Description
"An abandoned house somewhere in Idaho I believe. The valley was beautiful and the fields forgotten. Made me wonder who lived in that paradise for their lives."
Ben, C 2007, forgotten, New Jersey Link
Image provided by http://www.sxc.hu
Introduction
In this essay I will critique the visual piece ‘forgotten’ according to the principles and elements of design as well as the guidelines for visual composition. Evans & Thomas, (2004, pp. 3) state the Principles of design are the organisational rules used in conjunction with the elements to create order and visual interest. The elements of design can be thought of as content… They can represent or describe specific things that are recognisable to the human eye also stated by Evans & Thomas, (2004, pp. 19). Visual Composition is central to good design…it’s the management of the surface elements that are seen and “hidden” structures that are transparent in the composition…to achieve harmony in the viewers eyes.
Critique of ‘Forgotten’
The image I have chosen to critique is an image of an old house in the middle of Idaho from the stock.xchnge website (www.sxc.hu). I chose this image because it really stood out among the other images.
The key features within this image are the old house, the bright blue sky, the mountain and the overgrown green grass because these features are dominant within the image. The photograph was taken by Ben, C 2007 while in Idaho. The image is in the form of a landscape, digital photograph. Grill and Scanlon (1990) describe composition as ‘the means by which a photographer directs a viewer toward or through the idea’ therefore the composition seems to work well in this format.
The visual message portrayed by this image could be positive: peaceful place, “come and see this historical house,” or negative: abandoned, forgotten, isolation from society because Evans and Thomas (2004) state as an element, colour heightens the emotional and psychological dimensions of any visual image. As a result this image could be used in a wide variety of ways such as travel brochures, home improvement advertisements, or lecture examples. The image does not require words to give us a visual message but words can manipulate the image towards a particular message. Evan and Thomas (2004) explain that colours carry cultural meaning that immediately communicates without the aid of words. Representational imagery such as photographs and illustrations do a good job of arousing curiosity, luring a viewer, and eliciting an emotional response. The weakness I see in this image is in the title ‘forgotten.’ Although the house looks forgotten the background is peaceful and doesn’t support his concept.
Principles of Design
The Principles of Design are the organisational rules used along side with the Design Elements to create order and visual interest, they can be thought of as the ‘unseen forces’ that create interaction among the elements. – Evan and Thomas (2004). The Principles of Design include: Unity and Variety, Hierarchy, Proportion, Scale, Balance, Rhythm and Repetition, and finally Proximity. I will discuss the Hierarchy, Proportion and Balance of the image ‘forgotten.’
Hierarchy
Hierarchy refers to an arranged order…the prevailing influence of one element over another, and emphasis, stressing the importance of one element over another, Evans and Thomas (2004). In other words to create Hierarchy one element must have dominance over another. In this case the House has dominance in the image, (house compared to the mountain) therefore the hierarchy of the image is focused on the house. There is also another hierarchy in the image. If we look at the sky over that grass, we will notice that the sky has dominance in both colour (element) and size (element) therefore the sky has hierarchy over the grass.
Proportion and Scale
Proportion and Scale are related terms. As they explain, proportion is the size relationships of the design as a whole, while scale refers to the comparisons between the elements within the composition, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words proportion and scale help us determine the size and scale of every object within the image. In this case the mountain is scaled with the house providing us a way to compare size, distance and configuration within the image. Evans and Thomas (2004) state, Scale is a comparison of size from one element to another. We constantly compare size, distance, and configuration in the natural and constructed world. Comparisons based on a known constant provide a familiar orientation. In this case, the house is the known constant and provides a familiar orientation with the mountain.
Balance
Balance is the visual distribution of elements in a composition. There are two types of visual balance: symmetric and asymmetric. In symmetric balance, elements are arranged the same or very similar on either side of the central axis. Asymmetric balance is the art of creating balance using uneven numbers, sizes, or kinds of elements, managing the relationship between negative and positive space and form and counter form, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words there are two types of balance, symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric balance has an equal balance on both sides of a central axis whereas asymmetric balance is weighted to one side but still balance.
In this image, the house is positioned to the right side of the central axis (the image is not equally balance on both sides of the central axis), with the mountain balancing the image on the left therefore symmetric balance has been ruled out and asymmetric balance fits with the description.
Butterfly image provided by www.sxc.com
Elements of Design
The Elements of Design can be thought of as content…elements can be used to represent or describe anything in specific things. A line can represent a leaf, the human has a shape, a bowl of fruit has colour. The elements of design constitute the content of a graphic design. The elements are seen and exist on the surface or picture plane of a composition, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words the elements are the visual representations that we see in design. These can be Shape and Space, Line, Size, Colour, Texture, and lastly Typography.
I will be discussing the elements Shape and Space, Colour and Line and their roles in the image ‘forgotten.’
Shape and Space
Shape can be defined as a figure or mass. When shapes possess volume, they are better described as form, which is mass that has volume. The configuration of the shape or form determines its meaning, Evans and Thomas (2004).
Space can be thought of as an area activated by the other elements. When a line or shape element is introduced into an area of space, it is said that the space is activated, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words Shapes can represent every day objects that we can relate to, and Space is the area around the existing element.
In the image ‘forgotten,’ shape is used in the form of house and in the form of the mountain, which are everyday objects that everyone can relate to. The sky has taken the role of space. The elements that make up this image (shape, line, texture, and colour) have ‘activated’ the sky above, as space.
