Antonio S. Rosellini - Chapter 4_5 Reflection

Space tends to be my favorite aspect of design to work with. Space can do everything from conveying a specific mood, to creating personas for type and imagery. Before explaining further my idea of personas (or giving imagery human characteristics) I first must discuss the concepts presented in the readings. Proportion and structure are very valuable measures when using space. Using film as an analogy, Proportion acts as the characters and plot, meaning that if not finely tuned in detail and in relation to one another, the whole message of the design can be lost. For instance, the reading talks about “golden spots” in relation to the proportions established in each design, and although this spot changes depending on orientation, still maintains some relevance to every design. For example, one would usually never place content hitting the outer edges of the workspace, and overlaps should not occur with random spacing, instead playing important attention to the space occurring in negative space between layers (This will come into play more with syntax).  Structure acts as narrative, where even the most abstract composites should flow smoothly to the eye and not overwhelm with unorganized placing (Figure 2).

Syntax pushes the boundary on these topics. The points outlined in the use of structure and proportion serve as guidelines and not set rules, thus there can be manipulated. Yet, at the base of design that bends these guidelines well, there still remains a hint of the original concepts. Figure 3 appears random and unorganized. A closer examination of the organization of each letter and word reveals defined diagonal lines on which characters sit on, and one can even draw proportional grids around the characters. Thus, in good design, even chaotic, abstract design still holds some signs of careful planning, for no good design is ever done at random.

figure 1

figure 2                                                                        figure 3