Page 60 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

48 Chapter 3. Design Elements, Design Principles, and Compositional Organization
Figure 3.5). This light system is called additive because the three primaries together create all the hues
in the spectrum.

Subtractive colour is the system needed for print media, and its primary colours are cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black (CMYK), as shown in Figure 3.5. In CMYK, the absence of colour equals white, while
combining all colours creates black. Both of these systems have many overlapping colours but their
colour spheres are not exactly the same. Understanding where the overlaps e xist and where they don’t
correspond is vital to the success of a project. If your print materials cannot be replicated on screen, you
will have a major design problem that will have to be corrected. Always choose colours that will work
in both systems.

Figure 3.5 Primary colours for the additive and
subtractive colour schemes

Environment is another aspect of colour choice that is very important. Both the natural world and the
world within the screen vary from moment to moment and screen to screen. Colours are affected and
influenced by the amount of atmospheric light available to them as well as by the colours in contact with
the object they are viewing. Texture also changes our perception of a colour as does the brightness or
darkness around it.

However much a designer hopes to define the parameters of a colour palette, there will always be
unknown factors influencing the palette on the viewers’ end. Create a palette that is focused enough
to create the right atmosphere and energy level for your project, but one that doesn’t rely too heavily
on a specific colour. Careful, considered colour use will help define a message and create a mood that
supports the composition and concept of a design work. Always create a palette that will work with both
colour systems and also be robust enough to work in less than optimal environmental circumstances.

Negative Space

Negative space, which is also called white space, is the visually quiet area that surrounds the active area
of a composition (see Figure 3.6). It is also referred to as figure/ground, and has a very important role in
composition as it shapes the visual perception of the subject. Without negative space, there is no positive
space — the effect is similar to seeing a polar bear in a snowstorm. Negative space is often thought of as
as passive and unimportant, but the active elements or ‘figure’ are always perceived in relation to their
surroundings by the mind of the viewer. The composition of the negative space frames and presents the
active elements in a flat or dynamic way. If the surrounding area is busy with many other elements, the
focal point loses its power because the elements all have a similar visual value. The works of Gustav
Klimt exhibit this quality.