Asymmetrical Balance

By Linda Barnett

Flair: A type of balance which uses dissimilar amounts and placements to achieve visual balance.

Asymmetrical designs use dissimilar amounts of plant material and placements but of equal eye pull to achieve visual balance.

Traditional Asymmetrical Balance

Traditional designs use dissimilar amounts of the chosen plant material each side of the central vertical and horizonal axes to achieve visual balance. Traditional outline forms can be a triangle, crescent, Hogarth curve, horizontal and diagonal.
In drawing the imaginary vertical and horizontal central axes, there are dissimilar amounts of weight created by colour, form and texture.

The much admired asymmetrical design is the Hogarth curve or Lazy S.

Modern/Contemporary Asymmetrical Balance

A design using massed groupings of colours, forms and textures with or without space, relying on strong contrasts and asymmetrical balance to create impact.

These designs are more exciting with the balance of dissimilar components on either side of the central axis. There may be a strong round form balanced against several smaller forms grouped together. In drawing the imaginary vertical and horizontal central axes there are differing amounts either side of weight through colour, form and space.

'Rakiura' by Lois Morrow

Example Designs