Fall 2020 Foundations of Design CMYK Blog

Hmm, yes.

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Scale and Proportion

In the game Superliminal, scale and proportion are bent to the whims of the player’s perspectives to create a new and amazing gameplay. The concept is simple, the size of an object that you see what you see relative to your position assumes the size of the illusion that of which you perceive. Certain segments of a pattern like a checkerboard when viewed in a way that fits them into a geometric shape like a cube causes that to actually become a cube. A door when pulled towards you looses its common ratio of 1:1 with the human scale and become a tall monstrosity.

Glossary

Scale ​- the size of one object in relation to other objects in a design; a certain relative or proportionate size or extent (A human is 7.5 heads tall.); a standard of measurement or estimation (The UFO was as big as a football field.); point of reference by which to gauge or rate (My puppy is twice as big as your chihuahua.)

Aspect Ratio​ - refers to the proportions of the height and width of an image. It defines its overall shape, and it is usually shown as W:H (W is the width and H is the height).

Geometry ​- spheres, cubes, cylinders can be used to build more complex objects

Hierarchy ​- Arranged according to importance or power. What’s bigger or taller is often more important or harder to kill.

Human scale​ - sets the stage for the story happening to human-sized characters

Proportions ​- The size of the parts compared to the whole. Relativity.

Ratio ​- a ratio tells us what proportions mean to each other. Measuring one thing in terms of another. That monster is twice the size of the human. Their ratio is 2 to 1.

Relative ​- how objects appear in context with each other

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Emphasis

Emphasis is used to make people and objects stand out or to highlight important features in games. In Fallout 4 one of its iconic combat mechanisms is a form of emphasis of highlight and focus points. How it works is that by activating the Vault-tech Assistive Targeting System, (also known as V.A.T.S. (and even more sarcastically known as the “very accurate targeting system” because many times when it tells you there is a 95 percent change of hitting a focus point such as a head it will miss all 10 bullets you fire at it). Anyways, when activated the camera zooms in and focuses on the target regardless of where you were looking per say, the sun. The target is placed in the center of the screen and the player then chooses where to fire and each additional shot in the same place is indicated with an extra box around the location to represent both the number of shots and where the player is emphasizing their attacks.

Glossary

Emphasis​ - Pow! Something in a scene dominates. In other words, the designer gives visual priority to part of a scene in order to draw the eye there first.

Contrast​ in size, color, texture can make one thing stand out from the many things around it.

Focal Point​ - The focal point demands attention, it is accentuated, contrasted – the star or the most prominent component of a scene.

Isolation - ​Feature a single element alone, away from other elements to create emphasis.

One Element​ - Eliminate everything else in the composition and the thing that’s left will grab the attention such as a bold title or symbol.

Placement​ - Position your most important design component in a place to grab attention, such as the center of a poster.

Subordination​ -The focal point has the visual power while other elements of the scene are subordinate.

Whole over Parts​ - Sometimes we don’t want the eye to go somewhere specifically such as in an establishing shot at the beginning of a story. We want to show an overview of the environment before we jump into the story. We might look at a map with lots of details. The whole map is the important thing. When we select a place on the map to visit, then that spot becomes the focal point and the Emphasis shifts from the whole to the specific. Another example is that the whole game is more important than its levels.

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Contrast

Contrast is used to separate select objects or elements from the rest and can be a way to place emphasis on objects or people a player needs to interact with first or create a focal point to guide a player towards a specific objective. In Invader Zim, Zim and Gir are a team of high contrast between their personalities and behavior. Zim being the slightly taller alien dedicated to his mission of conquering earth and Gir the dopey robot that is both literally and metaphorically missing a few screws. Their size contrast provides contrasting camera angles in both story telling and perspective depending on which character is the focus of the episode. 

Glossary

Contrast​ refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a composition so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

Contrast​ creates variety within a unit, draws the eye to a focal point, creates a sense of adventure or mystery. ​Contrast ​is a unifier​.​

Value contrast is when a character or object has a strong darks and lights compared to the scene around it.

Size contrast is a gigantic space cruiser compared to much smaller fighters.

Asymmetrical​ balance is a dynamic compositional strategy in which each side of the axis are distinctly different yet belong to the same story.

