The Basics of Building a Strong Composition

Seeing Form and Space

The first step in composing a dynamic layout is being able to decipher what, exactly, a visual element really is—to understand the visual element in the simplest way possible. A silhouetted image of a teapot, for instance, is really a dot: radial, enclosed, curvilinear; a spoon, seen on edge, is a line. As far as composition is concerned, the meaning or content of a visual form is unimportant; its true identity is what determines how it will behave when juxtaposed with other forms.

FORM IDENTITY CONVERSION TABLE

Image

1 DESIGN CHEF’S TIP

MAKE NEGATIVE SPACE AS INTERESTING AS FORM

Consider ...

Get Graphic Designer's Essential Reference now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.