THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

EMPHASIS AND CONTRAST

 EMPHASIS
 An area or object within the artwork that draws
attention and becomes a FOCAL POINT creating a
point of attention, the heart of the composition.
 Object in art to stand out and it is made by contrast.
 An artist uses emphasis to focus the viewer’s attention
within the work of art.
FOCAL POINT
• Refers to an area in the composition that has the
most significance, an area that the artist wants to
draw attention to as the most important aspect,
minimizing or toning down other compositional
elements in order to bring attention to the focal point
or being accompanied by subsidiary points of
emphasis called accents.
 The painting on the right side which
is Impression, Sunrise by Claude
Monet.
 The attention of the audience is
drawn towards the vivid orange
sunset, which stands out from the
weak blues, greens, and grays in the
background.
MONET USED COLOR SATURATION IN
THIS CASE TO EMPHASIZE THE SUNSET.
 Another painting by
Giovanni Boldini used thick
paint and saturated color
to emphasize the flowers
in vase. Notice how the
background is nothing but
a thin strain of color.
Here are a couple ways to create Emphasis:
 Shape
 Line
 Value
 Color
 Space
 Texture
 WHEN CREATING YOUR DESIGN,
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FOCAL
POINT IS EMPHASIZED. IT SHOULD
STAND OUT TO KNOW THE
VIEWER’S EYE WHERE TO GO.
 CONTRAST
 Defined as the juxtaposition of difference, used to
intensify the properties within the work, the
contrast in art is closely related to the variety.
 Most people think of contrast only as it applies to
colors, but contrast can work with any design
element.
CONTRAST IN SHAPE
CONTRAST IN COLOR
CONTRAST IN PATTERN AND TEXTURE
The bigger the difference between
the two things, the HIGHER the
contrast.
High contrast is MUCH more
interesting than low contrast.
Emphasis is made by
contrast that has a FOCAL
POINT.
And the difference of
variety in artwork is called
CONTRAST.
 THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!!!!!
PITAO, ALPHA JOY B.
BEED 1B