High Contrast​ is strong dissimilarity such as black letters on a white background. The high contrast setting is an accessibility feature built into interfaces to assist people with vision impairment. In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view. Because the human visual system is more sensitive to contrast than absolute luminance, we can perceive the world similarly regardless of the huge changes in illumination over the day or from place to place.

Low Contrast​ means a minimum of contrast between light and dark, so that the image is either predominantly dark or predominantly light. The sun sets, dusk sets in and in the gloom there is low contrast in the landscape.

Symmetrical ​is a form of balance in which both sides of the axis are the same, a mirror image of each other, creating stability and formality. In visual storytelling the symmetrical formal balance is often contrasted with the dynamic action of asymmetrical configurations. For example, the formal balance and discipline on the Death Star in Star Wars is contrasted with the diversity of the different rebel cells and militias from across the galaxy. The dynamic contrasting rhythms and visuals of the dark side contrasted with the Jedi and rebel alliance has kept the franchise going for decades.

Contrasting camera angles-​  Part of your story is how you show as well as how you tell.  The camera is your audience’s view of your story and should be well planned to reveal the story in the most effective way possible.

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Rhythm

Rhythm is an important element that influences or reflects the pace of a game. This can be use of progressive rhythm to indicate a change in pace or reaching a turning point dramatizing or emphasizing an event such as a boss battle indicated by the audio rhythm speeding up.  Some games allow the player to decide the rhythm or pace of the game with games that allow the player to run while it not being a requirement because the person moving is rhythm as well.  An alternating rhythm is the fact that after 5 floors you will either face a boss or a resting room followed by another 5 floors.

Rhythm​ is caused by patterns in movement. What are those footsteps in the dark room? Are they slow or fast? Running or sneaking up on you? Rhythm controls the pace of action in your story. Rhythm can be repeated character types, weapons, or color strategies. We see and hear rhythm throughout nature as well as in our digital environment. Rhythm organizes units into patterns. Rhythm is created through repetition, alternation, and progression.

Alternating​ rhythm is a form of repetition and is predictable. We switch back and forth from one thing to another like a tennis match. Alternating rhythm can create tension, such as switching close up head shots of one character arguing with another.

Audio ​​Rhythm​ are sounds that create patterns such breathing or shooting rounds of ammo.

Conceptual ​​Rhythm​ Intensifies, moves along, or calms the story. Conceptual rhythm coordinates visual and audio rhythm with the pace of your story.

Contrasting Rhythms​ are two or more sounds or motions at obviously different  tempos.

Legato​ means music in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes or a smooth flowing motion.

Polyrhythmic pattern is the use of simultaneous contrasting rhythms. A battle scene has many(poly) rhythms such as big guns, small guns, shouts, rumbles, footsteps, and explosions.

Progressive​ rhythm is a pattern that changes over time to more or less intensity. Progressive rhythm makes us feel that. something is in an evolving state of change. We can tell when the battle is heating up by the rhythm of the sounds and the actions of the characters running toward or away from the fighting.

Repeating- the same thing again and again gives us a feeling of predictability

Rhythm and motion​ - When a motion repeats, speeds up, slows down it creates a rhythm. The rhythm of tai chi is slow. The rhythm of Kung Fu is fast.

Staccato ​derives from the Italian verb staccare, meaning “to detach,” and can now describe anything - not just sounds - made, done, or happening in an abrupt or disjointed way.

Visual​ Rhythm is when motifs such as lines or shapes repeat visual rhythm forms.

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Point

Don’t Escape 4 Days in a Wasteland is a point and click survival game that uses pixelated graphics.  While it is an open-world, every action takes up some of the limited time you are given each day making the order of which you do things affect the potential outcome of your actions but the true point of no return would be when you run out of time or end the day as you brace yourself (or at least try to) for the dangers and horrors that challenge you through the night be it bandits or a plague. Groups of Points are used to create the text and the cursor which the player uses to interact with the environment

Point Glossary

Point​ is the smallest visual component.

Pixel ​is a recently invented groovy word. The word “pixel” was first published in 1965 by Frederic C. Billingsley of​​Jet Propulsion Laboratory to describe the picture elements of video images from space probes to the Moon and Mars. A pixel is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display. Think of it as a logical - rather than a physical - unit. The physical size of a pixel depends on how you’ve set the resolution for the display screen. Each visual composition on your screen is made of thousands of illuminated points of hue and value.

