By positioning the letters at staggered intervals around the format and then rotating the formation in the background, the designer creates not only a dynamic set of positive and
negative intervals but also optical motion and a perception
of shifting between background and foreground ve siatat
DECORATION FOR DECORATION’S SAKE HARD TO IMAGINE IT WAS FROWNED UPON UNTIL RECENTLY, NOW PURITY IS OUT AND PATTERN IS VERY MUCH IN, HENCE THE VENEER OF ORNAMENT THAT ENVELOPS SO MUCH OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN SOMETHING SIMILAR IS SWEEPING THE WORLD OF INTERIORS, MUCH OF THE WORK ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES DERIVES ITS POWER FROM THE APPLICATION OF SURFACE DECORATION AND WHO BETTER TO APPLY IT THAN THE REAL SURFACE SPECIALISTS? ENTER THE ILLUSTRATOR, THE GRAFFITI SPRAYER, THE STREET ARTIST,
THE FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, AND MANY The extremely large type and MORE MASTERS OF FLAT SPACE
WELCOME TO tie GRAPHIC SONE texture in the background appear
rei eter tach © to pull to the left against the
edge of the page while the white
block appears to move to the
right The left alignment of 8 the text block creates a vertical
movement never mind Sony
the ambiguous foreground
Trang 2028
By appropriating the coarse, slightly washed-out imagery of Communist propaganda posters, but adjusting the cropping and adding other
kinds of elements, this book
cover creates something new while drawing on the power of history to help communicate
the magnitude of the subject nges, Ph.D Look to | anges, PRD |) history, a but don’t repeat it The design of tl place | nother designer faced a similar problen This cover for a reissued version of a significant art-movement
text represents the energy and
irreverence of the period and
its style without mimicking it;
instead of repetition and over- lap, hallmarks of the style, this type is distorted and deformed
Trang 3Every letter has its own shape, and, at such a tremendous size in this poster, those shapes are all exaggerated; as a result, the
repeated three-letter structure becomes intricate and asym: metrical as the viewer is able to
appreciate the varied contours
of black space around the forms A dynamically irregular spatter of red dots introduces random movement and a sense of unex: pected violence
Although the black figure essen tially is centered in the format,
it participates in an asymmetrical
Trang 4et
Iam convinced that abstract form, imagery, color, texture,
and material convey meaning
BE equal to or greater than words
Trang 5There 1s no longer agreement
anywhere about art itself, and under
these circumstances we must go back to the beginning, to concern ourselves with dots and lines and
circles and all the rest of it
Trang 6First Things First
a
Every form, no matter how cellular, and a totality A square, abstract it appears, is mean- conversely, has angles and ingful A circle, forexample, sidesthatare equaLin meas-
is a continuous line, and its ure, and is static, A square is
roundness is a very specific therefore analytical, mathe
trait A circle is therefore matical, unnatural, and finite,
endless, organic, rotational,
Forms stuff-including all kinds of imagery and type
The idea of formal beauty is highly subjective, Both these
033 images can be considered
beautiful, despite the fact that
one is sensuous and “clean” and that the other is aggressive
Trang 8032 033 |
First Things First
Form is stuff-including all kinds of imagery and type "
Every form, no matter how cellular, and a totality A square,
abstract it appears, is mean conversely, has angles and ingful, A circle, for example, sides that are equal in meas
is a continuous line, and its ure, and is static A square is
roundness is a very specific therefore analytical, mathe
trait A circle is therefore matical, unnatural, and finite, endless, organic, rotational,
The idea of formal beauty is
highly subjective Both these images can be considered
beautiful, despite the fact that
‘one is sensuous and “clean”
Trang 11
‘THE HORIZONTAL SHAPE
The Shape of Space (\
mat,” the poportional dimensions of the
where form is going to do its thing something to think about The size o the format space, compared to the form
vithin it, will change the perceived pre
of the form, A smaller form within
1 larger spatial format—which will have a
atively restrained presence—will be pe ceived differently from a large form in the
ime format—which will be perceived
