Welcome to the next in my series on Design How-to – this one’s on the Principle of Dominance.

Dominance in Design is pretty much what you would expect – it is where one aspect of the work is emphasised. This can be achieved through considered use of any of the Design Elements  – size, tone, texture, colour, shape, line or direction.

Dominance can also be achieved through the placement of an individual element, which can create a ‘focal point’ – that is, a particular point of interest. A focal point can be an area that first attracts your attention in a composition, or it can be the last to hold it – kind of like a full stop or exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.

 

{all images are linked to their source}

 

These very handsome earrings use contrast of shape, colour, and texture to create a strong focal point. The red ball is definitely it! There’s a nice balance here of geometric and organic – as well as the ball there is the gentle geometric of the earwires themselves – and I love how the blackened silver of the discs is cleaned back to show silver edges.

 

 

Again, there is a very strong focal point in this print, which is created mostly through colour. It is further emphasised through direction – the koi is swimming in the opposite direction to the lines of the waves. Placing the fish near the lower edge of the work where there is more space gives it more emphasis too.

 

 

Putting the centre of the flower in the fattest part of the belly creates a definite focal point, which in turn emphasises the shape of these very cute salt and pepper shakers. They make me think about how nice that shape would feel in my hand. Aren’t they fun and lovely?

 

 

In surface design, the purpose of a dominating element is to draw your eye through the pattern. This could be a single line that runs the length of the repeat, or it can be several points.

This sweet floral design would become pleasant, subdued background without its bright red flowers. High colour contrast is used to create a vibrant surface. I love how these flowers are scattered about, and the repeat is not obvious. It makes my eyes dance around! But the flowers are small and delicate, and the background is soft in colour with flowing vertical lines, so it becomes a gentle and pretty dance.

 

 

What a cute doggie! This gorgeous creature is the creation of Carolina Bernal, who is an illustrator, and I gather embroidery is something she does in her spare time (not entirely sure on all this though, as her site is all in Spanish!).

Well of course, as with most images of animals and people, we tend to start our viewing at the head and work our way along/down to the tail and feet. Our eyes are drawn back to the middle because of the strip of distinct circular motifs, embroidered in high contrast colours. This is what I mean about the last thing we linger on – I tend to linger on the red circle with yellow in the middle. It wasn’t the first thing I saw, but it’s at the very centre, and it’s a pleasing finish to a joyous piece.

 

And a last word of caution! Of course, dominance is easy to do. The REAL trick is knowing how to not overdo it – there’s often a delicate point in between not enough (where everything looks a bit boring) and too much (OK, let’s call it garish). It’s like so many things in life though, the more you experiment and practice, the better you get at it. Good luck!

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How are you liking this journey through the Elements & Principles of Design? It’s been heaps of fun choosing examples to show you, thank you for sharing it with me! (If you’re a latecomer, and/or you just want to find out more about this Design How-To series and its starting points, you can find the rest of the posts here.) I really appreciate all the feedback you given me too, thank you so very much for your kind words.

As always, if you’ve got a project that you’re proud of, that you can demonstrate any of these Elements and Principles with, I would LOVE to hear about it. If you’ve got a pic of it up online somewhere, please add a link in the comments below, so you can show it off!! 

Cheers, Julie xx