SCALE {element of design}

the size of a shape or form; often referred to in relation to the size of the picture plane it is occupying, or to the size of other shapes within the picture plane


-scale can create a sense of importance and emphasis; viewers often perceive larger shapes as more important than smaller shapes

-scale can create a sense of depth; larger shapes feel closer than smaller shapes

Claude Monet

-changing the scale of a similar shape can create interest and variation in an otherwise repetitive composition

Daehyun Kim

     ...it can also create a sense of continuity and unity within a larger design

-repeating similar shapes in the same scale will create a sense of order and repetition

Laylah Ali

-exaggerating the scale of a form in relation to other forms can create a sense of surreal or unreal space

Jeff Koons

Ron Mueck

-the scale of forms in relation to the scale of the picture plane is also important to consider


     ...forms that take up the entire picture plane can be seen as grandiose, and singularly important, and can create a sense of a crowded composition

Walton Ford

     ...forms that take up little of the picture plane are considered in conjunction with other forms, and create a sense of space within the composition

H57