Principles of Design

Proportion

As we saw in class, proportion, refers to the relative sizes and scale of the different elements in a design. Our body, the human body is the universal measure. Everything is related to our body. The size of a room, office, streets are made in a scale related to our body. There is not a sidewalk too width, for example. Well, in this picture we can see that proportion is not related to our body. The Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building is located in Harlem. As we can see this building is too big compare to a human body. As Tim mentioned in class, government buildings are usually like that, so they can express power, control and intimidation to people. The building covers most of the frame in this picture. The building is the main element in the picture. As a second element is the statue is in the lower right corner. Even this statue is three times bigger than people walking on the street. Our third element is that people that vaguely is seen. Because the building and statue count are more visible, of course due to their size. When I took this picture I noticed I felt small, I used to take classes in that building and even when you are walking to the door the feeling of power is imminent. However, you can feel secure too. Because you know you are going to walk into a big building that it’s taking care of. Of course there is this fear at the same time because buildings like that are targets for attacks. Over all, people can feel small when walking by this kind of building. Even when walking by the “small” statue next to the building.

Balance

There are two different kind balances, symmetric and asymmetric. Both of them count with balanced elements. This is also, visual equilibrium. For this concept, I am using a picture I took couple of years ago. In this picture I am with my friends on a rooftop party. First time I saw this picture, the concept of balance never crossed my mind. But now, I can see there is balance, we made it work. Even thought we did not planned like that. There are four people, two trees in the back and there is a mural on the wall across the street.  Those are the elements that make this picture work with the concept of balance.  In the foreground, there are four people who are sitting two to the left and two to the right. One tree to the left and one to the right and in the background the mural. The mural counts with four people that more visible to us. In some way, those people are divided equally to the right and left.  Balance in a picture makes me think everything is in order, under control. Even thought is not always like that. I feel the weight of the elements is equally divided also. It is a asymmetric picture, however it still exists a visual equilibrium.

Emphasis

Emphasis counts with one main point or element that defines an image. It could be more elements to complete the composition of the image. In other words, emphasis in an image shows the purpose of it. There is not subliminal messages or something like that. They want to communicate what they want without messing with your head. It is obvious what they want to tell. This image, for example, the message that the MTA wants to give is obvious. Do not delay subways by trying to hold the doors and get on when subways about to leave the station.  The colors in the images are gray and red with a white background. The subway and people are in gray color while the person trying to get on the subway is red. People that are not involved in issue the MTA faces everyday is just staying there and watching how a desperate person (red) tries to get on. The person that is trying to get on is holding the doors and sliding into it. This image is shown in so many subway station and a message that it says, “ please don’t hold the doors” I think the image is clear enough to prevent people to do that. It is clear and of course emphasizes the fact that if we do that, the subway gets delay.

Rhythm

It is a visual beat. Rhythm is like a pattern the same elements are repeated but there are variations of it in the pattern so it becomes rhythm. It is a little more difficult to describe this concept in a image. But according to the dictionary, rhythm in art, represent our desire for order. It is just difficult for me to express when I see an image with this concept. But I am using this image of a heartbeat. I could have used an image of a building, which it’s not difficult to find, especially in New York. But I was reading what rhythm means in art and when I read the part “it is a visual beat” I only could thing about a heart beat so I decided to pick this image. I feel like the ‘beat” is going to move at any moment. I feel that it is going to synchronize itself with a heart. This image has a pattern with its variations of course.  It counts with three larger lines, three mediums and three smaller and the variation of them it’s that the third section of it is in a different direction.  It has an order and makes me feel that this imagine doesn’t count with variations until I see it more carefully.

Negative Space

Negative space is the space around and between the subjects of a image.

There is a two-tone way to do it, black and white. The subject is in black and the space is white. We can reverse this technic in which the subject is in white and the space in black, this method is called figure-ground reversal. The image I am using as an example for this is the Apple logo.  This image is an example of figure-ground reversal. The main logo, the apple, is in white and the space is in black. However in this image what it caught my attention is that the silhouette of Steve Jobs is in the apple. This makes me think that Jobs’ silhouette is the main subject and the apple is the space. So I can see that this image counts with both ways to create negative space. Subject is in black (Steve Jobs) and space in white (apple) and the figure-ground reversal in which the apple is the subject and the space in black.  This image is a variation of the Apple logo in which usually the subject is the apple in white or black, it depends on the product this company is using it.