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Items can line up either along their edges or on their centers. Alignment is used extensively to organize all graphic arts. Almost all text uses alignment to organize lines of type. The letters align along their bases and the lines begin (and/or end) along a line

There are two major types of alignment: edge and center.

EDGE ALIGNMENT Any object with flat edge(s) can be used for edge alignment. Rectangles are especially well suited for this since they have four flat edges to align. Their right angels also give a sense of order to a composition using them (similarity).

ALIGNMENT

FINE POINTS

The edges of information within a picture can also align with other edges in a composition. This technique can add subtle touches to a composition.

Centering in a negative space is a kind of alignment. This works best when there is some other alignment to back up the centering.

Narrow strips of background between pictures and text blocks are called gutters.

Inserts are words or images that overlap other images. They can partially overlap or be completely inside. They make a compact package of two or more sets of information and can conserve space or hide unwanted areas in an image.

Set deadlines for drafts; devote one whole team meeting to responses/revision of drafts. Develop, as a team, a series of questions for each reader to ask about other writers' drafts; decide, as a team, what you want to look for in each writer's draft Before distributing drafts to the team, each writer should provide a cover letter with the draft, explaining what she/he tried to accomplish, pointing out strengths/weaknesses, and asking readers specific questions about problem areas. Write back to each writer and be prepared to discuss your responses. Provide both positive and negative feedback to writers. Be descriptive, pointing to particular sections or sentences, providing suggestions for revision and explanations of those changes.

As the team projects progress, ask students to monitor their progress in writing, by submitting weekly minutes, for example.

PLANS FOR COMPLETION What tasks are left to do? How have you divided/assigned them? What do you still need to find? Do you have enough/too much material for your presentation? TEAM PROCESS Describe the way your team is working together. How have you organized the work? Division of tasks? Lead writer? Lead researcher? Lead presenter? Any problems in the team process?

Think of the basic design principles contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

Contrast

Repetition

Alignment

Proximity

You create a hierarchy in design, by adjusting the visual weights of your element.

The mechanisms for controlling visual weight are the same in both cases. Size – As you would expect larger elements carry more weight Color – It’s not fully understood why, but some colors are perceived as weighing more than others. Red seems to be heaviest while yellow seems to be lightest. Density – Packing more elements into a given space, gives more weight to that space Value – A darker object will have more weight than a ligher object Whitespace – Positive space weighs more than negative space or whitespace

Your hierarchy should begin with thoughtful consideration of the content and goals of the page. Only after you’ve decided intellectually the hierarchy of your page should you attempt to visually design that hierarchy.

Visual Hierarchy is a deliberate prioritization of

balance the length of the tutorial with the amount of valid information transmitted

In order to keep the readers engaged in the tutorial, it is very important that you show them what you will be achieving by the end of the tutorial

What you are trying to explain in 5 to 10 lines can be neatly illustrated in just an image. Try to use as many images as possible

Use them wherever necessary and use them wisely

Take screenshots of every step you perform and document your every move

images with varying widths create some sort of a negative impression on your tutorial

explain why you are doing it and what are the advantages in doing so

In this tutorial, we will be learning to create

There are two kinds of balance that correspond to our lever images above, namely symmetrical and asymmetrical balance

Size – As you would expect larger elements carry more weight Color – It’s not fully understood why, but some colors are perceived as weighing more than others. Red seems to be heaviest while yellow seems to be lightest. Density – Packing more elements into a given space, gives more weight to that space Value – A darker object will have more weight than a ligher object Whitspace – Positive space weighs more than negative space or whitespace

Balance is important in life. Work and play; diet and exercise; yin and yang. A beautiful face is often a matter of the right balance of features. Balance is also a very important design principle. It will help you create an aesthetically pleasing whole and help you better control flow in your designs.

Symmetrical balance tends to be more formal and more static. It evokes feelings of consistency, elegance and classicism.

Asymmetrical balance is like having our fulcrum off center. Unequal weights need to be placed on either side of the fulcrum in order for balance to be in equilibrium. Visual weight will not be evenly distributed around a central axis and often you’ll find one dominant form on one side of the axis offset by several less dominant forms on the other.

Radial balance – all elements radiate in or out from the center. Think beams of light coming from the sun. It’s easy to maintain a focal point in radial balance as it will always be the center.

Mosaic balance – many elements on the page create a sort of balanced chaos. Think of a Jackson Pollack painting. Mosaic balance lacks hierarchy and can look like noise. It’s harder to define a single focal point in all the chaos.