Composition

The definition of composition is “the nature of something’s ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up.” (Dictionary.com). A word is a composition made up of letters (ingredients). To manipulate the composition of a word, we can adjust the letters styles, spacing and the positive/negative space.

Positive Space

Positive space is any area of a design that’s filled in. A bold element contains a large amount of positive space drawing the eye to it, while a light element lets the eye more easily pass-through it.

In the “Composition” example above, the black represents the positive space and the white background is all negative space.

Negative Space

Negative space is any empty, not-filled-in-area of a design. It can be found in the margins (edge or border of a design), between words (top, bottom, left, or right), and in between letters. Negative space highlights and defines positive space and must be considered and designed in the same way positive space is.

Visual Center

The eye is naturally drawn to the visual center of an area, which is slightly higher than its geometric center. The visual center of a square or rectangular container can be found by drawing two diagonal lines running from corner to corner. The optical center sits slightly above where the two diagonal lines intersect.

Layout

Working with multiple words, means you have to consider how the words relate to each other and the composition as a whole. The layout is the way in which the parts of the composition are arranged - the layout should contribute to making the composition look nice and read well. Here are some important concepts to consider;

• Container shape and size - How will the design be used? What are dimensions of the container? How can the design sit within the container in a way that feels natural?

• Grouping words into sections - Which words will be grouped together? Will the grouped words be united by a similar style, size, or line weight? Is the grouping causing the composition to read correctly?

• Vertical spacing - How much negative space should there be between words/different sections of the composition? Is the vertical spacing between sections consistent throughout the composition? Does it feel balanced?

Using a grid system is a great way to help create a layout that is balanced and organized.

The image above uses a centered layout and two different styles of lettering. Because “Successfully” is located in the middle of the composition and occupies the most amount of space, it commands the most attention. I’ve used style to create balance within the composition by surrounding the “Successful” with two Serif words (“Designing”/Compositions”) above and below it. To unite the two different styles I used the the cap-height of “Designing” and “Compositions” is the same as the x-height of “Successful”.

If you’re unfamiliar with the terms cap-height and x-height, you can learn more about them in my post on Using Lines and Shapes to Guide Your Lettering .

Hierarchy

Hierarchy can be used to organize words of a composition live in. In this system, different words can be prioritized over others. Doing this makes the composition visually interesting and when done well, it improves the way it communicates. There are a few ways to manipulate the hierarchy of a composition:

• Adjust the layout - The layout is how the parts (words and other design elements) are arranged in a composition. The way you arrange words sets the foundation for your hierarchy and how the design looks. It also effects how the design reads, it’s important to consider both as you work through a design. Here are some different ways to manipulate the layout to control hierarchy:

  • Breaking up content into sections gives you control over how the design looks and reads. Once broken up, you can manipulate the size of the different sections. The lettering size in each section should be dictated by the importance of that content. More important content can be enlarged and less important content can be smaller.

  • Adjusting the wording of a composition is always an option. You can add, change, or subtract content in a way that benefits the look without sacrificing the message.

• Increase/Decrease line thickness - Bold lines attract more attention than thin lines. By adjusting the line weight of a word you control how much attention it gets.

• Add effects and details - A composition shouldn’t rely on effects and details to establish hierarchy, but it’s a great way to embellish the hierarchy in a strong composition.

Balance, Rhythm & Symmetry

Getting the pieces of a composition to seamlessly fit together is challenging. These concepts can be applied to words, groups of words and the composition as a whole. In relationship to lettering and designing compositions, these concepts become slightly abstract. I use them as a way to question my work throughout the design process (Does this word feel balanced with this one? Does the way I’ve applied style convey a sense of symmetry? etc…) There is no right or wrong way to apply these concepts, but they must be considered. Practicing is the best way to build these skills.

• Balance & Symmetry - Symmetry is defined as …beauty of form arising from balanced proportions (Merriam-Webster). Balance is created with considerate relationships between graphic elements and symmetry, should in some way, define these relationships.

  Symmetry can be applied traditionally (where left reflects right or top reflects bottom), or in a more abstract way (this is this way because that is that way), both methods help establish symmetry and create balance.

  Ultimately, developing symmetry requires you be considerate of the relationships in a design then finding ways to make those relationships intentional and balanced.

• Rhythm - Rhythm strongly relates to the use of positive and negative space. When done well, positive and negative space works together to create visual flow and balance. Words, groups of words and the design as a whole should convey a sense of rhythm. This helps guide the eye through the content and makes the design attractive.

Legibility

Legibility means that letters of a word are capable of being read or deciphered (Merriam-Webster). To some degree, all of the words in a composition should be readable. Sometimes it makes sense to compromise legibility for artistic representation of a word.