Lesson video

Hello, everyone, how are you? I hope you're feeling great today.

My name's Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling excited about that because we are looking at something called "layout in composition" today.

And these are very important elements in creating an artwork.

Our lesson is simply entitled "Layout in Composition," and the lesson comes from the unit of work: foundation workshops and introduction to the areas of study.

So are you ready to get introduced to the topic of layout and composition? I hope so.

If you're ready, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can create a clear and effective layout using composition principles to communicate ideas in a graphic design.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

Layout, composition, hierarchy, balance, and proximity.

Let's find out what these words mean.

So, layout is the arrangement of visual elements on a page, or design, to guide the viewer's eye and convey information effectively.

Composition: the way elements, such as images, texts, and shapes, are combined, and placed, within a design.

And hierarchy: the visual order of elements, guiding viewers from the most important to least important, using size, placement, or colour.

Balance is the visual distribution of elements in a design to create harmony.

Can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

And proximity, the grouping of related elements close together to create a visual connection.

So these are our keywords: balance, proximity, layout, composition, and hierarchy.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Layout and Composition," and it consists of two learning cycles.

First of all, there's layout and composition in graphic communication.

And next, there's analysing graphic communication.

Let's begin by exploring layout and composition in graphic communication.

And let's jump out into the future, and have a look at what an outcome for today might be.

Look at this wonderful sports day poster.

Feeling excited for the games to begin.

Wonderful.

So, a question for you.

What makes a magazine cover, poster, or webpage visually appealing? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your responses.

And we can see a bunch of magazine covers on a shelf.

I wonder which one you would reach for.

Layout and composition are fundamental in communicating ideas effectively in graphic design.

Layout refers to the structural configuration of elements in a design.

And composition is the aesthetic arrangement of elements to make them visually pleasing.

By considering layout, designers arrange visual elements, such as text, images and shapes, on a page, or screen, to guide the viewer's attention.

Layouts are used for functionality, clarity, structure, hierarchy, and practicality.

Pause the video and share with someone.

Which of these three layouts are you most drawn to? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Whilst layouts are used mostly for practical purposes, composition emphasises the aesthetic arrangement of visual elements.

So we could have symmetrically balanced composition, as on the left, where each side is a mirror image of the other, or we could have asymmetrically balanced composition, as in the second image we can see on the screen.

Composition addresses aesthetics, visual appeal, balance, weight, and helps to develop a narrative in designs.

Layout and composition are used in conjunction with each other to create meaningful, well-structured designs.

A website might use a grid system layout, aligning content into columns and rows.

Meanwhile, compositional choices might highlight key areas, through contrasting colours or negative space, to create balance.

You can see someone viewing a website on a laptop.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is composition in graphic design? Is it A, the structural arrangement of elements, B, the aesthetic placement of visual elements, or C, the combination of digital tools and media? Pause the video while you decide what is composition in graphic design.

Well done if you selected answer B.

The aesthetic placement of visual elements is composition in graphic design.

There are five key principles of layout and composition, in graphic design, to help achieve this.

Balance, hierarchy, alignment, proximity, and negative space.

Let's look into each of these five key principles.

So balance is the distribution of visual weight in a design.

Balance can be symmetrical, mirrored, or asymmetrical, imbalanced but still harmonious.

Hierarchy is how we guide the viewer's eye through designs.

So for example, in a newspaper, you would have the largest elements, such as headlines and images, are seen first.

The main text is seen second.

And then smaller details are seen later on.

A hierarchy of importance can be created by changing size, contrast, or position of visual elements.

Alignment is essential in layout and composition, helping to create a clean, ordered look in graphic designs.

So aligning text to different sides, could be centred left or right.

Even spacing of sections.

Text and visuals can be aligned in many different ways, even if they're in different sections of a design.

Proximity involves grouping related items close together.

Proximity helps to highlight which elements belong together and creates a visual connection for the viewer.

It's important not to overcrowd a design so that key elements can be communicated.

So, on the left, we can see an overcrowded design.

Such a lot going on there, not so clear.

And on the right we can see a good use of negative space.

And negative space is used to help prevent clutter, highlight important elements, and create breathing room in a design.

Always good to have some breathing room.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which principle involves grouping related items together? Is it A, contrast, B, repetition, or C, proximity? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you chose C, proximity.

This involves grouping related items together.

And now it's time for your first task.

Using the example of a graphic design flyer provided, I'd like you to identify at least two layout principles used, and write a short analysis of how these principles affect the overall message or clarity of the design.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with that task? Using the example of a graphic design flyer, identify at least two layout principles used.

You might have said something like this.

So at the top there we have hierarchy.

The arrows on the top left are pointing out balance, and down at the bottom we have proximity.

We can also see at the bottom there, there is alignment of text, the generous use of negative space.

Or you might have said something like this.

Here's Alex.

"The main focus is the free coffee for the launch of a cafe.

So hierarchy is used to make this feature stand out the most.

Images and text are balanced, with them both aligned on the right side.

Negative space provides breathing room, and proximity is used for the text descriptions at the bottom of the design.

Balance between images, and text, reduces unnecessary extra details.

Hierarchy helps to guide attention from the most important information to the least.

And alignment creates visual order and cohesion between all elements in the design.

Well done for spotting all these important principles.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle.

Analysing graphic communication.

What is the impact of a poorly constructed layout? Pause the video and share with someone.

And we can see there's quite an overcrowded layout, filled with images, and text, on the screen here.

So what's the impact of this? I wonder what you discussed.

Maybe something like this.

A poorly constructed layout will likely result in poor communication of the design's intended purpose.

It might confuse the viewer, distract the main message, or make content hard to read.

Pause here while you take a good look at this example of a film poster.

And now, I would like you to discuss briefly with a partner any layout or composition issues that you can identify.

