CONTRaST

Effective Use of Contrast

"Metamorphosis" by Joel Arias

First, there's a great contrast in tone going on here between the values of grey, white, and black. Although there is an almost harmonious balance of the amount of each tone, the shapes representing each do well to sharpen the composition. Dondis states that by "comparing the unlike, we sharpen the meaning of both," and this is definitely happening here between the regular rectangle shape and the irregular, liquid-like shapes drifting on top of and within the regular (Dondis, 1973). This contrast in shape creates a dynamic statement. There lies a pleasing tension in this piece between balance and imbalance represented through contrast. I think the liquid white and grey shapes would be powerful by themselves, but with the added element of the solid rectangle, the juxtaposition happening between leveling and sharpening makes them that much more meaningful; the organic ideas here are more effectively explained by being contrasted with the mechanical, and vice versa.

There are also other elements of contrast at work here. Scale is contrasted between tiny to large shapes, and texture is contrasted here in the stippled grey shapes against the solid black and whites.

Lack of Contrast

There is a use of contrast in tone and color here, but it is not being done in an effective way. Rather, it is contributing to a failed design. The piece is far too sharpened, beyond any effective communication of a message. Firstly, if one were to take and convert this image to gray-scale, some of the type would be completely lost (ex. the 'in' in 'sin'). The rainbow background is  presenting warm and cold colors, which are confusing our minds (as cool colors recede, while warm colors expand) creating a way too busy background. A solid color would have been a better choice, perhaps one complimentary to the color of the text, or even better, contrasting in tone. Contrast in scale could have helped this piece as well, where if the text was larger, it might stand a chance against the glaring color bands it unfortunately rests above.

I do have one idea that could save this piece without having to totally redesign it: The flying red letters presented at the top of the page are really the only element not lost in the bad juxtaposition between the colored figure and ground. If all the text was done as red with the dimensional 'flying' addition, it would thus all be separated enough from the crazy background. It would still be a jarring piece, but at least the written message would be visible.




reference:
Dondis, D. A. (1973). A primer of visual literacy. (p. 96). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.