layers, contrast, texture, line all play a role in form.

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Line & Shape

POSITIVE SPACE

Positive space, in art, is the space occupied by your subject

Rubin's vase is an optical illusion in which the negative space around the vase forms the silhouettes of two faces in profile a well-known example of figure-ground reversal.

Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject(s) of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, and not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and such space is occasionally used to artistic effect as the "real" subject of an image. The use of negative space is a key element of artistic composition. The Japanese word "ma" is sometimes used for this concept, for example in garden design.

In a two-tone, black-and-white image, a subject is normally depicted in black and the space around it is left blank (white), thereby forming a silhouette of the subject. However, reversing the tones so that the space around the subject is printed black and the subject itself is left blank causes the negative space to be apparent as it forms shapes around the subject, called figure-ground reversal.

Elements of an image that distract from the intended subject, or in the case of photography, objects in the same focal plane, are not considered negative space. Negative space can be used to depict a subject in a chosen medium by showing everything around the subject but not the subject itself. Usage of negative space will produce a silhouette of the subject. Most often, though, negative space is used as a neutral or contrasting background to draw attention to the main subject which is then referred to as the positive space.

The use of equal negative space, as a balance to positive space, in a composition is considered by many as good design. This basic and often

overlooked principle of design gives the eye a "place to rest," increasing the appeal of a composition through subtle means. The term is also used by musicians to indicate silence within a piece.

It can be a difficult concept to grasp. One tool used by art teachers in teaching about positive and negative space was popularized in the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. In the exercise, students copy from an upside-down drawing or photograph. Because the picture is upside-down, students don't readily recognize the objects in the picture. They are able to give equal attention to the positive and negative shapes. The result is often a much more accurate drawing.

NEGATIVE SPACE

Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject(s)

of an image.

VALUE

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EMPHASIS

Value Value is an element of art that refers to the relationship between light and dark on a surface or object; value also helps with Form. It gives objects depth and perception. Value is also referred to as tone.

Emphasis Emphasis is also referred to as point of focus, or interruption. It marks the locations in a composition which most strongly draw

the viewers attention. Usually there is a primary, or main, point of emphasis, with perhaps secondary emphases in other parts of the composition. The emphasis is usually an interruption in the fundamental pattern or movement of the viewers eye through the composition, or a break in the rhythm.

The artist or designer uses emphasis to call attention to something, or to vary the composition in order to hold the viewers interest by providing visual "surprises."

Emphasis can be achieved in a number of ways. Repetition creates emphasis by calling attention to the repeated element through sheer force of numbers. If a color is repeated across a map, the places where certain colors cluster will attract your attention.

Contrast achieves emphasis by setting the point of emphasis apart from the rest of its background. Various kinds of contrasts are possible. Contrast of color, texture, or shape will call attention to a specific point. Contrast of size or scale will as well.

Placement in a strategic position will call attention to a particular element of a design.

Texture

Texture is perceived surface quality. In art, there are two types of texture: tactile and implied. Tactile texture (real texture) is the way the surface of an object actual feels. Examples of this include sandpaper, cotton balls, tree bark, puppy fur, etc.

Implied texture is the way the surface on an object looks like it feels. The texture may look rough, fizzy, gritty, but cannot actually be felt. This type of texture is used by artist when drawing or painting.

We will be working with Implied texture in this course. Take a look at the wagon wheel in the centre of this page. It has much texture, but it is implied, you can’t feel the roughness of the actual wheel, but you can imagine it.

UNITY

Unity refers to a sense that everything in a piece of work belongs there, and makes a whole piece. It is achieved by the use of balance, repetition and/or design harmony.

If your work has artistic unity, then it means all the visual elements are tied together. There are no

unpleasant visual surprises for the person viewing your work. However, one must keep in mind that although unity is nice, it isn’t always necessary. Take this article for example. There are many elements that are unified in it.

Just so you know projects can have artistic unity throughout, or they may have some elements that are unified or not have many

Principles of Design The principles of design govern the relationships of the elements used and organize the composition as a whole. Successful design incorporates the use of the principles and elements to serve the designer's purpose and visual goals. There are no rules for their use. The designer's purpose and intent drives the decisions made to achieve harmony between the elements.

Harmony Harmony is achieved through the sensitive balance of variety and unity. Color harmony may be achieved using complementary or analogous colors. Harmony in design is similarity of components or objects looking like these belong together. Harmony may be visually pleasing and harmony is when some of the objects like drapes and couches share a common trait. A common trait between objects could be: color(s), shape(s), texture, pattern(s), material, theme, style, size, or functionality.

Contrast Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements eg. opposite colours on the colour wheel - red / green, blue / orange etc. Contrast in tone or value - light / dark. Contrast in direction - horizontal / vertical. The major contrast in a painting should be located at the center of interest. Too much contrast scattered throughout a painting can destroy unity and make a work difficult to look at. Unless a feeling of chaos and confusion are what you are seeking, it is a good idea to carefully consider where to place your areas of maximum contrast.

Repetition (rhythm, pattern) The recurrence of elements within a piece: colors, lines, shapes, values, etc. Any element that occurs is generally echoed, often with some variation to maintain interest. Rhythm also may be used to reduce randomness.

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol

Variety (alternation) The use of dissimilar elements, which creates interest and uniqueness.

Proportion (scale) Proportion involves the relationship of size between objects. Proportion is also relative sizes of surface areas of different colours. Proportion also depends on functionality of object. Art painting can be given the correct size in relation to room to make it an effective decorating component or source of colour.

DESIGN METHODS Despite the design rules and guidelines, the designer still has to make an attractive design, and perhaps using some of these methods: !•Design by experimentation: experimenting with different shapes, materials, sizes of shapes to optimize functionality and aesthetics of design. !•Design by modification: modifying an existing design to improve the aesthetics and functionality of a design. !•Design by chance: for example scribbling some lines and curves randomly with a pencil on a piece of paper then choose a shape outline seen in it that may be used as a wood table top. !•Design by sketching: sketches and drawings can be easily modified. !•Design using a mood board: photographs of lamps and couches, paint swatches, wood samples, textile samples, in other words a collage. !•Design in the mind: The visualization of pleasing designs that you have in the mind. !•Design with "direct" method: direct is abbreviation for describe, investigate, record, evaluate, construct, and try. This involves describing design requirements, investigating design requirements and feasibility, recording design progress and plans, evaluating the design to see if design requirements were met, constructing the design, and then trying or testing the design and problem solving. !Remember making a new great design is not automatic, it is created and then it is fine tuned and if all goes well it might become a trend or fad for a few years. This is the dream of a designer: to create a fad and get paid for it. Or perhaps more accurately get paid for your hard work, artistic merit and technical knowhow.