Visual Organization

Not directing the audience through a design is misleading them!!

Eye movement: the typical eye moves left to right, top to bottom. Controlling 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 area of complexity first. In pictures of people, eyes is always attracted to that face and particularly the eyes. Light areas of a composition will attract the eye, especially when adjacent 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 (or exact) center and just to the left. It takes a compelling element to pull your eye away from this spot. Z pattern: our visual patter 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: the first rule is, no more than 2 fonts on one composition (page). Make sure the fonts compliment each other. Number two, avoid all CAPS. It makes it seems like you're yelling and it can sometimes be confusing. Use caps only when you need them! The third is, choose the right font. Be very careful with what font you use. Make sure the font fits the tone/theme. For example, don't have a boring font if you're designing a fun, party invitation. Number four, do not overuse fancy or complicated fonts (scripts & decorative). Use these fonts as the head line not as the body. These fonts are hard to read when small. Pairing Fonts article: www.typography.com/email/2010-03/index.htm

Visual Hierarchy: will establish focal point 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 proved by a design.

To establish visual hierarchy answer these questions:

- What do I want me viewer to look at first?

- Second?

- Third?

 Etc...

The grid: a way of organizing content on a page, using any combination of margins, guide lines, rows, and columns.  Instituted by modernism! Can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks and establishing relationships between text and images. A grid consists of a distinct set of aligned-based relationships that act as guides for distributing elements across a format. Every design is different; therefore every design will require a different grid structure...one that addresses the particular elements within the design. A gris is used to help clarify the message being communicated messages and unifying elements.