Page 74 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

62 Chapter 3. Design Elements, Design Principles, and Compositional Organization
7. Contrast of extension refers to the contrast between the area of one colour and another.
Different areas of one colour are needed to balance another.

For text, contrast is achieved by using varied colours, serif and sans serif, type styles that are not often
paired, or type in place of an image. As contrast in elements diminishes, the elements begin to feel
similar, and the level of visual interest decreases.

Emphasis

A focal point in a composition draws the eye to it before the eye engages with the rest of the visual
information. This is called emphasis and is achieved by making a specific element gain the attention of
the eye. Emphasis is created in graphic design by making only one focal point and clearly emphasizing
it by placing the elements on the page in positions where the eye is naturally drawn to the proper
entry into the work. Designers rely on additional compositional principles to support the hierarchy of a
composition such as contrast, repetition, or movement.

Designers use emphasis to assist viewers in identifying the relative importance of each element in a
composition. Emphasis is strongly linked to visual hierarchy. Both emphasis and visual hierarchy create
order for the viewer, allowing the eye to see the first element of importance, then the second, then the
third, and so on. Graphic elements gain or lose emphasis by changing in size, visual intensity, colour,
complexity, uniqueness, placement on the page, and relationship to other elements.

Movement

Figure 3.18 Example of movement

Movement is made by creating visual instability — like motion in a photograph that blurs the image, as
shown in the example in Figure 3.18. Creating the illusion of movement photographically or artistically
is not difficult because a blur translates into movement in the mind of the viewer. However, it is not