The Power of Contrast in Design
As a kid, I was a big fan of Sesame Street. Every show ran a little skit that showed a series of people doing different things, but one was doing something very different. A little song drove home the concept, singing, “one of these kids is doing his own thing, one of these kids is not like the others“. The intended lesson kids were to learn from this is about contrast. Contrast is a powerful, and essential tool in creating designs that communicate to viewers. It tells a viewer where to look, tells them what is most and least important, and creates visual interest. Andy Rutledge has recently written a great article called Contrast and Meaning at A List Apart extolling its virtues, and explaining how you can make effective use of it to build designs that communicate better.