confrontational The perception of thi
difference in presence is, intrinsically, a
ze to be controlled The shape of the
format is also an important consideration
\ square format is neutral; because all i
f equal length, there’s no thrus iidt or emphasis in any one direction, and
iewer will be able to concentrate on the interaction of forms without having to pay
attention to the format at all A vertical
format, however, is highly confrontational Its shape produc imultaneously and downward thrust that a again, as though sizing it up; som in the dim, ancient har
1in, a vertical abje
potentially being another person~its ver
ality mirrors that of the upright body
Horizontal formats are generall
they produce a calming sensation and
imply lateral motion, deriving from at equally ancient perception that they ar related to the horizon If you ne
vincing, note the root he we
Trang 12Í 1 DYNAMIC, ANGULAR THE BLACK, LIGHTWEIGHT 036 _ 037
A positive (black) form ona itas anything else Note also
negative (white) ground, and how the white form on the black
the reverse, retains its identity background appears larger than
as positive if there is no other its same-sized black counter- form or spatial break to define part on the white field
Asa black (positive) form and, eventually, might appear becomes larger withinanega- to be positive (white forms) in tive (white) field, the leftover the context of a black field
negative spaces become sinaller
Trang 13
Positive and Negative orm is considered a positive clement, a solid thing or object Space is considered negative—not in a bad way, but as the absence, or opposite, of form Space is the “ground” in which form becomes a “figure.” The relationship
between form and space, or figure and
ground, is complementary and mutually
dependent; it’s impossible to alter one and not the other The confrontation between es the kind of figure and ground defir visual activity, movement, and sense of
three-dimensionality perceived by the
viewer All these qualities are inherently
communicative-resolving the relation
ships between figure and ground is the Fiinftes Element Figur 04
first step in creating a simple, overarching message about the content of the designed
work, before the viewer registers the identity of an image or the content of any text that is present, Organizing figure the positive—in relation to the ground or negative—is therefore one of the most important visual aspects of design because it affects so many other aspects, from general emotional response to informa ‘ound tional hierarchy, m The figure relationship must be understandable and present some kind of logic to the viewer;
it must also be composed in such a way
this
that the feelin ompositional, or
visual, logic generates is perceived as
DARKER AND LIGHTER FLELDS
of color are jised interchangeably rie shine Uiree-dimensional sp: LSD Spar AS THE LINES OF |) hi
distinction between whal
»sitive and what I5 negati
cũ abigttlou
weas that appear to be negative
at one glar canh tive
Clemens Théobert Schedler
appropriate to the message the designer is
trying to convey The logic of composition the visual order and relationships of the abstract figure and ground—is enti
but depends greatly on how the brain
interprets the information that the viewe Visual logic, all by itself, can ¢ n extremely active rel carty meaning
tionship between figure and ground might be appropriate for one kind of communi
cation, conveying energy, growth, and aggression; a static relationship, commu
Trang 15
Laminar
4
Comparison of an active figure/ ground relationship (left)
with an inactive figure/ground
relationship (right) hints at the potential for meaning to be perceived even in such a
fundamentally simple, abstract environment Compare these pairs of simple, opposing ideas
‘THE NEGATIVE ARROWS
The General Store Kathleen Kranack Michael Thomas Paper Rad Tr] Co AN nee and Teg between the two examples: loud/quiet; aggressive/passive; nervous/sedate; complex/simple; energetic/weak; and living/dead,
vat? As shown earlier, cropping large
forms within a smaller space
may generate the perception of
new forms that become positive, a simple example of figure/
ground reversal
The intrusion of asmallshape overall This complex figure/ of exterior negative space, ground reversal presents rich
relative to the positive form,
causes the negative space
to take on the quality of a posi tive white form while still
allowing the eye to perceive
the black form as positive