Focal point​ is the​ feature​ of a​​design or work of art that is the most​ interesting​ or important​ or the most​ strongly​ emphasized​.

The Point​ is what a player will tell a friend about the game if they like it.

The point​ is the mission or a moving target.

The point of no return ​(PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one’s current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a calculated point during a continuous action (such as in aviation). A particular irreversible action (such as setting off an explosion or signing a contract) can be a point of no return.

Explicit points are clearly and obviously placed in a piece

Implicit points aren’t visible but are inferenced or hypothesized from what is there

Groups of points can create lines or shapes when placed in a certain formation

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Texture

Textures in Skyrim

Textures play a major role in player experiences within video games.  They are essential to the world-building and heavily influence the vibes given off by each object and area.  Wherever you go, every object has a texture that matches what you would expect out of it; a boulder blocking your path appears rough and may vary between jagged or smooth-ish-kind-of, a rug appears either soft or scratchy depending on how much it probably cost. All of what you see is the use of visual texturing to make everything appear tactile as if you could actually feel it to immerse the player within the world of skyrim and as a first/third person rpg adventure game. The world is huge and what they do to reduce computing power required is every object is a rough 3d model and through texture mapping they apply visuals that appear 3 dimensional without the need to process an overly detailed model because a detailed 3d model takes more processing that a 3d looking texture. 

Texture Glossary

Texture of something is the way that it feels when you touch it, how smooth or rough it is. The texture of an object depends on the unique structure of its molecules. Fur may feel soft or coarse, metal may be oiled and shiny or rusted and rough.

Tactile textures are physical, touchable textures that you can actually feel on your skin in the real world, like when you pet a cat or dog.

Texture mapping is a process in which a two-dimensional surface, a texture map, is wrapped around a three-dimensional object. When wrapped, the 3-D object acquires a visual surface texture. Texture maps create high frequency detail, surface texture, or color information on a computer-generated graphic or 3D model.

Visual texture is an illusion of texture. Pixels or traditional drawing and painting media can be manipulated to give the impression of texture, while the surface actually remains smooth and flat. The texture on an ancient wall, a vehicle, or a creature’s scaly or slimy skin increases the immersiveness of a game. Texture artist is a career path.

Texture artists are close observers as they collect, organize, and use textures to create believable surfaces.

Verisimilitude is the appearance of being real.

Trompe l’oeil, or “deceive the eye” (French), is the representation of an object with such verisimilitude that it deceives the viewer concerning the material reality of it

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Value

Value in Darkwood

Darkwood is a survival horror game that heavily relies on Chiaroscuro to add depth and details to the characters and environment because you only see the world from top-down perspective. It also creates spookiness by using an unbalanced amount of darker values compared to lighter values.  This is because the game hides most of the world and its inhabitants from the players sight so they have to get very close in order to see even with the (limited) light sources that one can obtain. This overall use of dark values to hide things creates a constant air of suspense and fear for what lurks in darkness just beyond the reaches of your tiny light.  In fact, the game allows you to vaguely see the surroundings but when you approach with a true light you are shown something different that what you saw from a distance without a light. This also makes the light values act as sort of emphasis for the player as they are almost forced to focus on what they can see. 

Glossary

Value in design is lightness or darkness on a scale of white to black (with white being the highest value and black being the lowest value). Value is widely considered to be one of the most important variables to the success of a design.

Chiaroscuro (English: kee-AR-ə-SKOOR-oh, -​SKEWR-, Italian:; Italian for “light-dark”), is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark with bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Chiaroscuro is a technical term for the use of contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modelling three-dimensional objects and figures.

Light and dark: Every element in your design has a value from 1% black (almost white) to 100% black. Value is relative to everything in the composition. Every color has an underlying value somewhere between white and black.

Value as emphasis happens when a strong contrast in value draws attention to itself such as on this ancient Greek vase illustrating value contrast in the service of visual storytelling. Kylo Ren’s red light sable shows value contrast against the dark background.

Value and space: Designers use dark and light values to create the illusion of light as it falls on objects.  Value is used to create the illusion of highlights and shadows.  Highlights and shadows combine to create the illusion of a light source. The pattern of light and dark can create dimension, volume, and mass.

Value patterns appear regularly in the world, in human-made design, and even in abstract ideas such as stories. The elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. Night and day is a value pattern common in stories.

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Unity

Unity is an important component in games like Civilization VI where it aids in distinguishing the different groups of assists owned by each player or AI.  While Civ 6 is well known for being a game with vast diversity from the land formation to the many different leaders to play as or against, each group has indications of repetition which reflect the faction they belong to. Some of these things are the type of building you will see throughout an empire or the special unique unit they might have creating a visual unity among the same troops. Even for those without a unique building or unit the colors of borders and the alignment of buildings and borders unite each tile under recognition of an immortal dictator or at least until you take all of their cities.  

Unity Glossary

Unity​ - is an entity that is a systematic whole. A fusion or union of parts in harmony to create a oneness. A game is a unity based on a fusion of levels.

Alignment​ – a common axis creates relationship, the line up creates meaning. Alignment in games can help you find your way on the map or aim true with your weapon. Alignment of troops or vessels indicates organizational strength. Maps are visually aligned with the edge of the frame. Your stats are aligned in a table.

Beat Boards​ are used to illustrate major story points before the rest of the storyboard is completed. Beat boards are a series of single drawings that depict key focal points in a scene. Beat Boards can be compared to a children’s book illustration because an individual picture shows a complex story. Beat boards can serve in art direction to indicate how the shot is staged and show color strategies, using shapes and colors, but are not detailed sketches. (paraphrasedfrom​​https://roshnikakad.blogspot.com/2012/02/ss2-discovering-beat-boards.html​) Making sure the beat boards relate to each other creates unity.

Composition ​- is the arrangement of visual elements within a shot. The three basic shot compositions in filmmaking are long-shot, medium-shot, and close-up.

Conceptual unity​ – a palm tree, an ocean beach, and a beer unify around the concept of ‘vacation’

Contrast​ – creates variety within a unit, draws the eye to a focal point, creates drama. ​Contrast is a unifier​. ​Contrast is when a character or object has a strong darks and lights compared to the scene around it. Size contrast is a gigantic space cruiser compared to much smaller fighters.

Proximity​– closer distances connect elements and far apart elements create separation and sometimes magnetism

Repetition​ – things that look alike relate to each other. Shapes or colors that recur in the image create rhythm and recognizable situations.

Unifying Strategies​ – Designers manipulate contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity to create visual unity and to pull a story along.

Visual unity​ – is a group of repeating or similar elements that create balance or form a structure

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Motion

Motion plays a major role in the telling of the story, aids in character development, as well as creating vibes.  Each character moves in their own way that aligns with their physical form and their apparel as Kinesthetic Empathy. The stillness of the skeleton knights along the sides contrasts with the movement of the main cast as they proceed down the aisle. Despite having a vast variety of camera angles this doesn’t break the 180 degree rule as it never rotates past the line when focusing on any character.

Glossary

Motion is action, reaction, energy, what’s happening, gestures, dynamics, mobility, exertion, labor, and progress through space. Motion varies with your story. Motion indicators In storyboards are arrows, blurred lines, smears, zooms in and out. Your character is dramatized and embodied as a personality through gestural actions.

In filmmaking, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. By keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary axis between two characters, the first character is always framed right of the second character. Moving the camera over the axis is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round.

Anticipated Action: A dramatic action frozen in time, the tension mounts, we feel anticipation. We expect the sword to swing or the finger to pull the trigger or the couple to kiss.

Camera Motion: Arrows are standard cues, a simple and recognizable way to show motion or progression in a storyboard

Kinesthetic Empathy: A player’s actual movement when responding to action in a game. Leaning into a curve in a driving game is kinesthetic empathy.

Line of action is an artistic concept, an invisible line that captures the thrust and vitality of the movement. The line of action can be drawn by artists as the first element to capture or exaggerate the pose. Tip: Create the line of action as layer 1 so that you don’t downplay the pose. When you have the full energy of the drawing delete the action line layer.

Motion Blur: When your eyes or objects are in motion, the image will suffer from motion blur, resulting in an inability to resolve details. To cope with this, humans generally alternate between saccades (quick eye movements) and fixation (focusing on a single point).

Optical movement is an optical illusion. Although the image is not moving, it appears to move.

Stillness is calm, quiet, inaction, and peace. Stillness is the opposite of motion. It can be used to contrast with motion.

Visual ways to suggest motion: Before there were moving pictures, artists developed ways to indicate motion. These techniques are used today to quickly indicate motion. Blurred outlines is one technique, and repeating parts of a figure is another way. A figure may seem to be moving  if their figure is cropped by the frame of the composition.

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Pattern

Pattern is an element used to create features of consistency, repetition, and balance. In Stardew Valley there is alternating pattern of the passing seasons going from spring to summer to fall to winter and back again which also affects what crops you can grow at the time. At your house the massive plot of land has an invisible grid, being that there are designated spaces for each element of object that cannot overlap. A progressive pattern would be the actual growing of the crops as they get larger and larger until they mature and are ready for harvest.

Glossary

Pattern is an arrangement, configuration, array, formation, guide, matrix of repeated forms. Patterns create rhythm and can be used to predict and organize design elements such as using a grid. In Software development patterns are conventions for describing and documenting recurring design decisions within a given context.

Alternating pattern means to occur in succession, such as day alternating with night. To pass back and forth from one state, action, or place to another such as alternate between happiness

Chiaroscuro is a technique of painting or drawing using a predictable sequence of light and shade to achieve a three-dimensional quality. From the way back machine: [1680–90; < Italian, =chiaro bright (< Latin clārus) + oscuro dark (< Latin obscūrus)]. Chiaroscuro has been digitized to give depth and dimension in every 3-D video game or animation object.

Collage is a technique of an art production, primarily used in the visual arts, where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. Collage is a prototyping process used to assemble colors, textures, silhouettes and other assets to test ideas, colors, size relationships.

Gradient is continuous change, darkening, lightening, increasing or decreasing color saturation. A gradient is created when two or more different colors are layered to paint one element while gradually fading between the hues or values.

Grid means a rectangular system of coordinates used in locating the principal elements of a plan and depression.

Progressive patterns create active change, momentum by shifting in a direction, increasing, escalating, or accelerating.

Radial balanced patterns are based on a circle with its design extending from its center. A few examples of radial balance are; a star, the iris in one’s eyes, and a wheel with spokes.

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Space and Depth

Subnautica uses space and depth to make the players feel very small in a really large and scary ocean planet.  In the foreground the player’s hands or tools are always in focus and very detailed. The further away something is such as a cave system in the deep or one of 2, or was it 3? islands in the far far far distance are blurry and blue as a result of atmospheric pressure. It should also be noted that even though the ocean is brighter the closer you are to the surface that does not mean to say one can see better near the surface. In fact, not being able to see what lurks in the vast space nearby despite being close to the surface makes the player feel as though there is no safe heaven anywhere on this planet. In fact the large leviathans are the only thing you can see from far away given their massive size and you feel like fish food when they approach due to the size relationship of you being a small human being.

Glossary

Space: an area, expanse, territory, distance or range. Variable spaces expand or contract as our stories unfold. A closeup has a short range. A wide shot covers a lot of territory.

Atmospheric Perspective: Value contrast and color saturation decrease with distance. Brightness increases as objects fade further into the background. In addition, objects such as mountains may appear more blue.

Diagonal Shapes: pull the eye in a direction to create the illusion of depth. If the diagonal is going back like a railroad track or fence-line the eye will follow it into the perceived distance.

Elliptical Perspective: An ellipse is an oval shape. Elliptical perspective provides visual clues to the location of curved surfaces in space. Look straight down on a glass of water. The rim of the glass is a circle. Move the glass to the side, the rim now appears as an ellipse. Line up the rim at your exact eye level, the ellipse now appears as a straight line.

Foreground, Middle-ground, & Background: The 3 treatments of objects in space support design to achieve depth. This template for placing and sizing objects in the picture plane shows variations on the foreground, middle-ground, background configurations.

Foreshortening: when an object’s dimensions appear shorter when angled toward the viewer. At the same time the part coming toward the viewer is enlarged.

Linear Perspective: a system used by artists in which the relative size, shape, and position of objects are determined by drawn or imagined lines converging at a point on the horizon.

