I had an assignment for my Digital Imagery class. I was to write about a visual design which demonstrates proficient use of the basic design principles. So as you have probably already guessed, I decided to write about the cover art of Ghost Reveries. Now I only learned about all this stuff yesterday, so if you're an artsy person and you disagree with me, don't tear me apart!
This is the cover of Opeths latest album, Ghost Reveries. It is fitting because all of their albums are very dark, especially this one. I believe this design demonstrates proficient use of all five basic design principles: asymmetrical balance, rhythm, dominance, proportion, and unity.
Asymmetrical balance is achieved by the contrast of colors: the sides of this design are completely dark; in contrast, the middle column stands out and balances the darkness with light colors from the window, candles, and to a lesser extent, the smoke. As a side note, I believe this extreme contrast in color to be the perfect way to balance this album cover, as the main thing that defines Opeths music is a balance between extremes; the very hard and the very soft.
The rhythm in this piece can be found in the five candles, which create a basic repetition.
These candles also seem to serve as the dominant objects in this album cover, as they are not only positioned in the foreground, but also feature the most visual weight because of the bright fire against the dark background. The second brightest object in the image is the window located in the background, which I view as a sub-dominant object.
Proportion is also achieved by the candles, which create visual interest in their differing sizes.
Lastly, there is some obvious unity in the placement of the candles. Their close proximity in the center of the design suggests that they belong together.
This is the cover of Opeths latest album, Ghost Reveries. It is fitting because all of their albums are very dark, especially this one. I believe this design demonstrates proficient use of all five basic design principles: asymmetrical balance, rhythm, dominance, proportion, and unity.
Asymmetrical balance is achieved by the contrast of colors: the sides of this design are completely dark; in contrast, the middle column stands out and balances the darkness with light colors from the window, candles, and to a lesser extent, the smoke. As a side note, I believe this extreme contrast in color to be the perfect way to balance this album cover, as the main thing that defines Opeths music is a balance between extremes; the very hard and the very soft.
The rhythm in this piece can be found in the five candles, which create a basic repetition.
These candles also seem to serve as the dominant objects in this album cover, as they are not only positioned in the foreground, but also feature the most visual weight because of the bright fire against the dark background. The second brightest object in the image is the window located in the background, which I view as a sub-dominant object.
Proportion is also achieved by the candles, which create visual interest in their differing sizes.
Lastly, there is some obvious unity in the placement of the candles. Their close proximity in the center of the design suggests that they belong together.
