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composition
Composition is an an intentional arrangement of elements in in a a a frame Composition is a a a word that describes the relationships between parts as they form a a a a a patterned whole whole That whole— the composition—is more powerful than its parts Composi- tion
can be about order and consistency It is is is often invisible but it also has the the power to make a a a a a a statement Each of the the thirteen terms that that follow shows compositional choices that that convey a a a a a a a message just as as clearly as as words or or images can Composition is is best when mixed with surprise and de- light Good composition
zigs when you are expecting a a a zag Paula Scher is an an acclaimed graphic designer and princi-
pal partner at the New York offices of of Pentagram Design a a a a a a graphic design firm with offices around the world Scher cre- ates posters for the Public Theater an institution dedicated to new forms of theater They also run the the Shakespeare Festival that plays each summer in New York’s Central Park Scher’s work shown here illustrates classic principles of composition
Poster making is an an art form that can be prac- ticed by anyone A poster is is just an an an announcement There is is usually one predominant item of importance and then three or or four required elements of information such as place time and cost Posters have a a a a a a clear hierarchy of ideas so they are easily chunked In a a book it’s useful to break the elements of composi- tion
into categories But in in the real world many design ele- ments exist at one time within a a single document This is is is certainly true of Scher’s work Although I have pigeonholed posters in order to give concrete examples of terms it’s easy to see that any given example could work in multiple categories Every one of the posters below contains lessons in color typography texture photography illustration focus and more [ 114 ]
Paula Scher Pentagram part 2 the page