After covering
Contrast,
Repetition,
Alignment, and
Proximity in class this week, I noticed that any picture can be judged according to those for elements of design. Here are some of the pictures that stood out in my mind.
I find this well known classic from the James Bond series, interesting in a few ways. Firstly, there is the concept of the viewer looking at the agent through the barrel of a gun. The contrast between black and white of the barrel is juxtaposed with the black and white suit of the agent, against a white background. Also, the the corners of the picture are dark, making the centre stand out more by contrast. The alignment of the picture works perfectly, as the repetitive swirled shape of the barrel leads the eye of the viewer to the main theme of the picture: the silhoutte of the character. The pose in which James Bond is standing, is effective too, contrasting the uniform symmetry of the swirl, and the circle of the barrel, making him stand out.
This is the cover from "Breaking Kayfabe", an album by Edmonton based rapper Cadence Weapon. There is a great amount of contrast in the picture the author worked with blue, yellow, orange, red, black, purple, and gray to recreate the image of the artist and the title. The title of the artist and the name of the album are both contrasted to look more interesting, as well as the swirls around the words, that make it look like the picture was roughly hand-drawn. The artists' hair, eyes and lips are drawn in the same color to stand out agains the background. The picture also makes good use of proximity. With the name of the artist, and the album around the face, the album cover brings the viewer's attention to to the concentrated center. The slightly rotated alighnment of the album title and the circles leading to the artist's mouth make it look almost like he's breathing the name of the title out through his teeth.
A preview picture for the upcoming release of another installment of the Need For Speed games. The most effectively used elements in this picture are alignment and proximity. The front car is slightly ahead of the second which is slighlty ahead of the third, in a close chase. The cars are aligned really close, so that the viewer's eye trails from the first one to the last, ending with the name of the game in big font against the backdrop of the city. There is also a contrast between the faded yellow sky and the dark of the road and cars, splitting the image in half, with the title standing out right at the centre. Because the image is imitating a high speed chace, the author effectively blurred the colors in the image, creating the sensation of high speed. Special attention has been given to fine detail in this image. The road looks wet with drops of water flying away from the tires, and the cars reflecting in the pavement create an effect of repetition.
This painting is by American artist Thom Evans is called "Repetition". The obvious repetition of the haystacks on the ground is mirrored by contrast in the clouds, seemingly dividing the picture into halfves, bringing the main character in forefront to attention of the viewer. The repetition used here, not only helps create a sense of perspective, but also makes the viewer interested as to what is on the horizon, beyond the viewable part of the painting. The caracter in the painting is sitting on the side, leaving the space for the viewer to fully see the repetitive stacks both in the sky and on the ground, as if they are the main point of the paintings. The color of the man's clothing matches the color of the surrounding nature. His jeans are the colour of the sky, the shirt is like the clouds, and the hat is the golden brown colour of hay.
Links to pictures:
