Composition schemes

piet mondrian

theo van doesburg

Mondrian

• Never ending lines• Rhythm and spacing• Mixture of density and spaces• Hierarchical • NEVER SYMMETRICAL• Think of them as streets

www.audi.com

An example of clear hierarchy in the grid

Would Mondrian Like this page? Probably not.

Although there is a clear sense of grid, there is no hierchy

http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

Bad example:Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Typical templates for traditional publishers

• http://www.iconmedialab.com

OK

good

better

• http://www.caranddriver.com

bad

ok

better

Diagram this site:

ID magazine:http://www.idonline.com

More Subtle Discoveries

-Fibonacci Sequence-Golden Ratio: 1 to 1.62

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89……………………………………

Fibonacci’s Sequence:

The Goldern Rectangle:

1

1.618

The Parthenon Copyright Jill Britton

Copyright Jill Britton

Copyright Jill Britton

The golden ratio 1:1.618 is also

known as “phi”

R

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Rain, Steam and Speed by Turner

11.618

If a composition looks pleasant to the eyes, it is possible that the golden ratio is

at work

Not quite golden, but very close