BALANCE A PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN How symmetry and asymmetry can be used to obtain balance as a principle in design

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN BALANCE IS ONE OF THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN WE WILL LEARN ABOUT IN GRAPHIC DESIGN. ◦THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:  BALANCE  EMPHASIS  RHYTHM  UNITY 2BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCE Balance (defn): Equal distribution of weight. In design, balance can be achieved through: ◦Same sized objects horizontally or vertically. ◦Centering elements on a page. ◦Several smaller elements are offset by a larger item. ◦2 odd shapes (such as circles) against regular shapes (such as squares). ◦Dividing a page into equal number of columns or rows. (FILL IN YOUR WORKSHEET WHERE APPROPRIATE) 3BALANCE IN DESIGN

75 lb What could you do to attempt to balance this scale? 50 lb 25 lb 75 lb 4BALANCE IN DESIGN HINT: Man weighs 125 lbs.

75 lb One possible solution? 25 lb 75 lb 50 lb 5BALANCE IN DESIGN

Another solution? 50 lb 25 lb 75 lb 6BALANCE IN DESIGN

Add or Subtract Sometimes to attain balance you must add &/or subtract certain entities of a given variable. In the previous example balancing it would require adding and subtracting weighted objects. 7BALANCE IN DESIGN

ARE THE FOLLOWING BALANCED? We will now evaluate 7 different figures on whether they are balanced or not. Remember to look at your notes for hints on how to establish balance from SECTION A of your worksheet. (MARK YOUR ANSWERS ON YOUR WORKSHEET.) 8BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 1 9BALANCE IN DESIGN Y-AXIS X-AXIS

BALANCED? FIGURE 2 10BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 3 11BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 4 12BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 5 13BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 6 14BALANCE IN DESIGN

BALANCED? FIGURE 7 15BALANCE IN DESIGN

ARTISTIC BALANCE Artistic balance differs from balance on a scale. We don’t empirically weigh it. We view it from a more subjective stance. It’s not so much about perfection, it’s about the feel created. It should produce a harmonic result. However, using weighted balance as an analogy can give us a platform for understanding artistic balance. 16BALANCE IN DESIGN

SYMMETRY An easy way to establish balance is symmetry, you have actually seen some examples of this already Here’s a video on symmetry. 17BALANCE IN DESIGN

SYMMETRY So how many of you feel you have a good handle on symmetry after watching that video (show of hands)? 18BALANCE IN DESIGN

ASYMMETRY AS BALANCE As you can see from examples in the previous video, symmetrical design is exhibited in our world in a number of different ways. Balance can be achieved through symmetry, but balance isn’t only achieved this way. Asymmetry is the prevalent means of balancing in design. Asymmetrical balance is more back to the scale model we looked at earlier. Objects may not look the same, but they resemble the weight of each other across a central axis line. Let’s take a look at some examples of asymmetrical balance now. 19BALANCE IN DESIGN

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23BALANCE IN DESIGN FIGURE 8

50 lb 25 lb 75 lb 24BALANCE IN DESIGN HINT: Man weighs 125 lbs. 75 lb x Going back to our weighted balance earlier. If you actually had to solve for “x” mathematically on paper what would you have to do to balance this scale? (Do this now on your worksheet)

ACHIEVING BALANCE IN MATH Solving an equation is about making both sides balanced. Solve this equation algebraically: (Make sure to show all your work.) X + 75 = BALANCE IN DESIGN x 75 lb

SOLVING FOR A VARIABLE WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO DO TO SOLVE THIS EQUATION? X + 75 = 125 FIRST OF ALL TO KEEP IT EQUAL YOU HAD TO DO THE SAME THING TO EACH SIDE OF THE EQUATION. X = 125 – 75 X + 0 = 50 X =50 IN THIS CASE WE SUBTRACTED = = BALANCE IN DESIGN 125 lb

DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING Take ◦One 2” x 1.5” post it and ◦Three 2” x 0.5” post its and lay them out in the space on your worksheet denoted “Sticky Note Exercise”, in a way that your overall composition appears visually balanced. 27BALANCE IN DESIGN

FORMAL ASSESSMENT Using the Photoshop skills you have learned so far this semester, create an 11 x 17” ad that portrays balance. You need to have one large graphic (at least 7” x 9”) One large headline 5 words or less (font size 40) One 8 word or less copy (font size 18) Do NOT use more than two font styles in your design. 28BALANCE IN DESIGN

Beatles For those who are interested, the next slide shows you what the real picture of the Beatles looked like. BALANCE IN DESIGN29

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Sources Bernard, T. (n.d.). Lesson #2: The principle of balance. Retrieved August 12, 2010 from lessons-2.asp lessons-2.asp Siebert, L. and Ballard, L. (1992). Making a good layout. North Light Books. BALANCE IN DESIGN31