CREATIVITY

This week i found an interesting take on 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch.  This image captures creativity by utilizing a classic piece of artwork and transforming it into something modern.  It's content is a take on not being able to get your head out of the box (television).  The subject is still the same subject as 'The Scream'; a piece of expressionism.  The identifiable form is print, or magazine illustration.  i also like how the artist chose to drain the picture of color, sticking only to black and white.  It makes the subject feel more desperate, and the environment is bleak.  (Adbusters, Dec, 1999, Vol. 1, ISSUE #2)

COLOR HARMONY RULES

     This week i have a cover photo for an issue of Lürzer's Archive.  We can see multiple uses of color harmony rules within this composition.  Monochromatic is the main scheme which we see filling most of the background.  Different shades of red are carefully placed to produce a nice, balanced image.  Analogous may also be considered a main scheme because of the several shades of red, red/orange, and orange.  Within the center of the composition (upon the skeletal woman's shirt) there is a Complimentary color scheme between the Red and green.  A very cool color (almost teal) is used for emphasis in drawing our attention to the magazine title and balanced y the dashed line of the same color on the left hand side.  (Skeletal Woman, lürzer's Archive, Vol. 06-2015, Advertising Worldwide)

COLOR INSPIRATION

This week i have a picture of the cover of an issue of Adbuster's magazine.  What drew me in was the shattering ketchup bottle and how much it stood out from the rest of the photo.  The background is very soft, using white/black/grey (and very minimal light green on the shoe) while the foreground is bright red.  The image itself is asymmetrically balanced by position of the label.  There is also heavy emphasis on the bottle label itself by form of the surrounding ketchup splatter and darker color.  The intensity of the red from the ketchup bottle is the primary focal point of the piece as the background has a darker tint in general. (Source: Adbuster's magazine, #122, part 5, Manifesto for World Revolution,  November/December 2015)

POSITIVE/NEGATIVE SPACE

This week i have a picture of a painting by M.C. Escher.  The use of positive and negative space are outstanding.  With space, Positive represents the main focus of the picture while negative refers to the background.  Escher uses positive and negative space to represent to intertwining images.  In the bottom half, the positive space is represented fish which starts out light and progresses to a darker shade, the negative space is black and plays an important part in this piece.  In the top half, the positive space is represented by Geese which start completely black and gain a small amount of white shading, the negative space is white and without it we would not be able to see the geese.  Within this piece we can see several demonstrations of design principals.  Unity by proximity within the groups of objects, Unity by repetition within the fish and geese, Balance in symmetry between the objects and within the frame, slight mathematical balance, and a clear Rhythm that is alternating between black and white border as well as fish and geese.  (source: Lurzer's Archive, M.C. Escher, Sky and Water I)

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: RHYTHM

This week i have two examples of Rhythm:

In this book by F.A. Giles (Artwork also by F.A. Giles) we can see a few distinct examples of Rhythm.  The color pattern suggest that the orange and blue scheme continues rhythmically (implied by the font at the bottom).  The font used is repeated throughout each section, suggesting a good sense of rhythmic flow.  The spacing is even and continues throughout each line as well.  there is nothing distracting about the background color which takes away from the rhythm throughout the cover.  (F.A. Giles, Pruning Evergreens and Deciduous Trees and Shrubs, U of I Urbana Illinois, 1971)

The second example i have is from album artwork by the band Aerosmith.  We can clearly see examples of Rhythm throughout this piece of work.  The font size and spacing is what first grabs your attention, and the rhythm is present through the use of repetition.  The background is an excellent example of rhythm, the combination of the repeating pattern of diagonal lines which form an unending spiral and the black/blue color scheme is hypnotizing; bringing great energy to the piece.  The wings also have a nice flow, and the jagged lines on the side of the wings repeat and bring further rhythm to the composition. (Aerosmith, Big Ones, artist not provided, Geffen, 1994)

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: BALANCE

In this book by Stephen King (artwork by Tom Hallman) We can see a clear demonstration of Symmetrical balance through the mirrored buildings on either side of the "peace sign Ferris wheel thing".  We can also see symmetrical balance in the waters reflection of the aforementioned peace wheel.   If you want to get even more detailed, you could state that the peace wheel is a version of radial symmetry achieving balance through the dark mountains on the lower left of the wheel, and several dark helicopters on the top right.  The Sign (Hearts In) balances the text of the composition from the top (STEPHEN KING) through solidity.  Even though Stephen King is much bigger text, the darkness and shade of 'Hearts In' balances it out.

  (Stephen King, Hearts In Atlantis, Pocket Books Publishing, 1999)

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: UNITY

In this book by Steve Cash (artwork by David Stevenson), we can see several examples of unity.  Unity by containment is demonstrated by the mass of people sandwiched between a building and rail car, bringing them into any sort of containment can help with identifying unity.  Unity by repetition is shown more than once, in the wires hanging, the suspended lights, the people themselves, and the same text that is used in the words 'Time Dancers' and 'Book Two of The Meq".   Unity by Proximity is applied to the people, creating a high amount of visual tension.  Finally, unity by Continuity  is shown with the people fading into the background from a single frontal point, and the lights continuing into the background in the same manner the people do. 
(David Stevenson, Time Dancers, Del Rey Trade Paperback, 2006)