In this blog post, we will look at the principles of emphasis that an eye-catching design should have and how visual techniques such as contrast, focus, and dominance create effects.
In order to catch people’s attention, keep them looking, and reinforce the visual meaning, one part of a unit must stand out from the rest. This goes beyond simple visual effects and is an essential element for maximizing the message and purpose of the design. Design is not just decoration, but a tool for conveying information and emotions, and its effectiveness varies greatly depending on how visual elements are arranged and emphasized.
Applying these aesthetic principles to design is called “emphasis,” and methods such as “contrast,” “focus,” and “dominance” are mainly used to achieve this emphasis. In particular, in modern design, these methods go beyond simple aesthetic expression and are utilized in consideration of practical functionality, such as user experience (UX). Contrast is a phenomenon that occurs when two different elements approach each other spatially or temporally. Therefore, contrast, which is a method of placing two elements with significant differences side by side to make certain characteristics stand out, is very useful in design. Contrast focuses and maintains people’s attention and directs their gaze to specific parts, so using this method to organize information can result in good design. For example, placing a straight line next to a curved line will make the characteristics of the straight line stand out more in contrast to the curve. In general, vertical and horizontal, thick and thin, large and small, smooth and rough, far and near, high and low, light and dark are all elements that create good contrast in design. However, emphasis can be achieved not only through qualitative contrast but also through quantitative contrast. When a single curve is placed among countless straight lines, a quantitative contrast is created along with a formal contrast, and the effect of emphasis is further enhanced.
Concentration, which is the act of gathering all elements in one place to emphasize a single element, is also a method of emphasis. In other words, concentration draws the viewer’s gaze to the center or focal point, and is even more effective when used in combination with the rhythmic elements of radiation or gradual transition. However, when we talk about gathering the viewer’s gaze to a certain center, that center is not the same as the center of gravity or the geometric center. The center referred to here is related to aesthetic factors and is the center of aesthetic interest. Therefore, the aesthetic impression and effect can vary depending on where the center is placed. In most cases, placing a shape near the center of a two-dimensional work or slightly above it can easily draw the viewer’s gaze to that point.
There is also a technique of placing surrounding elements in a subordinate position around the center, which is called dominance. This is a method of determining the center within a certain range, giving it a dominant role, and emphasizing the main element by subordinating other elements to it. Figuratively speaking, it is similar to the relationship between the lead actor who plays the central role in a play or movie and the supporting actors who play secondary roles. However, in order to place one side in a dominant position, it is necessary to consider methods of contrast and concentration. In this sense, the contrast and concentration mentioned above can be said to be included in dominance. Contrast emphasizes one of the contrasting elements that is more central, and concentration emphasizes only one central point, so both can be said to be methods of dominance.
However, in any case, there should be only one center of emphasis that attracts interest and attention, not two or more. When design elements coexist in similar degrees and with similar weight, our eyes wander because we cannot find the center of the design, and the design loses its tension. Therefore, for emphasis, one center point must serve as the focus, and the rest must play a subordinate role that complements and supplements this focus.
