- Centered symmetrical layouts rely on scale
and spacing to create a strong solution.
In the early 20th century, modernist designers
rejected symmetry and adopted the asymmetrical approach.
This was more functional.
A designer could use placement as another way
to create hierarchy, or meaning.
Today, most educational institutions
stress asymmetry as the dominant option.
As we discussed in the previous segment,
a centered solution can be fresh and modern,
but an asymmetrical layout allows for greater flexibility.
Maintaining the viewer's interest is one of the challenges
of managing a significant amount of information.
Laid out in one centered column is dull and dense.
Moving to an asymmetrical solution,
provides the space to work with scale and color.
By dividing the page into specific zones for information,
the designer directs the viewer to the most critical,
secondary, and tertiary content.
To maintain a sense of order,
I also limit my typeface options.
Here is work with Erik Spiekermann's reel
in only two weights.
And I use scale differences to add some
excitement to otherwise dry information.
Asymmetry is a great option when faced with
multiple types of information.
By designing a grid of numerous columns,
and an asymmetrical vertical composition,
I provide an easy to read alternative to a list of data.
Complicated websites are typically asymmetrical.
This provides the basis to add pages with various types
of information that may be of varying lengths or sizes.
When the navigation has several levels, a symmetrical layout
will be too simple to accommodate the content.
The viewer will be unable to find
the right section and give up.
By creating a side bar for secondary navigation
and real estate for the content,
the viewer knows how to move through the site.
Maintaining the same grid structure,
and the type of graphic system, creates a unified
and cohesive experience regardless of the type of content.
The only solution was asymmetrical for a book that had
several types of information on each page.
I needed the flexibility to organize the information
on different areas of a spread.
I wanted the reader to understand that the definition
was always on the left of the primary copy.
I place the text for the applications,
names, and the captions, hanging from
the same area under the paragraph.
I divided the page into asymmetrical sections,
left to right, and top to bottom.
Each region contained the same type
of information on each opening spread.
As I discussed in the Foundations course,
asymmetry is a balancing act.
Something minor can become
the most critical element on a page set alone.
The lack of symmetry on a page, draws the viewer
into the layout and ask him or her to navigate the content.
This alone provides dynamic experience.
The result can be spectacular when a designer balances
issues of scale, color, and contrast with meaning.