Overlapping: when part of one object is obscured by another object. The obscuring object appears to be in front.

S-Curve or Winding Path: In an image of a landscape, S-curve or winding path will draw the eye of the viewer into a perceived distance.

Size relationships: Objects appear smaller as their distance from the observer increases.

Transparency or Opacity: when we feel like we can see objects through a glassy, gauzy, smoky, or dusty layer. The transparent/opacity adjustment affects the saturation and color of objects to give a feel of depth.

Vertical Position: places objects higher up in the composition to appear further away.

Volume: is the amount, expanse, extent, magnitude, size, aggregate, bulk, dimensions, or mass of an object. The volume variable indicates the amount of territory needed for each object in a scene.

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Color

Use of Color in Geshin Impact:

Color is used to create or help build specific moods or tones, and is also used to help represent location or time. This game changes between Full Spectrum Strategy during the day or near light sources when one is able to see the many different colors of the world and Monochromatic during the night or in areas when there is no light source and the objects are seen as shades of blue typically darker values. This game has almost no local color as everything is affected by lighting. In image 2 it uses warm colors and since the brightest most saturated orange is from behind the mountain one can recognize a sunset and it makes the player ‘feel’ the warmth. For the scene in the clouds cool colors are used and (blended or almost fuzzy colors for clouds give the appearance of a very cold and lonely place. It also implies that the time is during the night.

Color Glossary

Visible light spectrum ​is the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view. This range of wavelengths is called visible light. Typically, the human eye can detect wavelengths from 380 to 700 nanometers.

Color psychology is the study of the effect that colors have on emotions, behavior and feelings of people.

Color systems classify color and analyze their effects.

The additive color system is used for colors of light such as light emitted from computers, phone screens, and projectors. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors

The subtractive color system is used for pigments such as ink, dye, and paint. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the primary colors.

Change in Color is to use color to separate the foreground, midground, and background planes to create the illusion of depth and is commonly used in animation.

The color wheel, or color circle, arranges a pattern of hues around a circle. There are several ​versions of the color wheel​ or color circle. The circle connects relationships between hues to illustrate color strategies. (see 12 Chromatic Strategies) ​Color wheel history​ goes way back.

Local color is the natural color of an object unmodified by adding unrealistic light and shadow or any other distortion. The color that the eye observes is altered by lighting conditions such as time of day or the surrounding environment. The local color of a lemon is yellow.

A palette is the range of colors used in a particular composition or by any person who uses color such as an artist, house painter or interior decorator. An example of a palette is Vincent Van Gogh’s limited palette of hues in his Starry Night painting. ​Starry Night’s palette ​is a variety of blues, greens and yellows.

Properties of color are hue, saturation, and brightness.

Hue is the named color around the color circle such as red, orange, green, yellow, violet, and blue.

Saturation ​is the intensity or purity of a hue. Fire engine red is more highly saturated than brick red or the color of red wine.

Brightness​ is the perceived intensity of light coming from a source such as a screen. On a color screen, brightness is the average of the red, green and blue pixels on the screen. Brightness is important to both color perception and battery life on mobile devices. Brightness of a screen can be adjusted.

Symbolism of color in art and anthropology refers to the use of color as a symbol in various cultures. There is great diversity in the use of colors and their associations. Diversity in color symbolism occurs because color meanings and symbolism occur on an individual, cultural and universal basis. Color symbolism is also context-dependent and changes over time.

12 ​Color Strategies:

1. Monochromatic ​means variations of a single hue such as a light blue and a dark blue or a greenish aqua blue and a lavender blue.

2. Achromatic ​color strategy integrates variations of black, white, gray, and a full range of neutrals.

3. Full Spectrum Strategy​ represents the full circle of spectral colors by incorporating at least five of the base hues.

4. In the ​Achromatic/Chromatic Mix​ strategy, Achromatic colors dominate the composition with a chromatic hue accent.

5. Warm/Cool:​ Contrasting ‘temperatures’ of warm & cool. Cool colors appear on the green/blue/violet side of the color wheel. The colors on the red/orange/yellow side of the color wheel are called warm. Emphasis is on the contrast between warm and cool achromatics: brown - gold (warm), grays - silver (cool)

6. Saturation Similarities​: Hues may vary in this strategy, but all colors must have the same or very similar saturations. Saturation Contrast​: Hues may vary but all colors must have significant contrast of saturation.

