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[Mat Helme] In this video, you'll understand what makes a great composition

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and the different compositional techniques.

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Let's have a look.

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In design, composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a layout.

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When we view the composition, we immediately compare to the elements

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and look at the interaction of the elements as a whole.

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Now, the way the composition is organized refers to its structure.

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We look at the structure as a blueprint of the composition.

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This structure can be loose or it can be rigid.

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When we first start adding in elements to our composition,

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we are adding in positive shapes.

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Positive shapes are elements that stand out to us.

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This grouping of positive shapes, or elements, immediately forms a complete figure or creates a foreground.

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On the other hand, we are left with an area where there is empty space.

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This is commonly known as the background.

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These 2 distinctions are very crucial in forming a complete composition.

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This is why it's important to consider both as equals.

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Keep in mind, they share the same edges with one another.

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The dependencies of the foreground and background, and vice versa, are very important to one another—

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without one, the other one wouldn't exist.

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This relationship is referred to as the figure-ground.

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When designing, it's always important to understand what the foreground and background are

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and to treat them as 2 separate whole objects.

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We then use these 2 groupings to balance one another.

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When the 2 become so similar, like a complex repeating pattern,

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it then is referred to as the reversible figure-ground, or an equal inverse.

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In most cases, these are intentional in a design—

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depending on the designer and the type of solution that is being conveyed.

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Now that we understand what a composition is and the key points of balance,

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let's take a look at compositional techniques.

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There are many different compositional techniques.

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I would like to share a few of my favorites—

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the first, and most popular technique, is the rule of thirds.

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The rule of thirds is a way to cut the composition up into 9 different sections

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and use the opposing sections to balance one another or to highlight a specific element.

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The next technique is the rule of odds.

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The rule of odds simply states that an odd number of objects is more pleasing than an even number of objects.

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If you notice in a still object painting, there is usually an odd number of objects, rather than an even number,

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and this all has to do with the rule of odds.

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The last technique I'd like to share with you is the rule of space.

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This technique is geared toward creating movement.

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Say if we want to make a still image to have a moving object, like a man running,

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we simply leave negative space in front of him—see what happens here is this:

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the eye is immediately drawn to the foreground objects and moves to the main object, being the person.

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Then, once the eye proceeds to the white space,

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it doesn't know where to go but back to the person, thus creating the illusion of movement.

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We now understand what makes up a solid composition and the different composition techniques.

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Let's now take a quick quiz before jumping into space and grouping in our next video.