VISUAL TECHNIQUES

 Dondis' Visual Techniques most evident in the bed's braided blankets include intricacy, irregularity, and exaggeration as the textiles are made up of heavy, large braids that differ in size and length.

The Kotori Chair (kotori meaning songbird) was featured at this year's Tokyo Design Week by mizmiz design. The Textured fabrics and wooden base of the chair are a fine use of contrast, as well as accent and episodicity between the chairs themselves.

The blankets depicted first differ from the chairs above because they contain an element of harmony in that they are made up of the same dyed and woven fabric. The textiles of the chairs change between each chair, offering an episodic and contrasting appeal. The chairs on the left are made of leather backs while the chairs on the right are backed with a dot-textured, white fabric. The wooden seat and legs of the chairs also contrast the leather and fabric backs. However cohesive the blanket's material is, the actual braided physicality of the blankets are more irregular and spontaneous versus the predictability of the chairs. The blanket's are the opposite of manufactured as their braids vary in size and length and appear to be the locks of many Rapunzels. 

CONTRAST

The image above serves as my example for successful use of contrast in design. The decision to paint the outside and trim a pure black, while keeping the interior a very raw, warm wood tone and place the entire shelf against a blank white wall is very contrasting. Dondis writes that light is the essential tool to seeing anything, yet most importantly, understanding contrast; he writes "in its elemental visual state, light is tonal, reaching from brightness (or lightness) to darkness in a series of steps which can be described as having very subtle gradations" (Dondis 86).  It also feels episodic and dimensional because of the varying sizes and directions of the shelves. The shelves contain a rhythmic, energized feel as they taper in depth form the ends to the middle creating a bubble-like aesthetic. The entire shelf, from color/texture to shapes, contrasts in such a way that is interesting for the viewer/user.

The bookshelf above lacks contrast in all areas including color, shape, and layout. If anything, it is harmonious. Dondis writes that "Harmony, or the leveled state in visual design, is a useful and almost foolproof method for the solution of compositional problems for the inexperienced and unskilled visual message-maker" (Dondis 93). Basically, it is an easy way out to create any sort of visual as nearly no effort is required in the creative process. The shelf above, is obviously composed of the same material and color, completely uniformed with an opaque white finish. Even the shelves are precisely identical square dimensions. Both shelves are constructed the same way, with one end of four shelves working down to one. They are juxtaposed to face each other, which is the most compelling aspect of this design if there is one.

Sources:

http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/storage-unit-combining-functionality-and-elegance-by-designer-ka-lai-chan/

http://www.123rf.com/photo_12218121_white-bookshelf-with-a-colorful-books-3d-rendered.html

Success in Syntactical Guidelines

The chair illustrated above is a perfect example of multiple communication strategies working together in a balanced design. Dondis describes symmetry as an "axial balance . . . in which every unit on one side of a center line is replicated exactly on the other side" (Dondis 112). This chair serves as the best representation of symmetrical design because the seat and legs of the stool replicate a mirrored image divided by a line running down the middle. Naturally, the symmetrical design also boasts unity, which is "a proper balance of diverse elements into one totality that is visually all of a piece" and Regularity, "the uniformity of elements" (Dondis 113). The stool-chair is a successful design because it utilizes very simple, yet flowing lines to make up a useful and perfectly symmetrical piece of furniture. The winged edges of each side's seat offer an additional flair so that the balanced design does not come across as painfully flat or boring.

Failure in Syntactical Guidelines

The example above contrasts the previous design in that it is unbalanced, asymmetrical, and irregular. Although it communicates some of Dondis' visual strategies such as fragmentation and boldness, I find it to be an unsuccessful design because the extreme mashup of materials and shapes looses the design completely. Personally, the chair feels unpleasant and looks unapproachable. The designer may have intended for the chair to appear interesting through variation, but it does not come across well; Dondis writes that "variation, in visual composition, reflects the use of variation in musical composition in that the mutations are control-led by one dominant theme" (Dondis 121). Arguably, the common theme in this design is the organic material used throughout. The actual construction of the material is far too unrelated-- there is an absence of a grounded theme as one side of the chair's back is a neat, linear pattern that is harshly interrupted by giant, gaping circles and floral pattern shapes. This is opposition, not a mutation derived from one common theme. Additionally, the black base of the chair creates an extremely bottom-heavy aesthetic that is also unpleasant. The piece as a whole does not contain much unity, and the fragmentation and variation is not well-derived and overall, unsuccesful.