Natalie Robinson: Visual Organization

Eye Movement

not directing the audience through the design is misdirecting them
the typical eye moves left to right and top to bottom
controlling the eye movement within a composition is a matter of directing the natural scanning tendency of the viewer's eye
the eye tends to gravitate towards areas of complexity first. in pictures of people, the eye is always attracted to the face and particularly the eye
light areas of a composition will attract the eye, especially adjacent (next to) to a dark area
diagonal lines or edges will guide eye movement
optical center: the spot where the human eye tends to enter the page. optical center is slightly above mathematical center and just to the left
it takes a compelling element to pull your eyes away from this spot
Z Pattern: our visual pattern makes a sweep of the page, generally in the shape of a "Z"
Effective page design maps a viewer's route through the information. The designer's objective is to lead the viewer's eye to the important elements or information.

Fonts

Visual Hierarchy:

Establishes focal points based on their importance to the message that's being communicated
A crucial part of the design process is to establish an order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information provided by a design

To Establish Visual Hierarchy ask yourself...

The Grid:

a way of organizing content on a page
uses any combination of margins, guide lines, rows and columns.
instituted by modernism (1950s)
can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks and establishing relationships between text and images
distinct set of alignment based relationships
every design is different; therefore every design will require a different grid structure....one that addresses the particular elements within the design
a grid is used to help clarify the message being communicated and to unify the elements

Natalie Robinson