From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

Creating interest: Balance and tension

From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

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Creating interest: Balance and tension

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- In everyday life, I enjoy balance and do my best to avoid tension. In design however, the opposite is true. Balance and tension are two opposing aspects that keep the viewers interest. when used successfully they work in harmony and the solution feels exactly right. When we watch a tight rope Walker we feel tension and balance. It's exciting to see because we know the danger of falling. Watching someone walk on the floor across the room tends to be less thrilling. A tight rope walker does not steady herself along the wire using a precise mathematical equation. The sense of balance is intuitive and changes with each step and each breath. Successful layouts share this sensation. A classic example is a composition by Kazimir Malevich. When the square and circle are placed in the center of the page with a comfortable amount of distance between them, the solution is expected and dull Malevich creates tension and energy by moving the squares, they are no longer centered. The black square is tighter to the edge and they have an uneasy distance from each other. It's just slightly too close. So how can you create tension and maintain balance like learning to ice skate or walking a tight rope. This takes some practice. There are a few ways to avoid a dull composition lacking in energy. First don't cut the page in half. This creates equal spaces and the eye can rest, not in a good way. Second, be careful to not create what I call donut design. This is when one element is centered right in the middle, top to bottom, left to right, and the other elements were all pushed away from the center to the edges of the page, resulting in donut design. In the same vein and watch out for thermometer design. This is when a designer places all the elements in the center with a narrow layout like a thermometer. I have a couple of ways to approach balance and create tension that are more intuitive than mathematical. When elements are in the center it appears static by moving it left or right it is active seemingly in motion. The negative spaces between the image and the edge are all different. The closer I moved the elements to the edge the more tension as the viewer considers it as moving off the page. Another approach is to think of the individual pieces as bodies with gravity. Larger elements have more gravity than smaller ones. And the tension occurs when they come close to each other. Smaller elements might drift away. The goal here is not to create a design that is irritating it is to maintain interest and energy. Unfortunately, there is no simple formula to create tension. This is an intuitive sense, your the tight rope walker and only you can use your innate sense to find that perfect position.

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