design3

Layout and Composition
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from left to right (remember that many languages, like Hebrew and Arabic, are read from right to
left) and scan a page from top to bottom.
Continuance
The idea behind continuance or flow is that when our eyes start moving in one direction, they tend
to continue along that path until a more dominant feature comes along. Figure 1.23 demonstrates
this effect. Even though the bottom splotch is bigger and so tends to catch your eye first, your brain
can’t help but go “Hey, looky there, an arrow!” Soon enough, you’ll find yourself staring at the
smaller object.
Figure 1.23. Continuance and placement: creating emphasis
Continuance is one of the most common methods that web designers use to unify a layout. By default,
the left edge of headings, copy, and images placed on a web page form a vertical line down the left
side of a page before any styling is applied. A simple way to make additional use of this concept is
to align elements to the lines of your grid. This creates multiple lines of continuance for your visitors’
eyes to follow down the page. The example in Figure 1.24 below, the site of graphic designer
Arnuad Beelen, 15 is a great example of continuance. The angled images align their edges with the
tops or bottoms of others, moving your eye across the page.
15 http://www.arnaudbeelen.be/