Achieving Unity


Let's face it: Designing a poster series, like any graphic design job, can be chaos. Photographers? Missing in action. Writers? They're wrestling with deadlines and inner demons. Marketers? They're changing their minds every two minutes.

At this point in the process, the designer must bring order through composition. Literally. Poster designers must somehow create a sense of unity from a confusion of headlines, blocks of copy, photographs, and logos. Without unity, a poster becomes chaotic and unreadable. All the parts of a design must fit together to make a coherent whole.

How do we create a "unified" composition? Let's explore some of the classic principles of art and design to find out.

Proximity

The first principle of unity is proximity, also called grouping. Proximity is based on a natural principle: Things that belong together, go together. When we see objects that are grouped together on a page, we tend to associate them. We think of them as groupsregardless of whether those objects are actually similar or related. It's like guilt by association.

This law of proximity can assist the poster designer in a number of ways. First, the grouping of people, objects, and text can enhance the message. Think of a billboard in which a customer photo, product shot, and ad slogan are all interwoven. The type of person depicted (kid? grandpa? overworked parent?) will be inevitably associated with the product. If the typography is handled well, it will look like the customer is saying "I always use Bleacho," not the advertiser.

Second, grouping elements together can give them greater impact than if they were standing alone or apart from one another. When several items are placed in close proximity (for example, an interlinked group of watches in different styles), the eye moves smoothly from one to the next. The items become one visual unit, providing a single message for the viewer to look at instead of a set of discrete items.

If a group of items is the most prominent part of the poster, the structure will hold together the overall composition and draw attention to it. Any remaining elements will be viewed as secondary.

Figure 6.4. In this diagram, notice how your gaze flows from one circle to the next. The individual items are recognized as parts of the whole, which is the focal point of the design.


Repetition

Another way to create unity in your designs is to repeat shapes, colors, or values. When we see a design element repeated on different parts of a page, our eye naturally follows them, linking them visually even if they are not grouped together. We can't help playing connect the dots.

The simplest way to use repetition is to create a pattern of repeated shapes in the background of the poster. A tiling effect in the background can create a visual interest and structure that ties the foreground elements together. In this type of composition, repetition is a secondary element.

Another way of using repetition is to use a line of repeated elements to lead the eye to an important message, logo, or image. Repeated elements can form a path that draws the eye, creating a sense of suspensewhere is this going? It's a way of telling a story and compelling a viewer to look at an item you want him to focus on.

Figure 6.5. The series of caterpillars leads the eye directly to the INNU logo. The repetition continues past the logo with the butterflies, which represent how you'll feel after a visit to the salon.


Repetition can work extremely effectively even when objects themselves are not repeated. The mere repetition of a shape or color in a few places can really pull a composition together. It can be very subtle. For example, a poster for a new nail polish might show a large drop of the polish. Elsewhere in composition, the same shape and color may be echoed in the bottle of polish and the model's nails. Without our realizing it, our eyes are drawn to this repetition.

Figure 6.6. Here, the dots that are an essential part of the logo are repeated in the illustrationcreating unity, getting attention, and reaffirming the brand.


In posters for consumer products, repetition is also an effective strategy for persuading viewers to compare related items. An ad poster might be covered in a dozen pairs of shoes, all different. The initial message (shoes!) is easy to understand because related items are repeated, but a secondary effect is that the poster invites the viewer to look at each pair individually.

Another popular design technique is to present a row or set of items that are all exactly the same except for one that breaks the mold. You might design a grid of 15 squares, 14 of which are blue and 1 that is bright pink and contains a company logo. I know which square people will look at. This stand-out-from-the-pack approach is useful for helping viewers focus on the uniqueness of a product, company, or event. Repeated elements feel mundane, less important, and less exciting than the single, unique one.

It's also worth noting that repetition creates the consistency that is essential when constructing a poster series, whether the posters are to be viewed simultaneously or on separate occasions. A set of outdoor ads designed for a summer concert series must work as a team; seeing one should remind you of other posters in the series. The repetition of positioning, color, scale, or imagery can make a series a cohesive group and promote the recognition and absorption of an overall message.

Continuation

What other techniques for creating unity are there? Continuation is another method for attracting and leading the eye. It's often used in conjunction with repetition, and you've seen it in the prior examples. When a designer uses continuation, the edges of shapes in a composition are aligned to lead the viewer's eye from one item to the next.

This principle uses the properties of lines to help a composition hang together. When we see a line, our eye instinctively wants to follow it, to find out where it leads. The edges of objects can be used in the same way. Any objects in a set can appear disjointed when they are placed on a page. If items just float in space, the viewer has to do too much work to find and ultimately understand the message. By aligning the edges, howeverhorizontally, vertically, or diagonallythe composition can be unified.

Figure 6.7. Continuation is used in this poster to lead the eye vertically, from the text to the U or vice versa. The left and right sides of the U and text line up perfectly, and if "U" look more closely, you'll see the E and C of "PEACE" align with the inner lines of the U.


This technique works with images on a poster, leading the eye to information and branding, but it is also a great choice for text-based designs. Continuation makes it clear which elements (such as headlines and subheads, or photos and captions) are meant to be read together.

Underlying Color

How do you unify a composition where there are a variety of objects with no shapes, colors, or edges in common? A simple solution is to place them on a solid color field.

Now this might beg the question, Why would you place unrelated objects in your poster in the first place? Ordinarily, you wouldn't. For most commercial posters where you need to get a message across quickly, you will generally have access to some related shapes or colors.

Figure 6.8. In this poster, "Red" is not only the name of the performance and an allusion to its political theme, but it's also the color that holds the elements of this design together. Proximity is used along with a strong sense of balance to make this an incredibly strong piece.


For art events or posters where the viewer will have some time to interpret the piece, however, discordant elements can provide an interesting, experimental look. Occasionally an advertiser will ask for a surreal combination of items. Using an underlying color as a background for disjointed elements can ground them so the viewer understands they relate.

tip

A word of warning: Don't use the underlying color method as a quick way to avoid a properly aligned or otherwise unified composition.





Sessions. edu Graphic Design Portfolio-Builder(c) Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Projects
Graphic Design Portfolio-Builder: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Projects
ISBN: 0321336585
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 103
Authors: Sessions.edu

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