7. Value Similarities: ​Hues may vary in this strategy, but all colors have the same or very close values. Value Contrast​: Black (or dark desaturated hues) contrast with white (or very desaturated tints of hues). The Value Contrast strategy demonstrates strong distinction of value with the strongest example being between black and white.

8. Complementary Dyad​ creates a strong hue contrast. Complementary hues are located directly opposite each other on the color circle

9. Split Complementary​ strategies are based on two complements. To create a split complementary color strategy select one hue and contrast it with the hues on either side of its complement, such as Red & Yellow-Green/Blue-Green.

10. A ​Tetrad ​strategy uses four equilateral hues from the color circle, such as Red, Orange, Green, Blue.

11. A ​Triad ​strategy uses three equilaterally balanced hues from the color circle, such as primary, secondary, or tertiary.

12. Analogous ​strategies collect 2 or 3 neighboring hues on the color circle.

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Shape

Shapes are used to create new symbols that a viewer will associate with specific meaning or entity. In Mario games, the player is taught at the very beginning that mushrooms are beneficial to the player making the shape of a mushroom representational, and the red and white ones being a good thing. However, this only applies to the round mushroom as the Goomba is a mushroom shaped enemy with a pointy triangular shaped head.  The question mark on certain non-objective shapes like the brick blocks is a common symbol to get the player to probe it as question marks are associated with mystery and potential gains. When the player jumps on top of most enemies, if the enemy can be defeated the shape becomes squashed and stretched, otherwise, the player might take damage or nothing will happen.

Shape Glossary

Shape is the external form or appearance characteristic of someone or something; the outline of an area or figure. As a verb, to shape is to give a particular form. As artists, we shape our characters outward appearance by using shapes.

Abstract means no recognizable objects. Abstraction is a sliding scale from realism to completely non representational. Abstract shapes can be used in backgrounds and textures. The background pattern in this Minecraft image is abstract. The character is still recognizable as a human, but the doctor’s human form is abstracted in the game of Minecraft to conform to the blocks of the game world.

Biomorphic is a free-form pattern or design with a shape suggestive of a living organism, especially an amoeba or protozoan.

Curvilinear shapes are s-curves. Curvilinear shapes inform Jessica Rabbit’s character design and can represent a winding river vanishing into the distance.

Distortion is exaggeration, contortion, reform, slant, twist, or warp in ways that depart from reality. Look at the Minecraft Human body example. The figure of the Minecraft doctor is distorted by the shape of the blocks.

Idealism asserts that the physical world is less important than the mind or the spirit which shapes and animates it. Idealists choose the soul, the mind, or the psyche over the body, the material, and the historical. When ideals (of appearance, or proportion for example) regulate the way an artist represents the world, her work can be described as Idealistic. The leading artists of the High Renaissance - Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo - are all associated with varying forms of Idealism, as were ancient Greek sculptors. How do you think idealism affects avatar customization?

Non-objective shapes have no object as a reference and no recognizable subject matter. Non-objective shapes are often used to simplify design shapes. Geometric shapes such as a triangle, square, and circle are abstract until you put them together to represent a house or a smiley face. One Minecraft block, away from the game, is a non-objective shape. Inside the game that same block, depending on it’s color and texture could represent a part of a landscape, sheep, or sword. The block as part of a character or environment inside the game would no longer be abstract.

Positive space is the subject, focal point, or areas of high interest in any composition. Negative space is the area around the areas of interest. All compositions balance positive and negative space. Yes, stuff in the negative space can point to the focal point to make it most obvious. Positive and negative create a whole. Every composition is a combination of positive and negative space. Wield the positive and negative spaces with control and story-telling magic to become a design master.

Realism, or naturalism, attempts to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality or exotic or supernatural elements. In the visual arts, illusionistic realism strives for the accurate depiction of lifeforms, perspective, and the details of light and color.

Rectilinear is a boxy shape made with straight lines. For example, the screen you are looking at is a rectilinear shape filled with little square pixels, and pixels are also rectilinear. A storyboard is a series of drawings in a linear set of rectilinear frames.

