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10 rules of composition every designer should know
The principles of composition date as far back as the Renaissance and are staples of classic painting and photography. These same principles are just as important to graphic design, no matter whether you’re creating a poster, digital artwork, a website, or even a product design.
Whether it’s for visual appeal or for more practical purposes — like making a product more functional — design composition should always be taken into account.
To help you get a handle on the basics of composition in design, we’ve gathered 10 rules of composition that should guide your work. Some of these are timeless principles accumulated from centuries of artists and photographers, while some are more practical considerations from the modern era. Either way, mastering these rules of composition should help you craft attractive, powerful pieces of design.
1. Clarity & Focus
The primary goal of composition is to make sure the audience is focused on what matters the most. Every element in the composition should contribute to making a single point visually, either directly or indirectly.
The simplest way to do this is to place visual elements such as text and illustrations in such a way that they draw the eye. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean cramming as much as you can on the page. Instead, focus on using minimalism to keep just the essentials, thus making your main idea stand out more clearly.
2. Harmony & Balance
When you create a composition, it’s important that elements are placed in relation to one another in a balanced manner. Using symmetry and asymmetry can help you achieve a balanced look.
For example, in online graphic design and product design, “F-pattern” is a principle of composition which many companies, such as Amazon, use to create visual balance in the layout. In F-pattern, the eye moves in an “F” shape when scrolling through a page, which helps readers quickly find what’s most important.
