Balance

We are daily bombarded with so much information our mind has unique ways to manage all this information. One of the most basic concepts of graphics is that the human mind seeks to identify patterns. Even when a scene contains essentially random elements, the mind looks for order.

If a point is placed within a frame, and the point is located in the center, a viewer will recognize that the pattern is symmetrical and thus balanced. If the point is displaced from the center, symmetry will be lost and a sense of imbalance will result, but complete symmetrical balance within a composition is usually uninteresting; a general rule, complete visual symmetry should be avoided.

So, how do we have a balanced illustration and not have the focal point in the center of the frame?

It is the illustrator's responsibility to ensure that within his illustration there is some kind of order imposed on the objects enclosed within the frame. This order can follow some established formulas. One rule is called the Golden Section. The Golden Section is the proportional relation between two divisions of line or two dimensions of a plane figure such that short : long :: long : (short + long)

If the point is displaced from the center the addition of another point displaced an equal distance from the center but in the opposite direction will restore the feeling that the composition is symmetrical and thus balanced. A similar relationship can occur even if the points have different visual weights. If the center of the frame is thought of as acting like a fulcrum, then a "heavier" point close to the center counteracts the weight of a "light" point located farther away in the opposite direction. The size of an object, its tone, and its nature all contribute to a viewer's subjective evaluation of how much visual weight the object has.