Light/dark, rough/smooth, thin/fat, why are we so attracted to contrast? Contrast draws us in and makes us compare. Contrast can bring out the best in a design or the worst depending on how it is executed. Evaluating how contrast can pull the eye in or define the space allows contrast to be an asset to the final design.
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Research. Research. Research. To create with intent, you must have done some research on the subject matter or medium in which you are creating. Sure creating with no purpose can be freeing and in the moment, but will that work have the lasting impression that all great work does? Research can only help develop a thought or an idea, so why not use research to develop design too?
PERSPECTIVE
Perspective: Any method by which a three-dimensional space is represented on a flat surface. Linear, aerial (or atmospheric), isometric, cabinet, and reverse perspective are most commonly used.
The air that we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air that we breathe. - Edgar Degas
Having perspective in visual design, is creating visual context for the viewer. By creating the appropriate perspective you are able to depict a scene with greater realism, and hopefully creating more than just a visual experience. When an artist has the ability to create great perspective the viewer can ofter feel drawn or pulled in to the artwork, or even that they are placed within the artwork. Each medium of art has many was of creating perspective, but it is a true skill to develop overwhelming real perspective.