optical possibilities in composi:
tion, even among relatively
Trang 16040 041 CONSIDER EACH ELEMENT
It is what it appears to be
Make decisions about forms
based on their appearance rather than on intended effect
of, Worse, Measurements
Forms optically deceptive and so must be judged accord:
ing to what it looks like; this
is all the viewer will have to
go onas well In this example, the three shapes—circle,
square, and triangle—are first
shown being mathematically the same height (top) You'll
notice that the square appears
larger than both the circle and
the triangle So, for all intents and purposes, itis, This optical
illusion is a function of how our
brains interpret rounded, angu: lar, and square images relative to each other (see Geometric
Form, page 54) If the goal here is to make all three shapes
appear to be the same size, the circle and the triangle must
be adjusted in size until they
do (bottom) Only when all
three shapes appear to be the same size are they really the
same size—as far as the viewer
Trang 17
An image’s degree of refinement refers to how much it is like
itself, how clear and undisturbed
by distracting or conflicting
elements—rather than how
clean” or “finished” it might
Clarity and Decisiveness
appear Shown here, first, is a form that is not yet refined; its internal relationships are unclear, somewhat awkward or unresolved Slight adjustments
refine its inherent characteris Th tics so that they are more
pronounced An overlay of the
Trang 18Van Lanschot he Bankiers
Trang 19a Each of These Things Is Unlike the Other
Trang 20aso MOST OF THE VISUAL Santos CONTE Compose Your Own Suber Sr 0 " a a SEATING ANDES
cat ven ot apn
Trang 21
The Dot The identity oFa dot is that ofa OIItOL comes noti ven differ {the dot fe
point of focused attention; the dot simul ntiate till remain Ever icter
taneously contract ward and radiates rape or mass with a recognizable cent in specific ( 1
outward A dot anchors itself in any space square, a trapezoid, a triangle, a blob standing it
into which it is introduced and provides is a dot, no matter how big itis True, such — relationship to adjacent fort
reference point for the eye relative to other a shape’s outer contour will ct with
forms surrounding it, incluc other pace around it more dramatically when i
dots, and its proximity to the edges of ¢ ‘comes bigger, but the shape is still
format's space As seemingly simple a ssentially a dot, Even replacing a “fl
form as it might appear, however, adotisa graphic shape with a photographic object
complex object, the fundamental buildi uch as a silhouetted picture of a clock
block of all other forms dotincreases will not change its fundamental identity
in size to cover a larger area, and its outer is a dot Recognizing this essential qual
When adot enters a space,
it establishes an immediate relationship with the space; the proportion of the dot to its surrounding area is the
most important consideration; second is its relative position
to the edges of the space
Introducing a second dot
shifts attention away from the relationship of the space to
the interaction of the two dots
They refer to each other and imply a structure—an invisible,
connecting path that splits
space apart
The dot breaks the space ina
neutral way, being weightless and internally balanced, but it might already create noticeable
differences in spatial areas if
itis placed off center, The cen-
trally located dot is settled,
comfortable, and static, but it
As dots approach each other, the tension between them
increases If the space between
dots is just about zero, its pres- ence assumes more importance
than the dots themselves, and
even more importance relative
The closer the dots are to each
other, the more powerful the
sense of their unique identity
as objects; the further apart,
the more pronounced the sense
of structure, induced by the
invisible path between them
dominates the space around it;
as it moves from the center,
there is a shift in dominance— the background asserts itself
and tension arises
@
to any other spatial interval If the dots overlap, especially if they are different sizes, the
tension created by their close-
ness is somewhat relieved
However, anew tension arises~
the dichotomy of flat, graphic
° e of ®
Additional dots In close proxiim-
ity to the pair, however, reduce
the focus on identity and increase
attention to their reciprocal relationship and thus, a sense
of structure or meaning How far are the dots from each other?
