Foo Hui Xin || 0351665
Design Principles || Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Exercise 2
1 || Lectures
Week 3 - Balance & Emphasis
Balance is the distribution of visual weight in a work of design
- visual equilibrium of the elements = image appears balanced
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| Fig 1.1, Balance |
Symmetrical Balance:
- equal visual 'weight' on equal sides of a central axis (horizontal/vertical)
1. bilateral (2 sides) balance = equal arrangement of elements on either side of the central axis (classic symmetry / mirror image)
2. radial balance = arranging elements equally around a central point
3. approximate symmetry = equivalent but not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum line (~equal division but subj matters on both sides r not exactly the same)
Asymmetrical Balance:
- unequal visual 'weight' on each side of the composition
- 1 side might contain a dominant element, which could be balanced by a few or more 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 cuz of complex relationships between elements
The Golden Ratio:
- aka phi
- mathematical concept
- ratio comes from the Fibonacci sequence (naturally occurring sequence found everywhere)
- representation of perfect beauty (as it is found everywhere throughout nature)
- guide to create visual balance in architecture & paintings
- for designers, illustrators or digital artists, it is used to bring harmony, balance and structure to their works
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| Fig 1.2, Golden Ratio |
Rule of Thirds:
- composition guideline to create more dynamism
- divided evenly into thirds, both horizontally & vertically
- subject is placed at intersecting points of the lines / along the lines
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| Fig 1.3, Rule of Third |
Emphasis (and Dominance) is used to create dominance and focus on a design
- when one part is made more important thru various elements
- elements like colours, shapes, value, etc is used to create emphasis
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| Fig 2, Emphasis |
Week 3 - Repetition & Movement
Repetition (Pattern and Rhythm) is used to make a design seem active
- repetition of elements = rhythm and patterns
- variety (change, slight difference in elements, like varying angles, exposure, compositions, etc) is essential to keep rhythms exciting & active and to avoid monotony (to avoid a boring composition)
- patterns increases visual excitement
- found in many art & crafts work
- found in many art & crafts work
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| Fig 3.1, Repetition of circles and lines |
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| Fig 3.2, Repetition of butterflies |
Movement is the way a design leads the eye in, around, and through a composition (the path the eye follows)
- when objects seem to be moving in a visual image
- from the kinds of shapes, forms, lines & curves
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| Fig 4, Movement |
Hierarchy is the choreography of content in a composition
- to communicate info & convey meaning
- directs viewers to the most important info
- identifies navigation thru secondary content
Alignment is the placement of elements
- in a way that elements edges line up along common rows or columns / their bodies along a common centre
- creates a sense of unity & cohesion
- contributed to the design's overall aesthetic & perceived stability
- leading a person through a design
2 || Instructions
Visual Research
(Balance)
Bilateral balance
This can also be found in nature because of reflections in bodies of water, making an almost exactly symmetrical image.
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| Fig 5.1, Picture by @yomu_iyashi (twitter) |
The red line divides the actual physical objects and the body of water reflecting it.
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| Fig 5.2, Picture + line showing symmetry |
Radial balance
When I think of radial balance, I think of rangoli. They have a rounded design and are most often than not found having a radial balance. Their rounded design creates a positive energy in people and brings down the negative energy levels (thehansindia.com).
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| Fig 6, Rangoli |
I realise that architecture also uses a lot of radial balance. In my knowledge, rounded shapes brings positivity and good energy for many cultures.
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Fig 6.1, Rose Window at Washington's National Cathedral
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Approximate symmetry
I find this symmetry the most aesthetically pleasing when it comes to balance. In Fig 7.1, 2 different girls are mirroring each other. On both sides of the image, the plants are arranged in different positions but the entire photo still feels so balanced.
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Fig 7.1, Ren Hang's Photography
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Asymmetrical balance
In Fig 8.1, the visual weight of the whale is a lot more heavier than the few people at the bottom bit. The whale is the dominating element in this illustration and the few people are the handful of lighter elements to balance the illustration.