Colour
Colour describes the intrinsic hues found in light and pigment. Colour heightens the emotional and psychological dimensions of any visual image, they carry cultural meaning that immediately communicates without the aid of words or pictures, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In this case, there is an emphasis on colour. There are four distinct colours used in this image, blue (sky), green (grass), yellow (also in grass) and different shades of grey (house). The emotion given by the bold solid colours is positive, but the emotion of the grey house is negative. The colours (blues, greens and yellows) enhance the composition through contrast and make the house really stand out of the image. Evans and Thomas (2004) state, colour enhances compositional space by controlling colour contrasts and can have a role in supporting all of the visual principles, which can be applied to the other elements.
Line
Line is the strongest of all elements because without line there can be no shape, form or texture, Peterson (2003). A line can be thought of as the moving path of a point, Evans and Thomas (2004). The path itself determines the quality and character of the resulting line, Grill and Scanlon (1990).
Line is very strong within this image. Its in the grass, it defines the mountain, and most of all it makes up the house
Visual Composition
Organisation and Visual Relationships are central to good design. There are many factors to consider in achieving a good visual design, Evans and Thomas (2004). These factors are format, orientation, grids, eye movement, and theme which are important structures that achieve visual harmony. I will be discussing Format and Orientation, Grid Systems, and Contrast in relation to the image ‘forgotten.’
Format and Orientation
In the design world the term format is used in two ways. It is the surface area that contains the design composition. The shape, size, and general make-up of the format is determined by the kind of design, that is, web sites, posters, calendars, banners, and much more, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words the format and orientation is how the overall design will be presented.
The image is in the form of a landscape, digital photograph, 2816 x 2112 pixels at 300 dpi (dots per inch). The colour representation is sRGB. The photograph was taken with a Pentax ZX-50 camera.
Grid Systems
Landa (2001) describe a grid system as a guide which is a…modular compositional structure made up of verticals and horizontals that divide a format into margins and colomns (p 104). Grids can be constructed from squares, rectangles or triangles…and can be combined to establish a hierarchy to manage the outer proportions and internal placement of design elements, Evans and Thomas (2004).
In other words a grid system helps guide you to placing elements within your design to achieve a ‘visual harmony.’
This image uses the Golden Ratio grid system. When the Golden Ratio is drawn over the image (as seen in the images below) it is evident that the image fits within the guides.
The Golden ratio (also known as Phi) is the ratio shown below that can be derived in many ways mathematically and geometrically and also shows up in relationships throughout the universe. The Golden Ratio shows up in the proportions of the human body and face as well as animals and nature, it has been used by craftsmen and professionals of many fields to understand and achieve beauty, balance and harmony in their work, Meisner (2004 – 2007)
The Golden Ratio shows up in nature an arcutecture therefore the Golden Ratio grid system fits over the image ‘forgotten.’
Contrast
Contrast is the juxtaposition of two or more elements which provides variety to a design…contrasting relationships can be visually articulated using combinations of the elements of design, Evans and Thomas (2004). Contrast can be found in countless forms. Some examples are light against dark, negative over positive, rough verses smooth. Evans and Thomas (2004) state that creating a contrast between different elements of design, creates a visual interest by presenting opposing context that allows one to compliment the other.
In the image ‘forgotten,’ we can pick out the design elements find contrast for each of them. The colour blue is contrasting the green, vertical lines are contrasting horizontal lines; the house is contrasted in nature, the house size contrasts with the mountain size. Although all these elements are contrasting each other, the all compliment each other to create this image as explained be Evans and Thomas (2004).
Summary
Evans & Thomas, (2004) state the Principles of design are the organisational rules used in conjunction with the elements to create order and visual interest. The elements of design can be thought of as content…they can represent or describe specific things that are recognisable to the human eye. Visual Composition is central to good design…it’s the management of the surface elements that are seen and “hidden” structures that are transparent in the composition…to achieve harmony in the viewers eyes.
The image I have chosen to critique is an image of an old house in the middle of Idaho from the stock.xchnge website (www.sxc.hu). I chose this image because it really stood out among the other images.
After critiquing the image through the principles (hierarchy, balance and proportion), elements (shape and space, colour and line) and visual compositions (format, grid systems, and contrast) of design I have discovered that this image follows the basic rules of design and fits with the visual compositions, format, golden ratio and contrast.
References
Evans, P. and Thomas, M. 2004, Exploring the Elements of Design, Delmar Learning, New York.
Grill, T. and Scanlon, M. 1990, Photographic Composition, Amphoto Books, New York.
Peterson, B. 2005, Learning to See Creatively, Revised ed., Amphoto Books, New York.
Landa, R. 2001, Graphic Design Solutions, Thomson Learning, Canada.
Meisner, G. 2004-2007, The Golden Section, http://goldennumber.net/goldsect.htm
House.jpg, ‘forgotten’, http://www.sxc.hu
blue.jpg, ‘Blue Butterfly’, http://www.sxc.hu
Appendices
Websites:
http://www.phimatrix.com
http://goldennumber.net
http://www.google.com
http://www.sxc.hu
Books:
Exploring the Elements of Design by P. Evans and M. Thomas (2004)
Photographic Composition by T. Grill and M. Scanlon (1990)
Learning to See Creatively by B. Peterson (2005)
Graphic Design Solutions by R. Lansa (2001)
Programs:
Adobe Photoshop CS2
Microsoft Office 2007
Phi Matrix 1.1