By Meral Fatima Kazi
Creative Strategist
When you listen to an RJ (Radio Jockey) on the radio, what you hear is just the audio, but your mind somehow creates an image of what the RJ must look like, or the studio they are sitting in. That is the power of visuals.
With the digital world booming, each form of multimedia is used in the most effective way by most companies and brands.
In order to create the most appeal, one needs to focus on the aspects that make the visual stand out in a unique way. There are many ways to do so:
The Rule of Thirds
In many portraits or products captured in landscape mode, you will notice that the subject often is not in the center, rather than on the side. That creates more of an impact than putting the subject in the middle; the negative space increased, putting more focus on the visuals.
It is a great tool that can be incorporated for brands that require photography, social media designs, corporate videos, and interviews.
Just remember not to place the subject too much on the side – use grids to help create a balance between the negative space and the subject!
Foreground Vs. Background
A current trend with social media is designing minimal posts that seem to gather more attention than designs that look very busy. How does minimalism gather more attention?
One major technique is creating a difference between the foreground and the background. That can be done in many ways:
First is creating a contrast between the two, commonly seen in UI design for buttons and menu bars.
Second is to highlight the distance between the foreground and background, with the use of shadows and lighting. A popular example is of portrait and product photography where the focus is on the subject, and the background is blurred, creating both depth and focus.
Finally, the use of color is an important factor in creating impactful art. For a typical minimal post design consisting of a background and text, just using 2 complimentary colors can add a lot of value and impact in the final result.
Framing
Believe it or not, framing is not just a concept limited to photography and videography, but also designs and animation. There are multiple elements to look at when creating your frame; in the case of an animation, each frame needs to be thoroughly checked.
A lot of theoretical knowledge needs to be factored in when creating a frame:
The positioning, the right use of negative space, the sizing, the colors, and symmetry. Layering is also an important element, where the designer can add impact to the frame by adding a foreground object in front of the subject, or in the background.
Texture & Detailing
With more and more design tools available online, there are increasing ways of highlighting your content – textures and detailing is one of them. But there is a fine line between slight details added to your subject, and overusing textures or shadows to make your design unappealing. In this case, less is more!
Hence when creating shadows and highlights, remember to let it blend in and not enhance it too much. Same goes for textures. Textures can make or break your art. Even with photography – an example of a poorly edited photograph is when sharpness has been excessively added to the subject, making it look unattractive. So, use these tools wisely!
These are just some of the important points I believed should be considered when creating a powerful visual – the possibilities however are endless. Design mediums have now increased dramatically, from UI/UX design, to social media design, print design, photo and video, animation and so much more. Make sure to research thoroughly before any project, and do your best!
Creative Strategist
When you listen to an RJ (Radio Jockey) on the radio, what you hear is just the audio, but your mind somehow creates an image of what the RJ must look like, or the studio they are sitting in. That is the power of visuals.
With the digital world booming, each form of multimedia is used in the most effective way by most companies and brands.
In order to create the most appeal, one needs to focus on the aspects that make the visual stand out in a unique way. There are many ways to do so:
The Rule of Thirds
In many portraits or products captured in landscape mode, you will notice that the subject often is not in the center, rather than on the side. That creates more of an impact than putting the subject in the middle; the negative space increased, putting more focus on the visuals.
It is a great tool that can be incorporated for brands that require photography, social media designs, corporate videos, and interviews.
Just remember not to place the subject too much on the side – use grids to help create a balance between the negative space and the subject!
Foreground Vs. Background
A current trend with social media is designing minimal posts that seem to gather more attention than designs that look very busy. How does minimalism gather more attention?
One major technique is creating a difference between the foreground and the background. That can be done in many ways:
First is creating a contrast between the two, commonly seen in UI design for buttons and menu bars.
Second is to highlight the distance between the foreground and background, with the use of shadows and lighting. A popular example is of portrait and product photography where the focus is on the subject, and the background is blurred, creating both depth and focus.
Finally, the use of color is an important factor in creating impactful art. For a typical minimal post design consisting of a background and text, just using 2 complimentary colors can add a lot of value and impact in the final result.
Framing
Believe it or not, framing is not just a concept limited to photography and videography, but also designs and animation. There are multiple elements to look at when creating your frame; in the case of an animation, each frame needs to be thoroughly checked.
A lot of theoretical knowledge needs to be factored in when creating a frame:
The positioning, the right use of negative space, the sizing, the colors, and symmetry. Layering is also an important element, where the designer can add impact to the frame by adding a foreground object in front of the subject, or in the background.
Texture & Detailing
With more and more design tools available online, there are increasing ways of highlighting your content – textures and detailing is one of them. But there is a fine line between slight details added to your subject, and overusing textures or shadows to make your design unappealing. In this case, less is more!
Hence when creating shadows and highlights, remember to let it blend in and not enhance it too much. Same goes for textures. Textures can make or break your art. Even with photography – an example of a poorly edited photograph is when sharpness has been excessively added to the subject, making it look unattractive. So, use these tools wisely!
These are just some of the important points I believed should be considered when creating a powerful visual – the possibilities however are endless. Design mediums have now increased dramatically, from UI/UX design, to social media design, print design, photo and video, animation and so much more. Make sure to research thoroughly before any project, and do your best!