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| Fig 8.1, Illustration from @makoron117117 (twitter) |
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| Fig 8.2, Illustration + line showing asymmetrical balance |
Golden Ratio
Golden ratio is found commonly in nature and literally everywhere. An artist I follow on instagram integrates the golden ratio into her drawing and I have only realised this when I watched a speedpaint video on her process of making an illustration. I was pleasantly surprised to see the golden ratio used in this way. She mentions that she uses this ratio to fill in objects along the line in her illustrations often.
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| Fig 9.1, Illustration by @xuanllli (instagram) |
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| Fig 9.2, Illustration + golden ratio |
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| Fig 10.1, Chambered nautilus by Garry Gay |
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| Fig 10.2, Photo + golden ratios |
Rule of third
'My Neighbour Totoro's poster divides the title to be on the top 1/3 and the characters to the on the bottom 2/3 which I feel like is the very classic composition for a movie poster.
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| Fig 11.1, My Neighbour Totoro's poster |
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| Fig 11.2, Poster + rule of third |
The photograph captured by @akinecoco987 on twitter (Fig 12.1) has the crow almost directly on the point most people would focus on. The moon is directly fitted in the middle of the rule of third and the trees are almost tucked into the bottom 1/3 of the photograph. I think this photo is pretty neat.
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| Fig 12.1, Photo by @akinecoco987 (twitter) |
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| Fig 12.2, Photo + rule of third |
(Emphasis)
Even though the blue flower in the middle is pretty small compared to the other flowers in the photo (Fig 13), I think the photographer gave it emphasis by making it the only clear focus and in the very middle. The rest of the surrounding flowers are blurred to give emphasis to the small blue flower.
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| Fig 13, Photograph by @tsumugi_pt999 (twitter) |
Stages give emphasis to the middle because the artists perform in the middle and are the main focus of the audience when they perform.
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| Fig 14, Coachella stage |
The game 'Genshin Impact' revealed the new map 'Enkanomiya' to the players for the first time (Fig 15) in such a way that gives emphasis to the structure in the middle of the map because it is the only thing that is glowing and in a different colour.
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| Fig 15, 'Enkanomiya' from Genshin Impact |
(Repetition)
The page from non.no magazine (Fig 16) shows a repetition of the same model in different poses and also the repetition of the same skirt but with different ways to style it.
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| Fig 16, Page from non.no magazine |
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| Fig 17, Pattern from Spring Illustration |
Flooring with repetitive patterns gives it a more organised and clean feeling... at least for me. I wouldn't be able to imagine being comfortable with having non-repetitive floorings.
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| Fig 18, Wooden flooring |
(Movement)
Even though the image is stagnant, the honey flowing down gives it a sense of movement (Fig 19).
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| Fig 19, Dripping honey |
The famous 'Demon Slayer' anime has a very unique art style which involves a lot of movement showing in their fighting techniques. 'Breathing Styles'. swordsmanship styles practiced and thought by the characters in the anime, mimics a certain element of nature and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities (kimetsu-no-yaiba.fandom.com). The art style of the 'Breathing Styles', using the movement principle, shows just that.
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| Fig 20.1, Demon Slayer art style |
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| Fig 20.2, Demon Slayer poster |
(Hierarchy)
In the promotional poster for a cafe (Fig 21), they give hierarchy to the bright drink in the front so viewers will focus on it first. Then the other 2 drinks in the background are noticed, then only the title of the series of drinks. The actual names of the drinks and the pricing are made smaller so it is looked at last.
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| Fig 21, Coffee bean & Tea leaf's promotional poster for seasonal drink |
In a clothing store's website, the image of the item would be the main focus, then the buttons to purchase it, then only the pricing and the description of the item (Fig 22).
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| Fig 22, Somedays' website |
In Youtube Music, the song currently playing takes up half the page while the list of music in a queue are a lot more smaller, taking up the other half of the page.
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| Fig 23, Youtube Music |
(Alignment)
The course menu for a restaurant has an easy-on-the-eye alignment which goes in a straight line from the top to the bottom (Fig 24.2), showing the food that will be served before showing the price of the course at the very end.
