Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
the interaction of forms without having to pay attention to the format at all. A vertical
format, however, is highly confrontational.
Its shape produces a simultaneously upward and downward thrust that a viewer will op-
tically traverse over and over again, as though sizing it up; somewhere in the dim, an-
cient hardwiring of the brain, a vertical object is catalogued as potentially being another
person—its verticality mirrors that of the upright body. Horizontal formats are generally
passive; they produce a calming sensation and imply lateral motion, deriving from an
equally ancient perception that they are related to the horizon. If you need convincing,
note the root of the word itself.
THE SQUARE CD
-
ROM CASE
is an appropriately neutral—and modular—format, considering the
subject matter, pioneering Modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The circular CD-ROM
obscures portions of the image in the tray but also adds its own layer.
Thomas Csano
Canada
A small format enhances the presence, or apparent mass, of an element; a larger format decreases
the presence of an element with the same physical size.