The flat dot and photographic images are all still dots
form and the appearance of
three-dimensional depth as
one dot seemingly inhabits a foreground, and the other,
a background position,
Ts each dot the same distance
from its counterparts? What is
their configuration, and what
Trang 22You don't need - : more sources of financial information fe ° ° ° e000 â e â seđ @ © eco © ° e @ 9 ©® © L} âđ e e S L) âđ e e e e e ° e ee 046 e @ ee e 047 e e eeeeeeee © e e000 ee e ee eeee e e e eeee e °
Working together, dots create an _ progressions in interval, ordered
endless variety of arrangements _rowsina grid structure, angles
and increasing complexity: and geometric patterns, curves,
asingle vertical orhorizontal andsoon
row, rotated rows, an isolated
Trang 23
NOT ALL DOTS ARE €IRCULARI
‘THE CLUSTER OF DOTS
The negative dot is created in reverse from the convergence of other forms
The perception of spatial depth
occurs among dots that are
different sizes; a larger dot advances in front of a smaller one, Changing the relative
Atremendous number of small
dots create (A) a regularized
pattern or (B) a randomized texture The darkness or light
Clustering dots of different
sizes creates a more varied contour, but overall the cluster
retains its identity as a dot
tonal values of the dots, how: ever, can create an ambiguous spatial tension among the dots, even though their relative sizes remain the same
Trang 24Bode Sound Project LINES PLAY A DUAL ROLE AS LINES IN SEQUENCE 048 049
GAL NAUER ARCHITECTS PAST PRESENT FUTURE
TOTAL COLLECTION OF 10 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS DESIGNED BY GAL NAUER ARCHITECTS DURING
‘THE YEARS 2000-2005, +++ EDITION NO, 1,0 ++ WWWIGHARCHITECT.COM +++
Trang 25Aline traveling around a fixed, invisible point at an unchang-
ing distance becomes a circle,
Note that a circle is a line,
not a dot, If the line’s weight isincreased dramatically, a
dot appears in the center of
the circle, and eventually the
form is perceived as a white
(negative) dot on top of a larger,
positive dot
A spiraling line appears to
move simultaneously inward
and outward, re-creating
the visual forces inherent in asingle dot
Athin, single line has no center
and no mass, expressing only direction and an effect on the
space surrounding it
Achange in weight among a
group of lines, as wellas a change in the intervals between
them, creates the illusion of spatial depth Lines that are
closer together exert tension
on each other and advance
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Breaking the line increases
its surface activity without dis-
tracting from its movement
and direction
in space, while those further
apart recede, If any of the lines are rotated to cross their
counterparts, the perception
of spatial depth is enhanced—
and even more so if their weights
also are differentiated
|
Several thin lines together
create a texture, similar to that
created by a dense grouping of similar-sized dots
Although a thin line generally
will appear to recede against a
thicker line, the mind is capable
of being convinced that the thin line is crossing in front of the thick line,
THREE STATIC LINES
l
Separating the lines increases
attention to their individual identities It also calls attention to the intervals between them
and what, if any, variation there
might be,
Two heavy lines that are very
close together create a third
negative—line between them
The optical effect of the
negative white line is that of
a positive element on top
of a single black element, even
if the negative tine joins open
Trang 26050
CS +
Two lines joining create an direction in one movement Lines that both enter and leave within the format, their direc: angle The joint between two Án extremely acute angle aformat reinforce the sense _ tional movement is changed lines becomes asstarting point mightalso be perceived a of their movement along the from continuoustospecific; for two directional movements; rapid movement from one direction in which they do so, theresultisthattheirtension multiple joints between lines directiontoaanother Ifthe beginning or ending points with surrounding space or forms create a sense of altered of the lines are contained is increased greatly as the eye
is able to focus on the point at
which they start or stop
= | I | | i! i /
White (negative) lines crossing Lines together produce rhythm syncopated tempo, The kind sequence, repetition, or system weights, the more complex the
in front of (and behind) black Equally spaced, a set of lines of spatial difference introduced Such rhythmic changes in inter: rhythm and movement become
(positive) lines create increasingly produces an even, relatively betweenlines affects the per- _val create directional movement;
complex spatial relationships, static tempo; differences in ceived rhythm, and might the more complex the changes,
Trang 271¬
ON THIS BROCHURE SPREAD,
ess distinct blue lines forma
BECAUSE LINES ARE (1621
they canbe used to create or
Trang 28
Asa dot increases in size, its
outer contour becomes notice-
able as an important aspect ofits form; eventually, apprecia tion of this contour supercedes that of its dot-like focal power, and it becomes a shape or Form and Space Categories of Form Putting Stuff Compositional A Foundation for Meanin: 052 053
plane Compare the sequences of forms, each increasing in size
from left to right At what point
does each form become less a
dot and more a plane?
Plane and Mass A plane is simply just big dot whose outer contour—the sense of pe—becomes an important attribute for ex: ier
mople, that it may be angular, than round Its dotlike quality becomes
secondary the larger the plane object
becomes This change depends on the size
of the plane relative to the space in which
it exists; ina large poster, even a relatively
large plane object—a square or a triangl for example—will still act as a dot if the volume of space surrounding it is much larger than the plane object itself At the Selle TVUst ROTATING RECTANGULAR PLANES create movement—ane
mass as their densities build up trical arrangement on media kit folder, The plane 1 tÍl5 € reflect a specifi
hape athe brand mark as well 1s reler to the idea of a sereent Form United ingidon