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| Fig 24.1, Kusakabe Restaurant's omakase menu |
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| Fig 24.2, Menu + alignment line |
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| Fig 25.1, Song list for BTS' album 'Young Forever' |
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| Fig 25.2, Song list + alignment line |
Idea Exploration
Topic choice #1: Balance
Radial symmetry was very fun to work on and I only decided on a subject as I drew. In Fig 26.2, I showed how to used the radial symmetry tool in the application I use for my drawings. It is supposed to be a firework.
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| Fig 26.1, Idea 1, Week 4 (21/4/2022) |
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| Fig 26.2, Idea 1 + radial symmetry tool, Week 4 (21/4/2022) |
I find approximate balance very interesting so I wanted to give it a go. I first drew 2 figures symmetrically with the symmetry tool and then gave each figure an individual identity. The ripple in the water is uneven on both sides but still spreads the same for the symmetrical balance.
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Last but not least, I find the golden ratio still a little bit unfamiliar and I wanted to challenge myself so I could understand it better. Surprisingly, Dr Jinchi gave me a big ok for this piece of sketch. I also like it more than the other 2 sketches.
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My first design for movement came from my dim sum cravings. The movement in the steam of the bao is gradually going upwards.
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| Fig 29.1, Development of idea 1, Week 4 (23/4/2022) |
For the second design, I thought of showing the movement of smoke coming out from the mouth after smoking a cigarette. The thought of steam lead me to the thought of smoke.
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| Fig 30, Idea 2, Week 4 (21/4/2022) |
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| Fig 31, Idea 3, Week 4 (22/4/2022) |
Final Outcome (process)
Balance: Golden ratio
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| Fig 32.1, Lineart + sketch, Week 4 (22/4/2022) |
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| Fig 32.2, Lineart + golden ratio, Week 4 (22/4/2022) |
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| Fig 32.3, Finished product + golden ratio, Week 4 (22/4/2022) |
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| Fig 32.4, Final outcome for 'Balance', Week 4 (23/4/2022) |
Movement
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| Fig 33.1, Lineart + sketch, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
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| Fig 33.2, Lineart, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
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| Fig 33.3, Finished product, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
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| Fig 33.4, Final Outcome for 'Movement', Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
Final Outcome (PDF)
Balance: Golden Ratio
Movement
3 || Feedback
Week 3
N/A (started late)
Week 4
When I showed Dr Jinchi my sketches for 'Balance', she showed interest in the golden ratio piece (Fig 28.1). She gave me advise on not drawing past the box the golden ratio is in, so I made some adjustments to give space on the top and bottom of the canvas. For the 'Movement' sketches, she advised to go for idea 1 (Fig 29.1). She also advised me to turn the canvas vertical so I can show more of the movement of the steam, and to add in ingredients of the bao into the movement so it does not look too plain.
Additional Feedback (Given on week 7)
Dr Jinchi said it is a good thing that I have challenged myself to work on a surface using Golden Ratio and she is happy with the outcome. As for the movement piece, she said is it simple yet effective. I have demonstrated a good understanding of the design principles.
4 || Reflection
Week 3
I finished my Exercise 1 and started on Exercise 2 on week 3 so I was rushing a little.
It was interesting to find out that there is so many kinds of symmetrical balance. I've always thought there was only asymmetrical and symmetrical, and that symmetrical must be strictly mirroring each other. Symmetrical balance turns out more interesting than I originally thought.
All of the principles sounded very intriguing to work on!
Week 4
Working on my final products were really fun, and also really time consuming.
I am not super satisfied about my 'Balance' piece (Fig 32.4) because I am still very inexperienced when it comes to colouring. I hope I can improve on that as I progress through this module and create more artworks. I liked the composition of it though, because I felt a sense of accomplishment from being able to compose an artwork through golden ratio.
However, I am quite satisfied with my 'Movement' piece (Fig 33.4) because I feel like the simple colouring matches it well and does not overshadow the movement of the steam too much.
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