What is Dynamic Positioning?
Skilled creatives understand how to structure and compose their images and layouts to optimize engagement with the viewer. One method they use is dynamic positioning.
Dynamic positioning is simply the strategic use of both negative and positive space in a design or picture to increase interest. It relates to the principles of visual organization and how you lead the eye through your images and layouts.
To introduce the subject of dynamic positioning (also referred to as dynamic spacing) let’s first review some basic design elements and principles:
Composition is the overall arrangement of a picture or pattern. Good composition is planned. It doesn’t happen by accident.
Position is a point in space. In both two-dimensional and three-dimensional design any point within a design space relates to all other points within the design space and to the edges or boundaries of the design space. Move an element from one position in space to another and those relationships also change.
In design terms dynamic refers to a sense of potential, visual, or actual movement, energy, or change.
Dynamic positioning then deals with how you arrange the elements of your composition to attract, maintain, and hold onto the viewer’s interest. To accomplish this you must consider not only the shapes and forms themselves, but the unoccupied space around them. In fact, the unoccupied space is actually more important than the filled space (shape or form.)
Examples of dynamic positioning
If an element is centered in a design space it reads as static and conveys dullness and boredom. Being static there’s no sense of movement. There’s a lack of variety and contrast. When an element is positioned with a variety of distances from the edge of the design space, the perceived movement increases, the energy and vitality increase, and our interest increases.
Compare these examples:
STATIC COMPOSITION
The figure is positioned in the horizontal center of the space with equal amounts of negative space on both sides. There is some dynamic quality due to the figure being positioned at the bottom of the vertical distance. The figure is stabilized in the space and is static. Although balanced, there is a lack of variety, and our interest fades quickly.
DYNAMIC COMPOSITION
The figure is positioned at bottom right in the space with unequal amounts of negative space on both sides. This placement conveys more dynamic quality and acts to animate the figure. The figure is stabilized in the space but not static. The different distances between the figure and the frame help to animate the figure.
DYNAMIC COMPOSITION
The figure is positioned at bottom left with the negative space dominating the picture plane. She is significantly cropped by the frame. This placement increases our perception of movement. The viewer's eye enters on the figure and is directed to the center of the picture plane and the negative space.
Applying dynamic positioning in your work
Dynamic positioning is a matter of contrasts of distance. Used in tandem with scale and proportion contrasts you can achieve a remarkable sense of action, movement, and energy in your work. Increasing the differences increases the energy, and likewise, decreasing the differences has the opposite effect.
Increase your skill by paying attention to and taking note of how designers, photographers, and artists vary spacing, scale (size) and proportioning, and consider the results of these decisions. Then practice applying dynamic positioning to add more interest to your own work.
The principle of dynamism applies to all visual design. When you look at a design, photograph, or artwork, pay attention to how the creator applied the principle in regard not only to position, but to scaling, and proportions. Consider the results of the composition: what it communicates, and how it communicates. What is your response to what you see?
