Due Date: Lab 5B (March 4); submit to Discord in activity04 in the activities forum.

Objective:

This activity is a follow-up to our lecture on fundamental principles of composition. We’ll exploring these concepts by engaging with real-world design examples; this offers us an opportunity to develop an eye for composition by identifying and analyzing effective design in context, in our everyday surroundings.


Learning Outcomes:

  • Develop observational skills to identify effective composition.
  • Apply composition principles to real-world examples.
  • Engage in peer discussion and critique to refine their understanding of design principles.

Instructions:

  1. Find 3–4 examples of real-world composition.
    • Look for examples of composition in everyday life, such as posters, flyers, signs, packaging, books, magazines.  (Take your own original photos!)
  2. Upload your examples to an online folder.
    • N.B. It may be useful for you to organize this in a class folder for MTEC1101 that also holds your Activity 03 materials, your Project 01 work, et cetera.
  3. Select one of your images as an interesting example of composition you’d like to analyze.
    • This should be the most interesting design among your selections (not necessarily the best! bad is sometimes better!). 
    • Write a ~250-word analysis addressing the use (or neglect) of composition principles.
    • Consider elements such as:
      • Balance: Is the composition symmetrical or asymmetrical?
      • Contrast: How are colors, shapes, or textures used to create visual interest?
      • Hierarchy: What grabs your attention first? How are visual elements structured?
      • Color: How does it guide your eye and set the tone?
      • Typography: Do the words “look” like they mean what they say?
  4. Post a link to your folder along with the photo and your analysis to the Discord activity forum.
  5. EXTRA PARTICIPATION CREDIT: engage with a peer’s example.
    • At any point during Module 02, reply to one or more classmate’s posts by selecting one of the images they uploaded, but not the one that they analyzed; offer an observation or ask a question about their example.

Deliverables:

  1. Discord Submission
    • A link to folder containing 3–4 images of real-world composition.
    • One of those images posted in the comment + a written analysis of that image.
  2. Extra credit: respond to a peer’s post; examine their folder, pick a photo they chose but didn’t analyze; offer an observation or ask a question.