By Samuel Leveillee
Contents • Line • Shape • Texture • Balance • Contrast • Unity • Color • Value
Line
Line is used to show the “suggested biting diagram� on the roller, suggesting that the rollers is so delicious that the audience will want to savor it rather than eat it all at once. The bite marks start off rather large, but as the they go further down the strip, the get smaller and smaller. This makes the audience understand that they will want to take huge mouthfuls of the candy at first, but as it dwindles they will want to make it last as long as possible. In this ad the use of line clearly gets the message across especially for kids who can relate to wanting to savor a sweet treat when they may only be allowed to have a limited amount. The ad also implies that the customer will love this snack so much that they will want more and more of it. Also the line of the bite marks and the line of the roller across the two pages helps guide the viewer’s eye from left to right which gives direction and helps organize the design.
This is a brilliant use of line. Although the ad has some text, the message is crystal clear without any additional type. It was designed in such a way that, I believe, even young children would understand immediately. I think the designer had a great and simple idea from the start. That, plus proper execution of the idea equals a great design. The ad is printed in a comic book, and the snack that is being promoted is a chewable fruity candy, so it is clear that the audience is primarily children, probably between ages 9 and 13.
Shape The largest shape in the ad is the wine bottle that appears to be sitting on the bottom of the ocean in the center of the page and around it are silhouetted sharks. All shapes lie on a dark blue background mimicking deep ocean. The ad is dark, but eye-catching nonetheless. Greg Norman is a professional golfer who earned the nick name “The Shark” and he also has a shark brand of golf equipment so that is where the name originated. The text reads “Discover Your Shark Side … The Official Wine of Adventure” which gives us the sense that the wine is perhaps stronger than most, and is only for those who are heavy-weight. It almost seems to say “Are you brave enough to try it? Can you handle it?” enticing the viewer to buy it. All shapes are black except for the red on the label and top of the bottle which adds interest. Although the message may not be the easiest to explain, it hits the audience instantly. And even though the sharks are only silhouettes, they are unmistakable and the fact that they are black in dark water adds greatly to the dangerous feel of the ad and this holds the viewer’s interest (and for more than a minute). The way the sharks (5 total) are positioned gives the page a flowing look and the eyes easily follow their forms through the page and around the bottle. A lot of times, the simpler the ad the better. In this case the dark forms of the sharks are far more effective at getting the concept across than if they were actual photos, or just not silhouetted. Also, the darkness makes it feel deeper under water.
Texture
To the left we see a smooth glass jar of pickled veggies sitting on a rough wooden table with other fresh vegetable around the jar. The table sits on a rough background made up of wooden boards like a fence or barn and carved out of the peeling paint are the words “For a list of ingredients, just look in the jar” which is saying that there are only natural, simple ingredients in this product … and only a few. The wooden background (let’s just call it ‘the barn’) is very detailed and rough. It looks almost as though we could get a splinter just by swiping our hand down the page. The designer new exactly what he was doing when he used this image. The wooden table and the scratchy wooden background behind the pickles are there to enhance the natural rustic feel of the product. When we see the wood and the peeling paint, we think “farm” or “barn” and we then believe that the vegetables are grown in the most natural state possible and are just tossed into the jar and then onto the shelves in the grocery store which is what they want. Customers are looking for the freshest produce possible and although the word “organic” does not appear in the ad, an ad like this will draw attention from those who seek organic natural ingredients for their sandwiches or subs. Also, the design in general is just very well laid out. There are now irritatingly bare spaces but at the same time it is not crowded. With the barn as the backdrop it looks snug and comfortable. In this case the design works very well. The ad is very balanced and pleasing to the eye. If the element of texture were removed we would not have the same feelings of naturally grown vegetables. So in my opinion, the element of texture does a good job at conveying the intended message toward potential customers.
Balance
The very first things we notice on the page are the two sixshooters, barrels crossing. They appear to be sitting on an old wooden tabletop for a background, with bullets scattered around on the surface. Instantly, we understand that this is a western themed web page. But what is most interesting about the page is the way it is balanced. The two guns create a sort of border around type-bars of the page and at first they look symmetrical. But looking at the details in the weapons, we can tell that they are two distinctly different guns, therefore this is approximate symmetry. Also, the bullets are approximately symmetrical being in all different places of the table, but the weight is still equal on both sides. Behind all this is a map that appears to be repeating itself in the background but is still not perfectly symmetrical and we would not even notice its repeating without looking closely. The western style text on the map is also approximate symmetry as the two texts are placed directly across from each other, but they both say something different. All of these elements add to the “wild-west” feeling of the page. The designer was trying to create a very condensed and unified design and this was accomplished only through the way the design is balanced. The crossing barrels create great tension in the page and are impossible to overlook. All of this, the barrels, the bullets, and the map all surround the type bars directing our attention directly to them. Clearly, he did a great job at creating a web page that will immediately draw the viewer in. This was made possible by the balance of the page which is sure to strike anyone who comes across it. When I first came across the design, I was struck by its simple yet attractive design. I couldn’t help but thinking to myself, “Wow, what a great design.” I think the reason this it is so effective is because of the slanted lines of the barrels. The cross that they form creates immediate tension in the page and draws the viewer right to the center. If the barrels were not crossing, the design still would have worked, but it certainly would not have been as strong.
