Reading Between the Lines

One of the focuses of today's article was the relationship between horizontal and vertical lines. It may seem absurd to think that orienting an image so it follows horizontal lines as opposed to vertical lines would make a difference, but there is a lot of evidence behind this idea. When an image or object follows horizontal lines it appears more tranquil and welcoming. On the other hand, when an image or object follows vertical lines it comes across as more powerful and dynamic. There are numerous examples that help prove this point.

When dealing with horizontal lines some examples you can examine are traditional one story houses and movie covers. If you look at the structure of a one story house, it extends outwards but doesn't rise high into the sky. The horizontal line of the house makes it feel like a more welcoming, family environment which is important when finding a home. From a different angle, you can look at horizontal lines for conveying emotion on a movie cover. For comedies or romantic movies, like Super Troopers, there are multiple people on the conver making the case look wider and is more inviting to viewers looking to relax.

When dealing with vertical lines, there are other examples to examine such as high rises and action movie cases. High rises, or skyscrapers, are built straight up on a vertical line. Due to this fact, skyscrapers seem exciting, adventurous and appear to defy gravity. Countering the horizontal line movie cover example, action movies often follow a vertical line design. If you look at the movie cover of Braveheart, the vertical line design gives Mel Gibson, who is features alone on the cover, a sense of intensity, aggression and dominance.

It's surprising how fixing an object or image on a horizontal or vertical line can make people look at it differently. The subtleties of a change in orientation can turn an image from being powerful to being calmer and more tranquil. Understanding these important ideas of design can help you improve your media literacy and design skills.

Daily Questions to Ponder:

1) What does an image that follows horizontal and vertical lines convey?

2) What examples are there of objects or images that don't follow this idea?