WEEK ONE / DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO / CE 2404 / continuing education / fall 2006
two-dimensional design resources
TWO DIMENSIONAL DESIGN
Form and Counter Form
I know this seems basic, but the first area of concern for visual communication is how best to control the flat surface. When we begin to record visual information of the real world through drawing and painting, we work to master the illusion of converting the three dimensional world to the two dimensional surface. Manipulating this method will produce a range of shapes which works to divide the two dimensional space or composition.
The best way to begin this exercise is with form and counter form. In a drawing, painting or photograph, the form is generally anything that represents mass (an object or structure). Everything else, the surrounding space, is considered counter form. The interplay, or relationship of these two things is the first rule of strong composition.
In this class, the way I like to introduce this is through the use of masks in Adobe Illustrator.
PART ONE | Create 10 compositions of a black circle in a white square, 10 compositions of a black square in a white square, and 10 compositions of a black triangle in a white square. You can create these by setting up an Illustrator document with a different layer for each composition. Each composition can be created by making a mask out of the square, which will serve as a window, or cropping mechanism for each shape. Place a white square with a black stroke in front of a black circle with no stroke. Select both the circle and the square. In the object menu, go to clipping mask and "make". This will cause the square to crop the circle. You must then, however, select just the square with the direct selection tool and re-assign the stroke color and weight of the square. Now, when you select just the circle with the direct selection tool, you can move and scale the circle around within the square. This is the most direct way to "push" the form and counter-form around. By dividing up the space this way, you begin to reveal a different weight, energy and focus of the composition. Sit back and explore the range of compositional possibilities in this simple exercise. Click on the illustration for a better view.
PART TWO | For the second half of this exercise, enter a second shape. Once we do this, we are forced to consider the relationship of the two shapes and their position in the composition. Many things begin to occur; tension, contrast, rhythm, scale, space. When we were composing with one shape, we were seeing some of this, but with the second shape, their relationship drives the composition.
For homework: The out of class assignment is from UNDERSTANDING FORM AND FUNCTION by John Bowers:
The Four Aspects of Gestalt: Gestalt's four aspects are Closure, Continuance, Proximity and Similarity. Individually or collectively, these aspects help us understand form as a meaningful whole and not as isolated, unrelated parts.
CLOSURE: A form exhibits closure when it's separate elements are placed so that you perceive the design as a whole rather than as disparate sections.
CONTINUANCE: Continuance occurs when part of a form overlaps itself or an adjacent form. Your eye is led to follow the dominant form across the secondary without interruption.
PROXIMITY: Proximity refers to the distance between the parts comprising a form. In the figure to the right, the elements that are closer appear to be related.
SIMILARITY: Similarity among parts in a form helps hold the form together and can be an effective way to create meaning. Elements similar in size appear to be related.
ASSIGNMENT Use these same methods to express the four aspects of GESTAULT: CLOSURE, CONTINUANCE, PROXIMITY & SIMILARITY.
Have fun. Look and think creatively while you make.
interaction
gestalt
