Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
be reflected as a progression—for example, simple to complex—or as a syncopation—simple/
complex/ simple/complex.
Since every project is different, the ways in which a designer might address pacing in a spe-
cific project are unlimited. However, most pacing strategies can be distilled into two basic
overall approaches.
Structural Variation
Regardless of the content's treatment in terms of color, imagery, or typo-
graphy, the structure of a publication can be articulated in a variety of ways.
Content Presentation
Aside from varying structure, the designer might exploit formal variation
and opposition within the content to create pacing changes: its color, scale, photographic or il-
lustrative treatment, and its complexity. Sometimes such pacing changes coincide with structural
variation; for example, changing the scale of images over a page sequence might reflect a change
in grid logic. At other times, changes to content treatment for pacing might be independent of any
structural variations.
Pacing and Sequencing
Building off the idea of variation, the order in which a designer
delivers content—or, the order in which the formal variation occurs—can be a powerful
method for creating variation without disturbing the essential logic of the visual lan-
guage. The sequence of a multipart project creates a particular rhythm, or pacing. Pa-
cing can be understood as a kind of cadence or “timing” the reader will apprehend from
part to part—whether from homepage to subpage within a website, or between page
spreads in a magazine, or between brochures in a literature system—almost like a film.
By varying this rhythm from slow to fast, or from quiet to dynamic, for example, the
designer can accomplish several goals. One result achieved is strictly visual: each turn
of a page engages the reader in a new way by varying the presentation. Another res-
ult might be that the reader is cued to a significant content change; the informational
function is clarified by the pacing. Periodic publications, such as magazines, present
specific concerns regarding pacing. Much of a publication's flow will be determined by
its overall structure. Magazines, for example, are often divided into sections: a series of
“department” pages that recur in the same order every issue and a sequence of feature
stories that changes every issue. Within each section, too, the designer must establish
visual variation so that the reader, while recognizing a consistent structure, doesn't be-
come bored. On a conceptual level, the pacing and sequencing contribute a tremend-
ously to the message delivered by content. Indeed, such organization may be an intrinsic
part of the concept that governs the visual presentation of the content. Sometimes, con-
