There are principles of good design that when used properly, will make a good image much better, and a great image dynamite.  With an understanding of how to apply these principles in making your images, you’ve got a excellent chance at elevating even dull subject matter to visually enticing, and in some instances, simply persuasive.

Does your image use point, line, color, form or shape, space, texture, and/or pattern to effectively communicate your intent?  Does the image portray a sense of unity, balance, proportion, rhythm/repetition/similarity, hierarchy/dominance/emphasis/figure to ground.  Let’s also add a few of the gestalt principles into the mix:  Closure (our tendency to see and assume something which i

s not technically there/to fill in the missing pieces), Continuance (our tendency to follow a visual or suggested path), and Proximity (the two-dimensional relationship of objects to each other within the frame).  For more on these Gestalt principles and others, visit our Juror’s article mentioned below.

If you have images that clearly illustrate one or several of the above mentioned elements and/or principles of design, we would love to see them.  Our Juror Joe Baraban is prepared to apply his expertise to choose work that is both alluring and exemplar of the design standards we expect in graphically successful imagery.  You don’t need to be able to label your work with the appropriate element/principles - if you’ve got one or more images that pops with visual success, submit them – they may the mark of great design that we’re looking for.