Surface area of a half cylinder

BALANCEBalanceis the distribution of visual weight of the elements within a composition.The sense of balance is innate; as children we develop a sense of balance in our bodies and observe balance in the world around us.Lack of balance or imbalance disturbs us.There is a place for purposeful imbalance.We always assume horizontal balance with a center vertical axis with the left and right sides achieving a sense of equilibrium. There is also a vertical balance with a horizontal axis dividing top and bottom.Because of our sense of gravity we are accustomed to seeing more weight on the bottom then on top. This results in stability and calmness.SYMMETRICAL BALANCEThe simplest type of balance to create and recognize is Symmetrical Balance.Symmetrical balanceis when like shapes are repeated in the same positions on either side of the vertical axis.One side in effect becomes the mirror image of the other side.Conscious symmetrical repetition while clearly creating perfect balance can be undeniably static, so the term of formal balanceis used to explain the same idea.Symmetrical balance does not, by itself, preordain any specific visual results.Rare in painting then in architecture.A strong compositional device by:Can have a strong sense of symmetry in an asymmetrical work by having the emphasis on the central axis and common elements on both sides.Symmetry feels an unreal sense that hardly anything in nature is symmetrical.ASYMMMETRICAL BALANCEBalance is achieved with dissimilar objectsthat have equal visual weight or equal eye attraction.Alternate term is informal balanceAsymmetrical balance seems less planned and casual yet it is more intricate and complicated to use than symmetrical balance.Attempting to balance dissimilar items involves more complex considerations and more subtle factors.
BALANCE BY VALUE AND COLORValue difference, light and dark, attracts our eye’s attention.Example: black against white and gray against white.Color:Our eyes are always attracted to color.Given a choice we will look at a colored image rather then a black and white one. A smaller area of bright color can balance a larger area of a duller, more neutral color.BALANCE BY SHAPE AND TEXTURESmaller shapes more complicated shapes can balance larger dull shapes.Smaller areas of texture or pattern can balance larger simple forms Any visual texture with variegated dark and light pattern holds more interest for the eye than does a smooth, unrelieved surface. Printed text in ads read as a pattern of lights and arks and can balance off large shapes.BALANCE BY POSITION AND EYE DIRECTIONBalance by Position –well known principle of physics that two items of unequal weight can be brought to equilibrium by moving the heavier inward toward the fulcrum.In design this means that a large item placed closer to the center can be balanced by smaller item placed out toward the edge.Eye direction is carefully plotted, not only for balance but also for general compositional unity.RADIAL BALANCEAll the elements radiate or circle out from a common central point.Radial Balance is not entirely distinct from symmetrical or asymmetrical balance. It is merely refinement of one or the other, depending on whether the focus occurs in the middle or off center. Used in crafts & architecture.Radial balance is rare in western art but seen in other countries such as Tibet.The major compositional advantage in radial balance is the immediate and obvious creation of an emphasis.Good in advertising but is unnatural and orderly.