Balance: A design principle that addresses the equal distribution of visual weight in any given piece of art.
Relative Weight
Our strong sense of gravity makes us experience visual weight in compositions as well. The relative weight is a major consideration in a design, since we long for a certain balance in a design. Balanced designs calm the viewer whereas unbalanced compositions communicate unrest and tension. The visual weight of any individual shape is always relative to and interactive with its overall color surroundings. However, some colors are innately visually heavy, while others are inherently light in weight. Inherently heavy colors include dark colors (dark hues), high saturation colors (pure colors), or powerful hues. Powerful hues include warm hues, which at full strength tend to visually dominate other colors: red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow. Lightweight colors are those that are pale in value or low in saturation (muted). Cool colors are traditionally considered to be less dominant than warms, but this is certainly not a strict rule. Light or medium value achromatic colors such as pale grays are also visually lighter in weight than, for example, saturated colors. A dark achromatic color like black or dark gray is almost always visually heavy.
Complex or irregular shapes tend to posses a larger visual weight than simple or regular shapes. Detailed textures have a larger weight than vague or no textures. Colors in a high contrast also appear heavier than colors in a lower contrast.
Light Heavy
Achromatic Colors High Saturation Colors
Light Value Colors Dark Value Colors
Cool Colors: Light Value or Low Saturation Warm Colors, High Saturation
Low Saturation Light Colors High Saturation, Dark Colors
Light Inherent Value Hues (yellow) Dark Inherent Hue Values (blue)
Low contrasting colors High contrasting colors
Simple or regular shapes Complex, irregular shapes
Vague or no textures Detailed textures
Size and placement also influence your balance. Large: heavy. In the middle and touching the sides: heavy.
Symmetrical Balance/Formal Balance
Tyler Stanczak
Colors are equally positioned on either side of the axis of a symmetrical composition. The Axis can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. You can also have a biaxial composition (two axes are used in one composition). Patterns are examples of biaxial symmetrical balanced compositions.
Symmetry is very appealing; we are symmetrical. We can experience true symmetrical balance as a little strange.
Radial Color Balance
Photographer Unknown
This is a special form of symmetrical balance
The color elements in a radial composition originate from one or more points; this radial color balance works well for color luminosity.
Asymmetrical Color Balance/Informal Balance
Wasilly Kandinsky
James Kuo
webdesign
Last two images found on http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/graphicsblog/2008/03/05/symmetrical-vs-asymmetrical-design-that-is-the-question/
Asymmetrical color balance has composition that does not rely on symmetry. There is no one single simple rule to achieve asymmetrical balance; it is achieved less structured. The designer senses whether a composition is successfully balanced or not. When the eye movement is repeatedly drawn towards the same area, the balance is probably off.
Colors can be a decisive factor in a compositional equation for asymmetrical balance. A designer can fine-tune color positioning to balance even a seemingly unequal asymmetrical design. A composition is balanced by counteracting visual weight from side to side, top to bottom, or diagonally in the picture plane. The shape and texture also influences the balance
The bottom of a two-dimensional composition always has more inherent visual weight than the top because of our sense of gravity. Using heavy colors in the bottom half of a composition may cause an imbalance that can be remedied by placement of a counterweight of color in the top half of the composition
Crystallographic Balance
Jackson Pollock
Danny Evan
Pattern; crystallographic and not symmetrical. Maker unknown.
Pattern; symmetrical and chrystallographic. Maker unknown.
In a crystallographic balance there is evenly distribution of visual weight. This can be created through a random approach or through a pattern.
Information adapted from Becky Koenig
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