William Shatner, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Emphasis and Focal Points

Let's....talk. About Emphasis...and, of course, Focal....Points. *ahem*

The reason behind emphasis and focal points are too attraact attention to certain elements within a design or piece of artwork. Let's talk about some ways to emphasize and attract attention.

- Emphasis by Contrast

- Emphasis by Isolation

- Emphasis by Placement

And we'll also cover degrees of emphasis, as well as the lack of a focal point.

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This first image shows emphasis by contrast. The red frowny face is contrasted by the color and of course by the fact that it's frowning instead of smiling. Had the frowny face been yellow like the rest, it would not have been nearly as effective as a focal point.

 

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This next image shows emphasis by isolation. The chair is isolated from other elements, and is easily seen to be the focal point of the photograph. The viewers eye is attracted to the chair, it stands out because it is the only element truly isolated.

 

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Again, we look to Bouguereau for another great example of artistic elements at work. Here he shows emphasis by placement. Venus is at the center of the work. Also, the continuation of the cherubs behind her lead the eye to her. There are also several psychic lines leading the eye to her, as well as several implied lines that are pointed at her. (We'll talk about lines next session.) With this myriad of elements about her, she easily becomes the focal point.

 

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There are several degress of emphasis as well. A successful design can have multiple focal points, not just one. The way this is achieved is through levels of emphasis, each utilizing more or less of the ways of emphasis as covered above. Take a look at this piece, again, by Bouguereau (as you might have guessed, he is one of my favorite artists.) It depicts Dante and Virgil in Hell, witnessing two damned souls.

The first focal point is the one with the most emphasis; the two figures in the middle. They are emphasized by the extreme contrast of overall value, and also by their placement in the center of the piece. The secondary focal point is that of Dante and Virgil themselves, emphasized by their own contrast against the lighter background behind them, as well as the lines leading from the elbow of the main figure to Dante's cloak up to their faces. A third focal point could be argued to be the demon flying in the background, also distinguished from the nearly abstract background by way of contrast.

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Absence of a focal point. 

And what about if an artist or designer wishes to emphasis the whole over any certain element? They simply make sure nothing stands out too much within the piece. Observe this piece by Pollack.

No one element outshines any other by contrast, hue, value placement or any other way of emphasis, therefore denying a focal point, allowing the viewer to be engrossed by the whole of the work instead of any singular part of it.

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