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Graphic Communications
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
One of the most important skills a designer can
have is to choose the level of contrast necessary to
achieve the goal of the project. Contrast pairing is
a great way to think about how to introduce contrast
into your design. See Figure 7-30. Finding the
right contrast to achieve unity in your design is the
challenge. If everything contrasts, nothing contrasts.
However, too little contrast can make your design
boring and unattractive. See Figure 7-31 and
Figure 7-32.
Styles of type can be contrasted to produce
greater legibility and design variation. Some other
useful contrasts are round and straight, ornate and
plain, and broad and narrow.
The relationship between an unprinted area and
a printed area of an image can also be enhanced
through the use of contrast. White space, when
used effectively, creates contrast and balances an
image. See Figure 7-33.
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Figure 7-31. Too little contrast can be boring.
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Figure 7-32. Too much contrast can be chaotic and difficult
to read.
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Figure 7-30. Examples of contrast pairs for layout design.
CONTRAST PAIRS
SPACE
active: passive
near: far
contained: unrestricted
POSITION
top: bottom
high: low
right: left
in front: behind
FORM/SHAPE
simple: complex
abstract: representational
geometric: organic
symmetrical: asymmetrical
DIRECTION
vertical: horizontal
clockwise: counterclockwise
TYPOGRAPHY
serif: sans serif
light: heavy
regular: italic
condensed: expanded
script: roman
SIZE
big: little
long:short
wide: narrow
COLOR
black: color
light: dark
warm: cool
bright: dull
TEXTURE
smooth: rough
slippery: sticky