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.