Contrast Laid out on a smooth wooden background we have a crisp white dress shirt folded neatly with a tie on it. Beneath it are several other ties of varying colors fanned out around the lower portion of the shirt. In the text we are informed that a tie of the customer’s choice may be included with the purchase of the shirt for another few dollars. This is a straight forward message portraying the variety of ties they have to offer. Not only are the colors important for the audience to understand the deal being offered, they add visual interest. Because of its variety in color, the ad becomes more appealing and eye-catching than it otherwise would have been. Without all the other ties, we would just have a boring dress shirt on the page. And if all the ties were the same color, the point would be completely lost. Contrast is very important here. Also at work are contrasting shapes/lines. The ad is intended to appear clean and elegant so the shape of the shirt is very straight and square and a bit boring. But the ties fanned out at diagonal angles increase tension and contrast. Diagonal lines are generally more appealing than straight up and down or straight across lines, but using both together does create contrast and interest in what could have been a completely bland design. Generally, the ad is not very exciting. But then again, how exciting can we make an ad about a shirt and tie? Due to the contrast of color and line, the designer has maximized the ad to its fullest potential for excitement while still retaining its formal and clean-cut look. Therefore, the designer was successful in using contrast to greatly enhance an otherwise painfully plain design.
Unity On the page background beside the menu we see many household items, decorations and appliances ‌ from teapots, to trophies, to fancy chairs, to stuffed pheasants, there is a great variety of items all clustered together on a wooden floor in front of a pail-beige colored wall. It is very homey looking yet exotic. Despite all the many objects in the room, the design does not feel overly crowded because the designer wisely left just the right amount of white space around the objects so that the site still looks cozy but open and loose. The second option above is Xed because although the objects are vastly different and diverse, they are all homey and feel like they belong together, therefore, they unify the design through grouping elements that do NOT repeat, creating the consistency. In other words, the diversity of all the items is what unifies the design and creates a consistency. This use of diversity causes the eye to jump around from one item to another specifically because they are all so different. Supposedly, we could call this design consistently inconsistent! The fact that nothing is the same is what unifies the whole design. Also, not a single item is boring. The light, the birdcage, the wagon, the yarn and scissors all homey, but out of the ordinary. The website is for an interior decorating company and what they have done successfully, is create an environment for their website that feels exciting and interesting but comfortable. Anybody looking at the site who might be interested in hiring an interior decorator would simply have to stop and look at this page for a moment before clicking on anything on the menu. It’s that eye catching. The use of unity is perfect and very effective. Not to be overlooked is the placement of all the items. Everything stated above would be untrue if the items were not placed correctly on the page. Had they been scattered around and not together, or not overlapping therefore depthless, the design would come off as choppy and frazzled, and NOT unified. Placement is absolutely essential to the effectiveness in the design and well done here.
Color The brightness and saturation of the colors adds to the fruity and flavorful appearance of the website. In fact, it probably MAKES the fruity and flavorful appearance to the website. You can practically taste the smoothies in the center of the page and this is caused by the bright colors (also the texture). Also colors of the leaves and nice yellow sunrise on the horizon makes it feel like morning and time for a smoothie. The image of the lady in the yellow dress carrying a basket full of colorful fruits and vegetables evokes an energetic morning-person feeling as well. The brightness and contrasting of the colors also creates visual tension throughout the piece. Although the colors are very vibrant, they still look natural and earthy. The blue and green and yellow and earthy tones look fantastic together. The page just has an overall “rise and shine!” attitude and the colors also help to balance out the page very nicely. If the green cup and other green things on the left and right of the smoothies were a brighter color, they would offset the focal point of the page that is the smoothies. If the colors were toned down in this situation, the impact of the site would be toned down as well. The brightness is important for the theme which is “fresh” and “early-morning” therefore, without color, the meaning would be lost. The way it was used here successfully evokes a feeling and even a taste sensation which is what the designer was trying to do. Not to say that a guy can’t enjoy a good smoothie, but the website seems a bit more oriented toward women. There’s a woman on the front page of the site and the overall idea just does not seem like you’d find a man searching for it.
Value The purpose of the blog intended by its creator is to share old photographs from the 1920s and 30s with today’s world. So naturally we see many old black and white photos spread out in an organized format on the top of the page and a scrolling reel of photographs on the bottom. To fit the mood, the pictures on the top are all placed in what appears to be a scrap-book layout which adds greatly to the antique feeling. Also, the brown color of this scrap-book “paper” is a warm but low-value brown that looks very appealing. The sunflower on the page is in color, but a very low value which still allows the site to look old-fashioned. However, the most important aspect of value in this example is the pictures themselves. The designer of the blog picked the photographs very carefully in order to evoke a certain feeling in the audience. Because all photos are colorless, they rely solely on value to portray their mood which is happy, many of affectionate family or farm scenes. Although some of them appear to be sepia, this could also just be the warn/aged state of the photograph. Sunny farm scenes make the blog feel warm without any color at all. Clearly the blog designer picked very carefully and wisely making sure all photographs matched and enhanced the mood of the blog. In my opinion, the blog looks very attractive. I especially like the scrapbook style mentioned above that helps to unify and organize the photographs. If the color of the brown background was a stronger value, it would contradict the elements of value in the photographs. Therefore, the mild value in this blog is no doubt, visually, its strength. The photographs are all beautiful examples of why value is so important in creating a mood.