The emphasis of subordination is the downplaying of everything else in a piece of work, allowing a specific focal point to stand out clearly.
In the realm of visual arts and design, the principles of emphasis and subordination work hand-in-hand to guide the viewer's eye and create a clear visual hierarchy. As stated in the provided reference, "Emphasis is the drawing of attention to a specific place in a piece of art, subordination is the downplaying everything else." This dynamic duo is crucial for creating effective focal points within any composition.
While emphasis actively draws attention to something, subordination passively ensures that other elements do not compete for that attention. Its "emphasis" or purpose is to reduce the prominence of secondary elements, making the primary subject or area unequivocally the center of interest.
The Role of Subordination in Art and Design
Subordination serves several critical functions in visual communication:
- Guiding the Eye: By making less important elements recede, subordination directs the viewer's gaze towards the intended focal point, ensuring the message or subject is immediately understood.
- Creating Depth and Dimension: Downplaying background elements can create a sense of depth, separating the foreground from the background.
- Enhancing Clarity: It prevents visual clutter and distraction, making the overall composition cleaner and more comprehensible.
- Reinforcing Narrative: In storytelling through art, subordination can make sure the most critical part of the story or character is highlighted.
Techniques for Achieving Subordination
Artists and designers employ various techniques to achieve effective subordination:
- Color and Value:
- Using desaturated, muted, or neutral colors for subordinate areas.
- Employing lower contrast or narrower value ranges (e.g., all grays, no pure blacks or whites) to make elements recede.
- Detail and Complexity:
- Simplifying forms and reducing intricate patterns or textures in non-focal areas.
- Less intricate brushwork or simpler shapes compared to the detailed focal point.
- Size and Placement:
- Making subordinate elements smaller or positioning them at the edges of the composition.
- Arranging elements so they frame, rather than compete with, the main subject.
- Texture:
- Using smoother, less engaging, or consistent textures for background elements.
- Focus (in Photography and Film):
- Employing a shallow depth of field to render backgrounds or foregrounds out of focus, instantly subordinating them to the sharp subject.
- Rhythm and Repetition:
- Breaking or altering a visual rhythm to highlight a specific element, while maintaining the rhythm for subordinate elements.
Emphasis vs. Subordination: A Synergistic Relationship
These two design principles are two sides of the same coin, working in concert to create compelling compositions.
| Feature | Emphasis | Subordination |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Action | Draws attention to | Downplays |
| Goal | Create a focal point | Support the focal point by reducing competition |
| Effect | Stands out, becomes prominent | Recedes, becomes less prominent |
| Purpose | Direct viewer's gaze to a specific element | Ensure other elements don't distract |
Practical Applications and Insights
Understanding subordination is vital across various creative fields:
- Painting: A portrait artist might render the background with softer edges and less vibrant colors to ensure the subject's face is the immediate focus.
- Photography: A portrait photographer uses a wide aperture to blur the background, making the person in the foreground stand out sharply.
- Web Design: Less critical navigation elements or supplementary information might be presented in smaller fonts, lighter colors, or less prominent positions compared to calls-to-action or main content.
- Graphic Design: In a poster, the main headline and image are emphasized through size and color, while supporting text is subordinated to ensure the primary message is instantly conveyed.
By effectively employing subordination, designers and artists ensure their work is not only aesthetically pleasing but also clear, communicative, and impactful. It's the art of knowing what not to highlight, so what is highlighted truly shines.