Representational means objects that players can name. The object represents something from the real world, or something that has the verisimilitude of realism. A cartoon bunny can represent a rabbit without being realistic. Representational is a sliding scale from realism to almost abstract. 2 dots and a curve can be arranged into an abstract pattern or they can be arranged into an emoji that represents a smiley face.

Silhouette is a profile or shape that is easy to identify.

Squash and stretch are shapes profiles that emphasize motion. The stretched position shows the form in an extended condition. When you do a sit up your belly squashes and your back stretches.

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Lines

Use of Lines in Manga

Lines are used to show an audience motion and movements of characters and objects in a story or scene. They can also be used to emphasize or exaggerate said motions and movements. In One Punch Man, the manga uses diagonal lines and Gesture Lines to emphasize the force behind the punch and the high speed rotation as a result of the impact. The sound effects have much greater Line Weight than the lines around it and as it covers up some of the motion and gesture lines it creates psychic lines out of the diagonal lines.

Line Glossary

Lines have both a direction and a length. Line means a mark, streak, stroke, slash, path, stripe, border, contour, striation, course, route, and track. Curved, bent, thick, wide, broken, vertical, horizontal, burred, or freehand, lines delineate shapes, forms, and spaces, volumes, edges, movement and patterns. Not only that – lines create both 2D and 3D objects and figures. Lines are awesome and powerful.

Contour lines indicate the edge around an object or the changes in volume within an object. Contour lines dramatize changes of plane within the form. The curve of a belt around the waist is a contour line.

Diagonal Lines are useful to draw the eye into a composition such as toward the vanishing points. Three common types of diagonals are 1) actual diagonal lines 2) objects placed diagonally in a scene 3) a diagonal line created by the viewpoint such as the Dutch tilt.

Dutch Tilt (known as a Dutch angle, canted angle, or oblique angle) is a type of camera shot that has a noticeable tilt on the camera’s “x-axis.” The Dutch tilt camera technique was introduced by German Expressionists in the 1920s — so it’s not actually Dutch. Directors often use a Dutch angle to signal to the viewer that something is wrong, disorienting, or unsettling.

Explicit means clear, direct, and obvious. If a drawing is easy to read it may be that the lines are explicit, clean, with efficient use of variety. There are explicit lines around the frame of the Dutch Tilt illustration.

Gesture Lines capture motion, such as in an action pose when gesture drawings are used in storyboards. The figures at the head of the Rembrandt Elephant drawing show the quickly sketched human gestures responding to the elephant.

Implied lines in 3-D scenes a line in a scene that is not physically there but is suggested by points in the art. Implied lines suggest the edges of an object or planes within an object. The line may be broken such as a dotted line, it may be defined by value, color, or texture, or it may not be visible at all. With implied lines, our brain interprets that a line exists.

Line As Value has a long history. Artists have used line drawings to create value, or shading, and to achieve the impression of volume. In this quick sketch of a live elephant Rembrandt used outline contour lines around the edges of the elephant and curved contour lines around the big legs and belly. Most of the lines are at the lower part of the elephant to show that the light source was from above.

Line of action is an imaginary line that extends through the main action of the figure. When you draw an action figure you can capture the line of action on one layer then draw the figure drawing on another layer.

Line quality is the expressive essence of lines. Varying the line quality makes objects appear more 3-dimensional and exciting. Range in line quality heightens descriptive and 3 suggestive potential. A single line can change in darkness and width, can vanish all together to mentally reconnect later on an edge.

Line weight refers to the thickness or thinness of a line.

We don’t really need a strong contour line around every part of an object because our brain will fill in the blank where the edge disappears. When a line fades out and then restarts further along the edge it is called a lost and found line. There is a lost and found line at the top of Rembrandt’s elephant behind the head. There is a strong contour line of the skull of the elephant and a strong bulge of the back, but between the 2 curved shapes the line fades out, yet we still know that the elephant shape continues.

Psychic lines are invisible. Psychic lines form between characters or between a gun and a target, or a hand pointing in a direction. There is no real line yet we feel a line. Eyes looking in a direction, especially characters looking at each other create a psychic line.

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Wut dis for

Dis for my AET class and it’s for design learning and other things I dunno.