And any possible edits which would help to improve it.

So pause here while you discuss any layout and composition issues and any possible edits.

So what did you come up with? Here's Jacob.

"There is no clear sense of hierarchy with the text used, which makes it hard to identify what the poster is about.

Both text and images are also poorly aligned and spaced, disrupting visual flow." And Alex, "Highlighting key areas of information, such as film title, by changing size or boldness would help create a hierarchy.

Guidelines could be used to measure text and image alignment to develop balance." Some really great suggestions there.

Let's look at the same design with layout principles applied.

So here it is before.

And now here it is after.

Pause the video, and share with someone, what are some of the differences? How have these key layout principles been applied to the second version of the poster? Thanks for sharing.

Keeping the five main layout principles in mind when designing will help to improve clarity and focus.

Here's Alex.

"This design uses a visual hierarchy.

Text size, balance, and alignment are used to distribute visual weight evenly.

It's not overcrowded, incorporating negative space and groups together for proximity." There are many notable examples of artists, and designers, using layout and composition as a key feature of their work.

Let's take a look at some of them.

El Lissitzky's designs are characterised by the use of geometric shapes, a limited colour palette, and a distinct visual hierarchy.

Rebecca Brooker creates bespoke branding, and campaign packages, that integrate layout, and composition, for different media.

And Sarah Boris is a multidisciplinary artist, and designer, experienced in layout and composition.

And we can see a really nicely constructed example of a graphic design poster on the screen there.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What can negative space do in a layout? Is it A, add extra content, B, make the design more colourful, or C, help to avoid clutter and improve focus? Pause the video while you decide what negative space can do in a layout.

Well done if you selected answer C, indeed negative space can help to avoid clutter and improve focus.

Incorporating graphic design and layout principles in their work enables designers to develop distinct visual styles.

Jing Zhang creates colourful illustrative designs that balance large and small details in complex worlds.

Shepherd Fairey combines elements of street and pop art with stylized abstract patterns, and impactful typography, in his designs.

And Magdiel Lopez creates eye catching poster designs that experiment with balance, proximity, and alignment.

And we can see a really beautifully designed graphic design poster there.

Designers often have to work to a brief.

Based on this brief, your layout should reflect the message, purpose, and intended audience.

For example, you might think about how the layout in a children's book will differ from a newspaper article.

So we can see a children's book, featuring illustrations and texts, there.

How does this differ from the layout of a newspaper article? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Children's books are designed to inspire and educate.

These designs use different layouts and compositions depending on their reading ability.

Negative space and a clear hierarchy help to identify the most important details.

There's a classic children's book on the screen there, featuring some wonderful, and extremely colourful, illustrations and some text.

Newspapers are designed to capture attention and convey lots of information.

Changing text size, colour, and font outlines the hierarchy.

Text and images are often balanced, aligned, and brought together through proximity to create connection.

There's minimal use of negative space in a newspaper, which conveys the message of lots of important information to the audience.

Music posters and event flyers are aimed at possible customers.

The purpose of these designs is to persuade audiences to purchase tickets.

This is achieved through the use of layout and composition choices that will be visually appealing to these audiences.

Social movement protest posters, and banners, are purposefully designed to convey clear messages to a large audience.

This is often achieved through a clear layout, minimal design, and bold typefaces.

And we can see a poster there, handmade graphic poster, which reads "Fight today for a better tomorrow." Once a design is completed, it's important to evaluate it.

This process helps to: ensure the design meets its intended purpose, addresses any errors or mistakes in their designs, and improve on future projects.

And we can see Alex deep in reflection there.

Check for understanding.

What is the purpose of evaluating graphic design work? Is it A, it helps to ensure the design meets its intended purpose, B, it helps designers improve on their future projects, or C, it helps designers address any errors, or mistakes, in their designs? Pause the video while you decide what is the purpose of evaluating graphic design work.

Well done if you selected all of these answers.

They're all part of the purpose of evaluating graphic design work.

And now it's time for your next task.

Using a given brief, for example, create a poster for an upcoming school event, I would like you to create a design that applies at least three layout principles.

Balance, hierarchy, alignment, proximity and negative space.

And then I'd like you to annotate your design, explaining where, and why, you used each principle, and how your design incorporates message, purpose, and audience.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

First of all, creating your design, using at least three of the layout principles we've been exploring, and then annotating your design.

Enjoy your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? There are many possibilities, but you might have created something wonderful, like this sports day poster.

Looks like a great event.

Let's see what Jacob has to say.

"I designed a retro-style poster for an upcoming sports day event.

The most important details are the event title and date as this is the message and purpose of the design.

So these were signified through hierarchy.

I aligned text centrally to further add to the visual flow, and try to balance graphics, text, and negative space for added impact." I think it's a very successful outcome, Jacob.

Pause here and take a moment to reflect with each other now.

So offer each other some feedback on what layout principles you are impressed with them having used, and how successful they were.

And then also offer some feedback.

What might they incorporate next time to make the poster even more successful in terms of layout? So pause here, while you have a go at this.

Kind, supportive offering of feedback.

Thanks for sharing your feedback with each other.

In our lesson, layout and composition, we've covered the following.

Layout and composition can be used to create effective, engaging, and visually appealing designs.

A well-structured layout, with the five layout principles of hierarchy, balance, proximity, alignment, and negative space, help guide the viewer's eye through the design, making it easier to understand the message and purpose of the design.

Using a considered composition helps to ensure a pleasing arrangement of elements, enhancing the overall attractiveness of the design for the intended audience.

It was great to explore layout and composition with you, and I love how you used so many of those layout principles in your final outcomes.

I hope you're pleased with what you've created, and that you'll be able to use these principles, going forwards in other design projects.

I really enjoyed teaching you today.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson too, and I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.