Graphic Designer's Essential Reference

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

1 DESIGN CHEF’S TIP

MAKE NEGATIVE SPACE AS INTERESTING AS FORM

Consider ...