Find+Share: Composition Principles

The assignment was to find three contemporary or historic graphic designers.  I went with two that I was familiar with right off the bat and are currently my two favorite designers; they are Aidan Hughes and El Lissitzky.  I thought by looking at artists that I already knew that I liked I would be able to figure out what stylistically intrigues me.

Aidan Hughes, Graphic Designer (1986-Present)

http://www.bruteprop.co.uk/gallery.htm

http://www.booku.com/At-War-with-Metaphor/Erin-Steuter/ebook_533045.htm

Within this composition, the most significant principles used are alignment, anomaly, correspondence, and scale.  Alignment is the first thing that I noticed with his design.  There a rectangular block of red on the top, the text is set in straight lines, and the image is mostly a rectangle.  Hughes uses anomaly within the image.  Although the image at first glance appears to be a rectangle, the image black blends in with the book cover black, creating a jagged bottom, as well as the man's hand slightly extending past the top of the rectangular image shape.  Correspondence is used within the rectangular shaped objects of text and image, as well as the use of an analogous color scheme that creates unity within the piece.  Scale is used within this piece to create hierarchy within the text, showing the title as most important with the largest point size.  Scale of the image was used with the image to draw emphasis to the title of the book.

 El Lissitzky, Architect/Graphic Designer (1909-1941)

http://webposters.adm.ntu.edu.sg/posters/g/1926.png

The most significant principles in this design are correspondence, anomaly, continuation, and asymmetry.  Correspondence is seen in the use of mainly black and white within the composition.  Red is used an anomaly with the use of the circular shape cut out of the giant triangular shape to create contrast within the image with one dominant image different than the rest.  There is definitely a feeling of continuation as the major black shape extends off of the composition, as well as the clusters of rectangular objects on the top of the shape gives a feeling of movement off the page.  I would definitely state that there is an asymmetry within this piece, because even though there is not a direct symmetry within this piece, there is balance.  The giant triangular shape is directly perfectly into the circular cut out of the giant black triangular shape, creating a balance in the collected chaos of shapes in the piece.

McSweeney's Publishing, San Francisco, California

http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/%2Bcollections%3A%2250%20Books%2F50%20Covers%20of%202010%22/_/detail/relevance/asc/0/7/21561/art-of-mcsweeneys/2

I chose this one from the AIGA design archive and chose it based off of what first caught my eye on the page.  There was no direct artist associated with it, but a company.  The color scheme is what really caught me, was the color and shape.  This is an example of continuation, correspondence, comparison, and alignment.  Continuation is seen in the circular shape that continues with information and images even though the circle goes off of the edges of the book.  Correspondence is seen in the circular shape and use of white throughout the piece.  Comparison is seen within the giant red circle and the white text on the red in comparison to the white background of the rest of the design.  Alignment is seen as the information spirals out from the center red circle.