Dominance
BackgroundDominance or focal points are elements that for visual or auditory reasons stand out.
Focal PointsFocal points are elements that stand out - it is where your eye is immediately drawn (McWade, 2013).
If everything is of equal importance on the page, then nothing is seen as important. Creating a focal point is often related to hierarchy because it provides a sense of order to what the learner will focus on. A focal point should relate to the story, and then the copy can enhance and elaborate on that. The eye is always drawn to elements that are big and bold processFirst, what is the story?
Change as DominanceThe eye gravitates to elements that change or has movement or look like those have changed or are out of the ordinary.
Surprise:
If the viewer sees something unexpected, it gets their attention. Get extreme - make something extremely small or huge. Go over the top with the effect. Have it bleed off the page. ...careful with this, it is easy to go too far, but this can be a useful approach (McWade, 2013). Try this, make one element large (to the edge) and the other element small - then place the small one on top of the large one. Unblock the design Try getting rid of the rectangles of the design. Take the element out the photo or if the text is in a frame - take it out. Sometimes that is needed since the frame or the box in non-communicative. Another approach is to have an element of the photo stick out of the frame - makes the element pop out. Human DominanceHuman figures and faces draw the eye and automatically tend to become focal points.
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PurposeDominance draws the eye and highlights the elements that initially draw your eye. It focuses the eye and grabs cognitive attention.
Colour DominanceColour can be used in the following slideshow to communicate dominance.
Focus DominanceConsider how elements in focus can also be a technique for achieving dominance. The following image uses depth of field and colour to achieve dominance.
Size DominanceSee the section on PROPORTION. Many of the design principles overlap.
Type DominanceType can be a focal point. The size, colour, typeface, etc. can highlight text to make it something that stands out to help tell the story. Here is an illustration that combines size, colour, and style to achieve dominance:
Type - focal point |
References
McWade, John. (2013). Before & after: Things every designer should know. Lynda.com. Retrieved from
http://www.lynda.com/Design-Page-Layout-tutorials/Before-After-Things-Every-Designer-Should-Know/
http://www.lynda.com/Design-Page-Layout-tutorials/Before-After-Things-Every-Designer-Should-Know/