How to Balance Your Design

Balance is a part of life. Throughout history, men (and women) have tried to figure out the golden rule of balance that’s present in every part of our world, which joins up this magnificent world.

Balance exists not only in the position of objects, but also in the choice of colours, the size of objects etc.

In Jane Eyre, Miss Eyre tells young Adèle that “Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light.” It’s true. Can you imagine a world without darkness? Without darkness, light wouldn’t shine.

Balance, therefore, is crucial to any good design. You may have the greatest and most original ideas, but without balance, your design is just not going to work. So how do we attain balance? How do we know when we have attained the right balance?

As I mentioned before, balance is needed in all the elements of a good design: position, colours, size etc. But for now, we’re just going to focus on position, which is the placement of your images and texts.

Perfect Symmetry

Symmetrical balance is when the two sides of a canvas have equal weights. The two sides maybe be left and right, or up and down. This can be achieved easily by centering the object (image or text). Also it can be achieved by mirroring the object on one side, so that the two sides feel equal. From my experience, this can usually make the design look more formal and grand.
Examples: Remember your maths geometry lessons? The patterns you drew are the best examples of symmetrical designs.
Caution: this may also make the design look flat and consequently, boring.

“Imperfection”

Many modern designs are not actually “mathematically” balanced. They may be uneven, off-centred and irregular. But somehow, they just feel… right. Some asymmetrical designs may use space and sizes to make the design feel steady, but others are simply not balanced at all, yet they all communicate messages effectively and are pleasant to look at. Using asymmetrical or discordant balance in designs is harder than using symmetrical balance and requires you to “feel”  instead of just measuring. A useful rule is never put an object in the very centre while using asymmetrical balance.
Examples: 

Felipe Skroski

C Lemons

Caution: if not used properly, the designs may look, well… un-designed.

There we are, the two basic ways of balancing objects. But after all, the ultimate goal is to make the design feel “right”. How do we know? Well, there should be a prickly feeling somewhere in you that tells you when your design isn’t so balanced. And if you really don’t know, you can always ask a friend, as other people are usually better at seeing the little flaws in your design.

So what do you think? Do you have any tips for balancing designs?