Depth

Adbusters

November/December 2016

This image creates depth by using size variation, overlap and definition. The value distribution and high contrast create a sense of being lost, desperate and on the verge of hysteria. Every avenue of light is wrapped and barred by deep black. The physical textures make the foreground particularly interesting when compared to the surrounding space, they trap the eye just long enough to think there might be a great distinction between those trees and the ones beyond. Overlapping branches make the space dynamic, with their random placement.

Rhythm

Michael Marsicano
"After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned." Illustration of a short story by Dave Eggers
14 1/4 x 9 1/2, ink, graphite, digital
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Communication Arts May/June 2016

There is a frantic energy to this piece. The curved lines of fur are being pushed from the right sending them towards the left, as well as the curves of the grass trampled below. The background even seems to be manipulated by the charge, warping as the dog passes. The flying bits of color give in the lines in the air give a high tempo, while the large feet and gaping mouth give a certain weight that implies the repetitive thudding and gasping of a sprinting animal.

Balance

A. Richard Allen
"Love Lies Bleeding" Illustration (series)
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Communication Arts May/June 2016

The piece above is balanced asymmetrically, The small circular red drops near the bottom of the page hold as much weight as the green tie and camera near the top due to their shape, color, and proximity to the edge near the bottom. Diagonal corners are separated by two different values but are similar in shape and size. The tall rectangular shape of the composition also lends a hand to weighting the images within.

Unity

(series) Mike Meadus, designer/writer/illustrator

Mark Lovely/Mike Meadus, art directors/creative directors

McCann Canada (Calgary, Canada), agency

Kent of Inglewood, client

"From a series of 40 posters created for Kent of Inglewood. It may be Canada's shave shop, but it also has men's backs—and faces—with the world's finest grooming products to keep beards soft, lush and styled." 24 x 24, 2 PMS Colors.

Mike Meadus created a clean and unassuming piece, that manages to be tightly unified. Upon a closer look the contrast draws the eye from the center focal point downward. Every shape is set upon an invisible grid. Shapes are placed symmetrically to one another and on any give horizontal line, the shapes do not vary in size and are repeated. Only a single shape is used to create the primary image, a circle. Upon initial view, the image may appear to be something of a simple shape, or square. Given a split second, the eye moves toward the focal point which is defined by tight grouping, and a single large -- nearly -- semi-circle gap below the "mustache" and "beard." Likewise, to the so-to-speak invisible grid, the outlying shapes are constrained by an invisible rectangle, centering an framing the image by leaving equal negative space above, below, and to the sides. The illusion of a thick beard is given by tightly grouping circles. The composition creates closure by guiding the eye from larger, tightly grouped shapes down to smaller, looser shapes near the bottom. Creating a top-down movement. Continuity is achieved through the use of repeated shapes, and symmetry, but is briefly broken to create a focal point. However, the overall image appears unified, in terms of gestalt principles, as larger image it almost comes off as a simple brown rectangular shape among a green background.