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113112
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balance
11
Balance occurs when
visual elements within a
composition are equally
distributed and arranged
to communicate a feeling of stability and harmony. This visual
principle can be described as formal and symmetrical, dynamic
and asymmetrical, or radial. Our response to balance is intuitively
“What I dream of is an art of balance.”
Henri Matisse (1869–1954), French, Painter, Printmaker, Sculptor
bal·ance \'ba-l n(t)s\ n
6 a: an aesthetically pleasing
integration of elements or harmonious
or satisfying arrangement
or proportion of parts or elements,
as in a visual composition
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th e la n guag e of gr ap hic d es i gn
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197 7
Charles Ross: Light Placed
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
In 1955, Jacqueline Casey (1927–1991)
started her professional career as a graph-
ic designer when she joined the Office of
Publications (Design Services Office) at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(mit) in Cambridge under the design di-
rection of fellow classmate Muriel Cooper.
When Cooper joined mit’s faculty in 1972,
Casey took over as director, where she cre-
ated a series of iconic promotional posters
to publicize mit events and exhibitions.
For over three decades, she was a
woman working in a man’s world, not only
in the mit Office of Publications but also in
the environs of the entire mit community
that served as her sole client.
Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, she
received a certificate of fashion design and
illustration and a bachelor of fine arts de-
gree from the Massachusetts College of Art
in 1949. Following graduation, she worked
in fashion illustration, advertising, interior
design, and trade publications prior to her
position at mit.
Casey worked at mit for over thirty
years, during which time she developed
a unique design philosophy, a memorable
body of work, and a thought-provoking vi-
sual brand for the Institute.
In f. h. k. Henrion’s 1983 book Top
Graphic Design, Casey said, “Being a
graphic designer at mit continues to be a
fascinating experience for me. My job is a
constant learning experience. While mit
has its roots in tradition, the University
represents all that is experimental, excit-
ing, and future-oriented.”
Her work was influenced by the mod-
ernist movement, the International Style,
and by designers such as Karl Gertsner,
Armin Hofmann, and Josef Müller-
Brockmann. She developed a visual lan-
linked to taking our first steps as human be-
ings. It is that essential need to stand, walk,
and run that also relates to our fundamental,
primal need to prefer balance in our lives, as
well as in any composition.
Balance is achieved in a composition by
arranging dissimilar elements with different
visual characteristics.
Types of Balance
There are three types of visual balance:
Formal Balance
Symmetry, or formal balance, is the easiest
type of balance to achieve in any visual com-
position. It is used extensively in architecture
because it inherently conveys permanence
and stability, as well as automatically provides
a singular focus to whatever is placed in the
center of a composition. It is also based on
a mirror image. For example, if you draw a
line down the center of a drawing of a gothic
cathedral, elements on either side will appear
as a mirror image.
Formal balance occurs when elements
are arranged equally in a compositon, appear
stable or static, and are identical and reflect
one another.
(continued on page 117)
Truth
Machine
Chicago, Illinois, USA
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