B A L A N C E A N D P R OX I M I T Y

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, you will:1. Explore the principle of balance as it relates to

web design, and2. Explore the principle of proximity as it relates to

web design

GUIDING QUESTIONS

Respond to the questions below in the Discussion Forum by creating a New Thread and labeling it Balance and Proximity1. If an adult sits on one end of a teeter-totter, how

can small children balance the teeter-totter?2. When you walk into an environment, what do

you assume about the individuals who are seated in the same area?

BALANCE

• Balance, as it relates to web design, is the distribution of items on a page• Text• Images• Navigation buttons

• A Web site might appear unbalanced if one side of the screen is loaded with large, dark text or images.• The side where these elements are located may seem

heavy.

• The opposite holds true for smaller, lighter text, and images.

TYPES OF BALANCE

1. Symmetrical2. Asymmetrical3. Radial

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

• Imagine a line drawn down the middle of the screen• Do the items balance from one side to the other?

• This type of balance is common in nature• Consider the example with your own face.• Is this screen balanced?

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE

• If a designer wants to create asymmetrical balance, some prior planning takes place.• Images can be balanced through size and

intensity of color• Ex: One large and darker image on one side can be

balanced by several smaller, lighter images on the other side.

RADIAL BALANCE

• Balance is created around a central point• Resembles a circle

• Helpful to show connections and unity between items

ALIGNMENT

• Another way to achieve balance is through alignment.• Alignment is the orientation of the text• Four types• Left• Right• Centered• Justified

LEFT ALIGNMENT

• Common in European cultures• We see it every day

• Left margin is flush; right margin is jagged• You will find left alignment of text in the book and

many of the other printed materials that you use.• Since we read left to right, left alignment is

natural to us.

RIGHT ALIGNMENT

• This type of alignment is common in Arab cultures where text is read from right to left. • Opposite of left alignment• Left margin is jagged; right margin is flush.

CENTER ALIGNMENT

• Common for titles and headings• Both margins are jagged• Balances text but difficult to read

JUSTIFIED ALIGNMENT

• Common in newspapers and magazines• Both margins are flush• Extra space between letters and words• It is important to select alignment to fit the

audience, and purpose of the site.

PROXIMITY

• Measure of distance between things • Larger distances between unlike items• Smaller distances between related items

WHITE SPACE

• White space is the area without text or images• Created by proximity• White space can be used to organize a space and

is similar to the organization of a rectangle.• In text, think about how we separate paragraphs. We

either indent to show a new idea or create a blank line between paragraphs and ideas.

• Both of these create white space to organize the material and signal that the material is switching ideas.

T H E W H O L E I S G R E A T E R T H A N T H E S U M O F T H E P A R T S G R O U P I N G I D E A S O R I M A G E S T O G E T H E R C R E A T E S A S T R O N G E R M E S S A G E T H A N T H E S U M O F

S E P A R A T E I D E A S

GESTALT THEORY

LESSON REVIEW

You should be able to answer the following question(s) more completely.1. How are balance and proximity applied to Web

design?

ASSIGNMENT

• Analyze your site according to its use of balance and proximity based on what you have just learned.• Be sure to include the WHY for each principle.• Why did the designer use this form of balance?• Why did the designer use proximity this way?