Dissection

AJ Landscape Architecture

This blog is an insight into my design process and interests.

Allowing exploration of anything that may aid my journey into becoming a landscape architect.

12/8/2023

Dissection

Our task was to dissect a “high end” advert layout.
This was to help our understanding of how visual content is arranged effectively. We used trace overlays to analyse important elements of the composition, exploring visual hierarchy, relationships, and focus points.

Firstly, we looked at where our eye hit the page first. This was non-judgemental; it was what our minds/eyes were drawn to instantly without prejudice of the content. This information is vital for advertising and is a growing industry (1): e.g. does the ad quickly identify what we need it to do and hold the consumer’s attention?

This is really important in design. If items are not placed correctly or purposefully they can be lost entirely within the whole.

The best brands sell an image/lifestyle rather than a product, and here, in this Dior advertisement, there is elegance, drama, power, minimalism and sex. This is then depicted as a holy deity having been backlighted with the green halo.

If we look at the placement of the picture, we can see it is set exactly to the golden rectangle and triangle (highlighted in black and blue). The golden rectangle is significant, creating a harmonic and visually appealing image. The ratio of the rectangle is 1:1.618, which suggests subconscious harmony and balance. (3)

The Golden Rectangle and Fibonacci sequence are often used in architecture and landscapes, e.g. Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids.

I applied this theory to photography I took for another project (click on the image to see in full). Although some of the content isn’t the most inspiring, the outcome composition is balanced and “really easy” to look at.